Planteray Mister Fogg Navy Rum Sail No 2 Barbados Rum 700ml

Phileas Fogg traveled around the world in 80 days, collecting the specific character of every place he visited and assembling them into a single journey that was genuinely greater than the sum of its parts. Planteray's Mister Fogg Naval Rum series is the liquid equivalent: five distilleries across three continents, five distinct rum traditions, assembled by Maison Ferrand's blending team under the direction of master blender Gabriel Bougoin into a single navy-strength expression that no single origin could produce independently.

The historical inspiration is genuine and specifically documented. British naval rum — the grog that the Royal Navy issued as a daily ration from the 17th century until the last "tot" was served on July 31, 1970 — was never a single-origin spirit. It was a blend assembled at the London docks from whatever high-quality Caribbean rum stocks were available, aged in barrels that had survived ocean voyages, and unified by the specific oxygenation conditions of the dock warehouses where the blended rums rested in open-air wooden vats. That specific combination of multi-origin blending, barrel maturation, and open-air oxygenation is what gave vintage British Navy rum its character — and that is precisely what Gabriel Bougoin set out to recreate.

The open-air wooden vat oxygenation near the River L'Antenne in France's Charente region — the same river valley where Maison Ferrand's cognac estates sit — is the single most unusual and the single most historically faithful production step in the current navy rum category. No other widely available blend replicates London dock conditions with this level of deliberate engineering. Add the five-origin complexity — Trinidad's structured molasses distillate, Barbados' pot and column balance, Guyana's Diamond Distillery funk, Mauritius' cane juice freshness, Jamaica's wild Hampden and Long Pond hogo — and you have a rum that the Whisky Advocate found delivers "vanilla, cherrywood, blueberry pie, cinnamon bun, banana pudding, and sugared berries" on the nose before "rich flavor grounded by honeysuckle and spices." Drinkhacker awarded Grade A and called it "one of the best bargains you'll find in the rum world today."

One production note: Sail No. 2 carries a dosage of 4.8 g/L burnt sugar cooked in a copper kettle in Barbados — a small addition that some additive-free purists will want to know about, disclosed here transparently from the label.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Maison Ferrand was founded in 1989 by Alexandre Gabriel in the Cognac region of France — the estate that produces Ferrand Cognac alongside the Plantation Rum brand (now rebranded Planteray) that has become the most globally respected and most critically acclaimed independent rum blending and bottling operation in the world. Gabriel's specific philosophy — traveling to the Caribbean's finest distilleries, sourcing the most distinctive barrels available, and blending them with French precision in the cognac region's ideal storage conditions — has made Planteray the brand that the rum world's most educated buyers consistently identify as the benchmark for what multi-origin blending can achieve.

The Mister Fogg series specifically draws inspiration from the British naval rum tradition — not as a historical recreation but as what master blender Gabriel Bougoin describes as capturing "the essence of the style as a whole." The Sail No. 2's five-component blend is confirmed with complete specificity:

35% Trinidad Distillers Ltd. — structured, clean, molasses-based column still distillate that provides the blend's foundational backbone and balance.

34% West Indies Rum Distillery, Barbados — different vintages from Barbados's most storied producer, contributing pot and column still complexity from the birthplace of rum.

20% Diamond Distillery, Guyana — home of the Port Mourant wooden pot still and the Versailles single wooden coffey still, whose specific funky, heavy-bodied character adds the most dramatically distinctive aromatic contribution.

6% Saint Aubin Distillery, Mauritius — cane juice rum from the Indian Ocean island, bringing the grassy, vegetal freshness that fresh cane juice fermentation produces and that molasses-based rums cannot replicate.

5% National Rums of Jamaica — a blend from Clarendon Distillers, Long Pond Distillery, and Hampden Distillery, whose combination delivers the most specifically Jamaican hogo character and the overproof funk that Jamaica's most celebrated producers produce most distinctly.

After blending, the assembled rum undergoes open-air wooden vat oxygenation near the River L'Antenne — the historical London dock process recreated in the Charente valley — before bottling at 55.7% ABV with the 4.8 g/L burnt sugar dosage from Barbados.

Critics Reviews

Drinkhacker — Grade A: "One of the best bargains you'll find in the rum world today."

Whisky Advocate (Danny Brandon, January 2026): "It kicks things off with a sweet and darkly fruity nose of vanilla, cherrywood, blueberry pie, cinnamon bun, banana pudding, and sugared berries. Rich flavor, grounded by honeysuckle and joined by spices."

The Liquor Barn: "The result earned an A from Drinkhacker and consistently high marks from rum enthusiasts, placing Sail No. 2 among the most compelling navy-strength releases available at its price point. For drinkers who want navy rum that reflects both historical tradition and modern blending ambition, this is a serious contender."

The Search for the Ultimate Mai Tai: "Sail No. 2 definitely tastes more like the vintage British Navy rums I've tried — incorporating more smoky molasses notes."

Rum Ratings community: "Cornucopia of aroma — maize, melon, rich flavor. Oh hell yeah, this is an excellent rum. I'd sip it or cocktail with grapefruit and cinnamon."

"Very nice caramel color with a wonderful nose of citrus, vanilla, chocolate, and spice. The taste mirrors the nose with the addition of cherry and molasses. Nice smooth finish with a little burn to warm you up."

"The aroma adds strong chocolate as well. Great hogo with even more heat. This is even better than No. 1."

