Is planteray rum associated with plantation rum? The designs look so similar
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Executive summary
The brand long known as Plantation Rum has officially been rebranded as Planteray Rum; the change was announced by Maison Ferrand and founder Alexandre Gabriel as an intentional renaming rather than the birth of a separate company, and most visual identity and product formulations remain substantially the same, which explains the strong design similarity [1] [2] [3]. The rename was framed as a response to the word “plantation”’s painful historical connotations and not a break in production or ownership, although some observers call the move largely cosmetic [1] [4] [2].
1. What happened: Plantation did not vanish, it evolved into Planteray
Maison Ferrand announced that the Plantation portfolio will roll out under the new name Planteray, debuting with Planteray Cut & Dry Coconut Rum and stating that the rums themselves remain “exactly the same” while the name shifts to “Planteray” [5] [4]. Company communications quote Gabriel saying the portmanteau “Plant–” (for sugarcane) plus “-ray” (for the sun) preserves the brand’s DNA while removing the plantation word that evokes slavery for some [3] [2].
2. Why the bottles look alike: minimal change to visual identity
Multiple reports note that aside from replacing “Plantation” with “Planteray” the rest of the labeling and packaging is largely unchanged — including the distinctive raffia wrapping familiar to the brand — which is why the two names are easily confused and why designs feel nearly identical on shelf [2] [6]. The company also acknowledged a practical reality: existing inventory and embossed glassware bearing “Plantation” will remain in circulation as the rollout progresses, prolonging the visual overlap [1] [2].
3. The stated motive: addressing historical associations, and how critics read it
Maison Ferrand framed the rename as a response to concerns raised since 2020 about “plantation”’s association with slavery and colonial exploitation, and the company had previously acknowledged that hurtful connotations [1] [4]. Critics and commentators, including independent writers, have described the change as sensible but imperfect — noting it may be “somewhat awkward” linguistically and warning it risks appearing cosmetic if other brand practices tied to provenance and representation are not also addressed [1] [2].
4. Ownership and production continuity: same people, same distillery links
The change in name was executed within the Maison Ferrand family business that created and owns the brand; the company purchased the West Indies Rum Distillery (WIRD) in Barbados and continues distillation and sourcing arrangements that the Plantation brand used, indicating production and corporate control have not been severed from the previous entity [5] [7]. Public-facing messaging stresses continuity of craftsmanship and the same portfolio, now under a new name [4].
5. Where confusion can persist: misreading and market rollout timing
Observers predicted the Planteray name would be frequently misread as “planetary” and that consumers would face a transitional period as old-stock Plantation bottles remain in markets for months or years; the phased global rollout means identical-looking bottles will co-exist under different names during that transition [1] [6]. Additionally, because brand imagery and product recipes remain largely unchanged, the most immediate difference to consumers is textual — not visual or taste-based [2].
6. What remains unproven in the reporting
Available sources document the renaming rationale, timing, and packaging continuity but do not provide independent audits of whether Maison Ferrand has changed sourcing, representation of island producers, or broader corporate practices tied to historical accountability; those substantive measures are not covered in the cited coverage and therefore cannot be asserted here [1] [5] [4].