Plantation O.F.T.D.

As per the interviews, the sequence of events is as follows: Alexandre Gabriel, aged 23, meets the producer of Cognac Ferrand and helps to sell off the inventory. Afterward, he stakes a bank loan, employs eight associates, develops a production policy and builds a distribution network. For ten years, he pays himself a minimum wage and renounces dividends. The profits are reinvested.

By the end of March, the cognac distillation must be completed, resulting in the stills being idle for most of the year. Alexandre fills this gap by producing Citadelle Gin. In his quest to find buyers for used cognac barrels, he acquires some barrels already filled with rum, and then he sends them to Bonbonnet. In 1999, he expanded his product portfolio to include rums that undergo the "élévage" process (and often also the "dosage").

Alexandre breaks free from the rigid corset of the cognac world and willingly experiments in the realm of rum. The purchase of the West Indies distillery grants him a say in the regulations concerning Geographical Indication for Barbados. The snag is that the imaginative vision of the Frenchman contradicts local practices, and the government expects a unanimous declaration from all producers. It's a stalemate.

OFTD, which stands for Old Fashioned Traditional Dark, replaced Plantation Original Overproof. As a rule, a stronger proof intensifies the taste experience, which is why the deliberately 73% predecessor originated from Trinidad. The successor belongs to the 'the bar classics' line and is meant to win the hearts of bartenders (and their bars and our mini-bars).

OFTD was created by a team of renowned personalities: Martin Cate, a rum guru, owner of 'Smuggler’s Cove' in San Francisco, and author of a popular book of the same name + David Wondrich, a Shakespeare enthusiast and dedicated cocktail historian + Jeff "Beachbum" Berry, a mixologist, author of seven books on tiki culture, and owner of the restaurant 'Latitude 29' in New Orleans + Paul McGee from Chicago's 'Lost Lake' + Scott Schuder from Paris' 'Dirty Dick' and Paul McFayden, co-owner of Trailer Happiness in Notting Hill and currently a brand ambassador for Plantation.

Under Alexandre's baton, the orchestra creates a strong, dark, and full-bodied spirit that evokes associations with the traditional navy rum. Let's note that the personalities involved in creating the OFTD, by default, become its ambassadors. Putting aside the fact that the product is genuinely good, it's actually a quite clever move.

The producer recently announced to change the brand's name (as reminder "Plantation" ) in regard to #BlackLivesMatter movement and, as it seems, on the wave of currently widely implemented renaming actions. Alexandre "understand[s] the hurtful connotation the word plantation can evoke to some people, especially in its association with much graver images and dark realities of the past".

Let me bring up the fact that the word 'plantation' signifies a monoculture, such as the cultivation of sugarcane. It simply describes a location and farming method. Without a doubt, slaves worked backbreaking on the plantations. However, it's worth noting that slave-like conditions still exist on modern-day plantations. Firstly, the place of history is in the past. Secondly, changing the word does not change the reality. Thirdly, there is a choice to delve into onomastic considerations or address an actual and unresolved issue.

A blend of molasses rums. Fermentation in Barbados lasts up to three days, in Guiana up to a week, and in Jamaica up to two weeks. No added sugar. For the comprehensive overview please visit the magnificent Cocktailwonk.