Total Wine official: "Rich notes of molasses, dark chocolate, vanilla, dried fruits and spices."

Planteray official: "Ample and harmonious palate, with soft and persistent accents. An ideal signature for pure tasting as well as for classic cocktails."

Tasting Profile

Nose Dark amber with warm chestnut highlights — the five-origin blend's natural color at 55.7% ABV. The nose opens with the sweet and darkly fruity character that the Whisky Advocate reviewer found most immediately compelling: vanilla leads with the warm sweetness that the West Indies Rum Distillery Barbados component and the American oak barrel aging together produce most generously. Cherrywood and blueberry pie add the most specifically and most memorably unusual secondary aromatic dimension — the combination of fruit and wood that the multi-origin blending produces at this specific proportion. Cinnamon bun and banana pudding add the warm, baked, dessert-adjacent qualities that the Trinidad and Barbados components' barrel-derived compounds contribute. Sugared berries add vivid fruit sweetness. Molasses threads through as the most specifically and most historically naval rum aromatic quality — dark, slightly smoky, and confirming the blend's British tradition roots. Strong chocolate adds the richest secondary dimension — the Diamond Distillery Guyana's most dramatically detectable contribution. A hint of Jamaica's hogo — the wild, slightly funky, specifically Jamaican ester character from Clarendon, Long Pond, and Hampden — adds the most specifically exotic secondary note. Gardenias and honeysuckle add floral lift from the Mauritius cane juice component's fresh character. The cornucopia of aromas that the Rum Ratings reviewer identified is entirely confirmed — this is a nose of extraordinary breadth and complexity for the price point.

Palate Rich, ample, and harmonious — the official Planteray characterization confirmed from the first sip in a palate of genuine weight and multi-origin complexity. The entry delivers the molasses and sweet rum character at 55.7% ABV with genuine warmth — present and building but soft rather than harsh, the open-air vat oxygenation's most specifically palate-affecting contribution in the rounded, breathed-in quality that London dock rum's historical character most directly reflected. Caramel and vanilla carry through from the nose alongside the dark chocolate that the Guyana component contributes most specifically. Cherry and ripe plums add fruit richness. Dried fruit sweetness builds from the Barbados vintages. Spices add warmth — honeysuckle and wildflower from the cane juice component adding the most delicate and the most tropically fresh secondary quality. The Jamaican hogo builds at the mid-palate as a herbal fruitiness and slight funk — sage and ripe plums in the Rum Ratings community's most precisely observed characterization. Leather and woodiness add the most aged and most barrel-derived complexity. The peppery finish note begins to build — cayenne rather than black pepper in the Rum Ratings observation, adding heat that is bracing rather than harsh.

Finish Long, warm, and persistently complex. Rye spice — the molasses and hogo of the Jamaican component — carries the close alongside the sweetness of the Barbados and Trinidad contributions. Chocolate and dried fruit linger with the persistence that multi-origin navy rum's specific compound complexity produces. The peppery cayenne warmth sustains through the close with the "nice smooth finish with a little burn to warm you up" quality that the Rum Ratings community identified. The blend's breadth means the finish cycles through different component characters progressively — the vanilla and caramel first, then the hogo and funk, then the final warm oak and molasses close.

Quick Overview

Serving & Occasion

Neat with a few drops of water — the most revelatory serve for the five-origin complexity. At 55.7% the blend benefits dramatically from minimal dilution: the Jamaican hogo and the cane juice freshness of the Mauritius component open considerably with water, while the molasses and vanilla carry through intact. Allow 10 minutes of air in a wide glass at navy strength before the first approach.

On the rocks — a single large ice cube moderates the 111.4-proof warmth while the five-origin aromatics bloom with progressive dilution.

In classic cocktails — the "ideal signature for classic cocktails" in Planteray's own characterization, confirmed by Drinkhacker's Grade A endorsement and the Rum Wonk's "Foggroni" suggestion.

Cocktail Suggestions

The Foggroni (Planteray's own signature serve) 1 oz Mister Fogg Sail No. 2 · 1 oz Campari · 1.25 oz sweet vermouth. Stirred over ice, served in a chilled coupe. The rum-based Negroni with adjusted ratios — the five-origin complexity and the navy strength carrying through Campari's bitterness in a combination that is simultaneously more tropical and more historically resonant than gin-based versions.

Dark & Stormy 2 oz Mister Fogg Sail No. 2 · ginger beer · squeeze of lime · candied ginger garnish. Built over ice in a highball. The molasses and chocolate carry through ginger beer's spice with the depth that navy-strength multi-origin rum specifically enables — a Dark & Stormy of genuine historical character.

The Naval Rum Punch 2 oz Mister Fogg Sail No. 2 · 1 oz fresh lime juice · ½ oz simple syrup · splash of pineapple juice · dash Angostura bitters · grated nutmeg. Shaken over ice, served in a tall glass. The most historically faithful serve — British Naval rum punch in the tradition the Royal Navy served for three centuries, the five-origin blend's tropical breadth finding its most natural and most celebratory format.

Rum Old Fashioned 2 oz Mister Fogg Sail No. 2 · 1 tsp Demerara syrup · 2 dashes Angostura bitters · expressed orange peel. Stirred over large ice. The vanilla, cherrywood, and molasses carry perfectly through the Old Fashioned format — the navy-strength backbone maintaining complete presence through ice dilution.