Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry Pot Still Rum

In 1989 Alexander Gabriel discovers Maison Ferrand, one of the oldest spirit brands in the Cognac region. The reputation of the House is indisputable but sales are lagging. An immediate crush grabs hold and Alexandre Gabriel dives in with exuberance to the details and craft of Cognac production. 

Travel follows passion and soon Alexandre Gabriel is creating a dedicated distribution network of equally passionate partners. He builds on his values and vision for the House. Twenty years later, most of his founding team are still together. 

The 1990s see Alexandre Gabriel combing the Caribbean in search of the best rums of the region. Plantation is born: an artisanal range of rums from the great terroirs of the tropics. Fifteen years of dedicated rum-making later, in 2012, Alexandre is awarded Master Blender in the “World"„¢s Best"� rum awards and wins the prestigious Golden Barrel Award.

Today, President and Owner of Maison Ferrand, Alexandre Gabriel has won praise across the category and industry. Focusing on three major spirits that represent the passion and vision of Maison Ferrand: Grande Champagne Cognac Pierre Ferrand, Artisanal Citadelle Gin, and Plantation “Grands Terroirs"�: authentic spirits that express the individual terroirs that made them. 

A resourceful manager, Alexandre Gabriel decides to sell some of his cognac casks to other producers, notably rum producers. The Caribbean and Latin American are now on his radar. Soon the region reveals dozens of unique and fascinating rum expressions that captivate the rum-maker"„¢s attention. Each island brings its own discoveries.

“I love authentic products that express the personality of the land that grew them. 

I find the diversity fascinating, exuberating. The joy of tasting the best rums right out of the still from one island to the next is blissful. The degrees of fermentation and distillation are always unique. And this is where I saw an opportunity ! I wondered (and could taste) what my team and I could do with such varying distillations. At that moment I knew in my heart that we could perfect the methods of aging in wood casks that we knew so well from producing Cognac. Voila, the idea for Plantation is launched."� 

In the Caribbean, the plantation with its “Grand House"� holding court in the heart of the estate is a mystical place. In this magical place, on the island of Barbados in the early 17th century, rum is born.

Alexandre Gabriel now spends several months a year in the Caribbean combing for treasure:  the best rum barrels he can find. His efforts have paid off generously in the partnerships he has forged with equally passionate local producers. He has nurtured lasting relationships with the best Caribbean distilleries. The range of Plantation rum honors the softness of Barbados, Guyana, Grenada"¦ evoking the great epic of exotic and adventurous maritime commerce that ruled the day.

This 100% pot still Country_Jamaican rum made with a blend of spirits from Long Pond and Clarendon distilleries, which Maison Ferrand now owns a third of after purchasing the West Indies Rum Distillery in 2017. Master blender Alexandre Gabriel created the Xaymaca (pronounced zay-muck-uh) brand, which is the original name for Country_Jamaica that the indigenous Arawaks, who inhabited Country_Jamaica well before Columbus set foot on the island in 1494, gave it. Xaymaca actually means 'land of wood and water.'

Tasting Notes
Very complex aromas, slightly smoky and meaty with fruity, herbal and sour notes building up. Next vanilla come forward, almost pastry-like, with cooked banana, bitter orange peel and ripe pineapple. The palate is dry, with a more floral and fruitier profile of rose water, soursop, pear, white grape, apricot and sugar-apple. Next some coconut milk, balsam, allspices, bread and nuts emerge.