I picked up this Plantation Stiggin’s Fancy Pineapple Rum recently and it’s seriously one of the best bottles ever. In a market where Bacardi/Malibu offer rums in every flavor under the moon (“wolf berry,” “horned coconut,” “arctic grape”), the category of flavored rums has become intimately linked to these sugary creations. While these options may have their place somewhere (avoid if you’re seeking a classic cocktail experience), they should *definitely* not be mistaken as REAL fruit-infused rum; most of the commercialized flavored rums are just lower quality rums that have flavors chemically/artificially “infused” into the end product, with a dump of sugar to make it more palatable for syrupy drinks.

Well, luckily this is definitely NOT the case with this Plantation rum, which is made completely naturally using entire baby Queen Victoria pineapples – both flesh and rinds. The flesh is soaked in Plantation’s high quality original dark rum for 3 months to extract the flavor, while the rinds are infused in the Plantation 3 Stars white rum for a week and then distilled. The two are then blended together and rested in oak, producing an absolutely incredible pineapple rum that is crazy delicious sipped on its own. The flavors of the pineapples definitely shine through with a super fresh pineapple aroma (like a freshly cored whole pineapple!). The dark rum base adds the perfect balance of spice and oak, and I wouldn’t even call this flavored rum sweet; it’s just perfectly fruity yet complex. It’s perfect when you want something a bit easier on the palate than a straight rum neat, and I could seriously sip on a glass of this all day.

If you’ve always avoided flavored rums due to its ubiquitous reputation and overly sweet artificial flavors, or even if you like flavored spirits and really want to elevate your palate to the next level, you’ve gotta seek out this bottle and have your world changed!

See here for recipes!