Trinidad Rum 2003 Plantation Grand Cru

Launched in 2003, Plantation Rum is a brand owned by the well-established cognac producer, Cognac Ferrand. Established in 1989, Maison Ferrand has used its extensive contacts in the spirits industry to source some exceptional casks of rum. The company also has privileged access to those in the warehouses of Clarendon and Long Pond in Jamaica, through its acquisition of the West India Rum Distillery (WIRD) and the shares in National Rums of Jamaica that came with it. Its ownership of the Bajan WIRD distillery has seen it increasingly involved in rum production as well as bottling in recent years.

This rum was distilled in the column stills of Trinidad Distillers, and tropically aged 11 years in bourbon casks. It was continentally aged for a further 18 months at Chateuau du Bonbonnet in France. Bottled in 2014 as part of the Grand Cru series (later renamed Grand Terroir).

Trinidad Distillers is the production facility for the Angostura brand. It was built by the company in 1947 to produce rum for its world-famous bitters, in addition to distilling bulk product for export. The distillery’s original set up was a single Savalle column still, however this was replaced with a five-column still in 1975, following investment from Bacardi who required more bulk rum. Two more of these multi-column stills were added in 1985 and 1999. Some experimentation briefly took place with a Vendome pot still in the early 2000s as well, however this was quickly sold to St Lucia Distillers by their shared parent company at the time, CL Financial. The company was forced to divest much of its rum portfolio following the financial crash in 2007, but retains a majority stake in Angostura after it was bailed out by the local government to prevent what it felt was a national treasure being lost to foreign ownership. Trinidad Distillers remains one of the largest rum distilleries in the Caribbean, producing around 8.5 million litres per year.