Every year, as July 4th approaches, Americans face a monumental decision: what to drink on the big day! You’d have to live under a rock not to notice the massive uptick in beer and alcohol advertising, each vying for your attention (and hard-earned money)! So, I’ve taken it upon myself to cut through the noise by providing you a recommendation, simplified to one word: RUM!

Rum has a long history as the favorite alcoholic beverage of sailors, beach bums, and island hoppers, so it stands to reason that it would be perfect for a Fourth of July celebration. Most people are unaware that rum was the preferred alcoholic beverage of the original American colonists – In 1776, per capita consumption of rum was nearly four gallons per year! That statistic makes sense, given that trade routes for the thirteen colonies ran through the Caribbean, making molasses and its distilled byproduct, rum, readily available.

Fast forward to modern-day America, and rum is still extremely popular, with an impressive array of brands, styles, and even flavors that offer choices for nearly every taste. Not only are there terrific options available for mixing, but many brands also produce high-quality rums for sipping, some even rivaling the finest whiskeys, brandies, and cognacs. I recently received a sample of one such rum – Plantation XO 20th Anniversary Barbados Rum, produced by Maison Ferrand to celebrate the brand’s 20th anniversary.

Plantation XO 20th Anniversary is a sipping rum, double-cask matured for a minimum of nine years. While in Barbados, the rum undergoes 8-20 years of extended maturation in multiple ex-fill bourbon casks for 8–20 years, after which it’s transported to France. It then matures for another 12–18 months in small ex-filled French oak casks, initially holding Pierre Ferrand cognac. Allowing the rum to undergo extended aging results in an exceptionally smooth and remarkably complex rum.
The nose is redolent of caramel, candied orange, milk chocolate, vanilla chews, and tropical fruits. The mouthfeel is round and oily, with minimal burn due to its 40% ABV. Coconut and caramel lead the flavor profile, with notes of banana, toasted almonds, sweet cream, melted chocolate, and winter spices. The finish is long and warm, with trailing notes of dried coconut, butterscotch, and soft oak.

Due to Plantation XO 20th Anniversary Barbados Rum’s expressively smooth and impeccably aged character, you may want to simply pour it into a glass and sip. But if you like rum drinks, like a Pina Colada, Mai Tai, or Zombie, you can’t go wrong mixing with Plantation XO 20th Anniversary Barbados Rum – it will raise your cocktails to next-level spectacular!