Plantation Barbados 5-Year

One of the better rums in its price level. A bit sweet and very tasty.

Pretty light colour in the glass, but it smells delicious-- nice and fruity. Candied pineapple, maybe even some apple pie.
Unfortunately the taste does not match. Tastes like all the sweetness is trying to cover up the alcohol flavour. Not impressed by this at all.
Upon tasting again, some of the fruit comes out but overall it feels thin, and cheap. Not sure if they've gone through some changes in recipe with the new bottle or what... I've seen so many good reviews for this and I love the Stiggin' Fancy & overproof from Plantation but this is a fail. I would not buy this one again. Stick with the Stiggin' Fancy.

First rum I’ve had, very enjoyable. I can drink this straight no problems

My second real rum I have tasted and it is an improvement. Smooth, good aromas and really enjoyable when mixed with cola.

Aroma - fresh plum followed by blueberry, orange, and oak

Taste - snickerdoodle followed by brown sugar, light oak, and a strong cinnamon finish

Is this a bad rum? No I wouldn’t say that this rum is fine even tasty but man is it way too sweet for me. Personally, this is pretty much for mixing only but if you like sweet you won’t be disappointed!

While all the flavors you would expect from a plantation rum are there, you miss out on that depth from the young age of this rum. Great for mixing, but there are better sippers out there

Pale color, smooth taste. One of the best rums in this proce category (even for sipping)

I generally like cognac barrel rums, but this is far too sweet and has permanently turned me away from Plantation rums.

I felt like I made a mistake buying this the other day. I needed a moderately aged rum for cocktails and felt this was overkill when I got home. Should I have bought a gold rum? Bacardi 8-year is a real disappointment though and Doorly's XO doesn't even taste like rum.
Sure, this isn't $100 or more. It's ridiculously only aged 5-years.

I opened it this morning to take a sip and wow. Perfect. Smells lightly of caramel and toasted coconut and tastes like... rum. I can't identify anything else. It's what rum should taste like. Not vanilla, leather or funky rotten mangos in a charred sherry cask. It's what I want rum to be and it rarely ever is.

It reminded me of Pyrat without the cloying sweet flavors. Far superior at about the same price. Edit: In side-by-side comparison, Pyrat has a sweet vanilla candy smell with sharpness. It's carried over into the flavor.
Plantation's 5-year lacks both of those odors and tastes smoother and less artificial while being otherwise fairly similar. So it's like an improved version of Pyrat.

I was just blown away. My sampling sip turned into a full shot at 7AM. This is going to have a permanent spot in my cabinet.

Interesting is that it no longer says Grande Reserve but a sticker at the top says Grand Terroir.
Also that it has Tropical ageing in bourbon casks 3-4 years then Continental Aging if 1-2 years in French oak Ferrand casks. Not 5 years and then more.
The back label still has the same Paul Pacult review and stores sell these as being identical to the original version, but it seems there has been some changes.