Xaymaca is what the island's first inhabitants called Jamaica, long before it had its current name. Land of wood and water. Molasses ferments here for up to three weeks, and the copper pot stills turn it into a spirit that smells of overripe bananas, varnish and a whiff of diesel. Planteray then lets it rest on both sides of the Atlantic.
Expert's Description
Planteray Xaymaca Special Dry is a Jamaican Pot Still Rum aged in bourbon casks, finished in Cognac casks and bottled at 43%. It is a blend of 100% pot still rum from two historic Jamaican distilleries, Clarendon and Long Pond, made from molasses with no added sugar. The label states 156 grams of esters per hectolitre of pure alcohol and 312 grams of volatile compounds, and the dosage is zero grams per litre. Those numbers tell most of the story: this sits at the heavy, funky end of rum.
Clarendon supplies spirit from a Vendome pot still, Long Pond from an old John Dore. The back label lists the marks in the blend: EMB and MLC from Clarendon, VRW and STCE from Long Pond. Marks are Jamaica's traditional way of signalling intensity and flavour profile. Fermentation runs between one and three weeks, and that is where the fruity, almost solvent-like notes come from, the ones rum nerds call hogo.
Ageing happens in two stages. First one to three years in bourbon casks in the Jamaican heat, where rum matures fast. Then the rum sails to Maison Ferrand in Cognac and spends roughly another year in Cognac casks. That last step sands down the edges without taking the character, and the result is drier, spicier and more cohesive than a young Jamaican rum usually manages to be. Since 2017, Maison Ferrand has owned a third of National Rums of Jamaica, the company behind Clarendon and Long Pond.
Tasting Notes
Nose
Very complex and slightly meaty, with a touch of smoke and sour, herbal notes that build slowly. Then comes vanilla, almost pastry-like, alongside cooked banana, bitter orange peel and ripe pineapple.
Palate
Dry and spicy. Rose water, soursop, pear and apricot fill the mouth, followed by coconut milk, allspice, ginger, nuts and something close to fresh-baked bread.
Finish
Long and dry, with pepper, soft vanilla and a buttery note. A faint smokiness hangs around afterwards.
Specifications
Name: Planteray Xaymaca Special Dry Jamaican Rum
Distillery: Clarendon and Long Pond
Bottler: Maison Ferrand
Region/Country: Jamaica
Type: Jamaican Pot Still Rum
ABV: 43%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Bourbon Casks, finished in Ferrand Cognac Casks
Distillation method: Pot still, Vendome and John Dore
EAN no.: 3460410538543
Serving suggestion: Neat at room temperature, with a large ice cube or in a Mai Tai
Flavour Profile
Funky · Tropical fruity · Dry · Spiced · Lightly smoky
Did You Know?
Alexandre Gabriel, who owns Maison Ferrand, started out as a Cognac man, not a rum man. In the 1990s he travelled to the Caribbean to sell empty Cognac barrels to rum distilleries. He also bought some full rum casks and shipped them home to Cognac, where he began experimenting with ageing. That is where the double ageing comes from, and Xaymaca still builds on it.
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