Last time we’ve had Rest & Be Thankful’s selections from Monymusk. Today, Long Pond is on the agenda, the only other Rum distillery released by the bottler so far. The explanation for why they have decided to bottle Jamaican Rums only is simple: There’s another place called Rest & Be Thankful in Jamaica – see the featured image.
Contrary to last time, we have only official distillery marques with these Long Ponds, namely an “ITP” and a triple of “LSO”, both of which are references to the old Lluidas Plantation.

Rest & Be Thankful Long Pond “ITP” #1757 1998 24YO (54,7%): Nose: Straight after pouring the Rum is filled with scents of Jamaican distillate. It isn’t harsh or pungent but lovely indeed. Ripe pineapple, a fresh bouquet, spicy ginger, honey dew melon and glue can all be found. After a while oak, vanilla and other spices. I do not mind this at all! Palate: Quite intense but all in all way less complex and layered than the nose. What was a nice potpourri of aromas turned into a one way street of ripe fruits and light esters with a hint of oak and vanilla. That’s really the fate of many such Rums, which is too bad. Towards the finish we can find fresher notes such as mint and other herbs. Finish: Medium long with mint/ menthol, oak, vanilla, ripe apple and anise. In a sense this could have been a Port Mourant from the last years of the Uitvlugt era, somewhere in the middle of the bracket, quality-wise. (81/100)

Rest & Be Thankful Long Pond “LSO” #10242 1998 23YO (55,5%): Same vintage, different marque. Nose: This is a much lighter distillate than the “ITP” and even after quite a while in the glass it doesn’t really want to open up. Some glue and vanilla, green fruits and a certain vegetal touch is all I get. Don’t get wrong, this isn’t bad, just not anything special either. Palate: A little hot as far as the alcohol is concerned and a bit insipid with regards to the flavour. Vanilla, thick apple sauce, a hint of pear, oak and red pepper are my main associations. With the second and third sip we get a few more spices but that’s about it. Finish: Rather short and not memorable at all. Green mangos perhaps. To be honest, I didn’t believe that the differences between ITP and LSO would be so big but these are two completely different profiles. Let’s check out the rest. (74/100)

Rest & Be Thankful Long Pond “LSO” #10276 1998 24YO (58,6%): Perhaps the higher abv and the additional year in the barrel are beneficial. Nose: Not straight away and even after quite some more or less the opposite. In direct comparison to cask #10242 it is even more ‘closed’ but has a few other nuances going in the direction of spices, coffee and nuts. While I wouldn’t dare to call out more concrete aroma associations, I must say that this cask seems to have more to offer. Let’s take a sip. Palate: Raw cocoa/ coffee is definitely a thing here, as are peanuts and other roasting aromas. It isn’t bad at all, but I feel like other distilleries have done a considerably better job at producing such a Rum. Later also leaves and branches, some of the more typical Long Pond notes. Finish: Roasting aromas, oak and unripe fruits don’t stay around for too long. A very cask-driven Rum. (78/100)

Rest & Be Thankful Long Pond “LSO” #10241 1998 24YO (60,2%): One last sister barrel. Nose: The fruitiest of the bunch and the most open expression. I get ripe apples, sweet melon, caramel vla and vanilla pudding, sweet whipped cream, some mango and deeper in the glass also oak and spices. It is promising. Palate: Slightly acidic and sour, but not in the vain of a high ester Rum. Instead we get green apples, unripe mango, cinnamon, plantains, some sort of Jerk seasoning (perhaps with some imagination…), thyme and oak. It is not too bad either and indeed does taste as if this stems from another production batch as the two previous Rums. I have checked and this isn’t the case, as we expected. It is the same base distillate but a different barrel (or different barrels) produced a totally different Rum after all these years. Finish: Dry and astringent with oak, leather an spices. Here and there some of those roasting notes again. Probably the best “LSO” of the bunch and definitely the one with the most facets to it. But at the end of the day I prefer “ITP”. (80/100)