Red Dust – Plantation Peru 2004
One of the two new rums in the Plantation portfolio is the Peru 2004 Vintage Edition. The special thing about this rum, besides its not so common source, is the full disclosure of facts. This means that you not only get the name of the distillery, but also the fermentation time, the type of barrels which are used and even how much sugar or dosage is added! As a rum aficionado you can only applaud that decision. On top of that great news, I also have a new drink for you using the Plantation Peru.
As mentioned above, the back label of the Plantation Peru states that the rum was distilled at the Destilerias Unidas S.A. de Peru distillery. Before the distillation on column stills, the molasses was fermented for three days. The rum then spent 12 years in used 200 l bourbon barrels in Peru before being brought to France. There it the rum was transferred to used cognac casks with a capacity of 350 l. After another two years in the cellars of Château de Bonbonnet a dosage of 12 g per litre sugar rounded off the flavour of the Peru rum before being bottled. To put the dosage into contrast some other very popular rums use up to 40 grams per litre.
Of course, the Plantation Peru Rum is not really smoky like a Islay single malt. However, behind all of the dried fruits, molasses, caramel and vanilla notes there is a certain smokiness lingering on. It is more reminiscent of bonfire or charcoal, but it is noticeable. Besides that, the rum is very enjoyable and mellow with typical flavours. Of course, you notice the slight sweetness, but this also could be the placebo effect of knowing about the dosage. All in all, it is a great rum with everything you could ask for, even some hints of ester notes.
Basically, a rum Blood & Sand
Since, I had the Vallendar Sour Cherry Liqueur on hand, I decided to combine it with the Plantation Peru 2004. The first recipe which seemed fitting was the Blood & Sand. Therefore, I just replaced the Scotch whisky with the rum. For the sweet vermouth I used the fruity and herbal Mancino vermouth. This fortified wine beautifully supports the cherry flavours of the liqueur.
3 cl Vallendar Sour Cherry
3 cl Mancino Rosso
3 cl Orange Juice
Garnish: Orange Slice;
Song: James Vincent McMorrow – Red Dust (Solo Version);
The best description of the Red Dust would be to imagine it as a hybrid between a Blood & Sand and an El Presidente. It is quite fruity, with a fresh note from the oranges and dried fruit notes from the rum.On top of that, you also will notice the smokiness from the Plantation Peru and the almond note from the sour cherry liqueur. The only thing I cannot decide on is if this excellent drink counts as a summer or a autumn drink…
*The fact that I received a product reviewed in this article for free, did not – in any way – influence the rating of said product.
