A nice little Long Pond triple from the 2000s today.

Isla del Ron 2008 12YO (59,1%): Isla del Ron had an amazing Long Pond with the 1982 in the past, so let’s hope that was more than merely a lucky selection. Nose: Esters en masse. Nail polish remover, pineapple, ripe banana, you name it. In that sense, it is your standard high-ester Jamaican Rum. Then vanilla, some oak, slightly sour apples, something akin to salt and a few herbal notes. Really nice, and at least in the nose not too young. Palate: Slightly sharp and acidic. It is not a big deal, but it prevents you from taking larger sips. Apples, pineapple and sour mango are my first impressions, followed by acetone, spearmint, wood and pears. There’s also another, rather prominent note in here that I cannot really name. Finish: Rather long with the esters and fruity notes, spearmint and more acidic notes closer to the nail polish remover. It is not the most complex Rum, but definitely recommended if you are into these types of high esters stuff. It is the kind of Rum that takes a long time for me to finish though. Now two questions: What’s the marque (TECB? TECC?) and where is the freaking rest of the batch!? (86/100)

Barikenn Long Pond “ITP” 2007 15O (58,3%): “ITP” has been a lot of fun in the past! Nose: Ripe and overripe, mostly exotic fruits such as mango and papaya, just some nail polish remover, a mix of sweet and bitter oranges, flambéed banana and somewhat nutty notes are my main impressions. Deeper in the glass we can also find chili flakes I guess. Wow, this is really, really, good. Palate: Oha, is this really “ITP”!? My personal perception is that it must be a marque with a much higher ester range. While it is no match for the Isla del Ron, I probably would have settled this somewhere around ‘LPS’ and ‘STCE’ blindly. With the second sip I get a stronger emphasis on the banana notes, which really tastes like a mix of overripe and flambéed banana. Profile-wise, I am pretty sure that this is mostly tropically aged, but we have been wrong about these things numerous times before. Now also more and more oak and spices from the cask. Finish: Medium long with banana, oak, different spices, coffee and a very vague herbal note. For me, these types of Jamaicans are the perfect sippers if you want something complex and potentially challenging that at the same time don’t require your unshared attention. It sounds contradictory, I know, but for me it does make sense. (87/100)

Wu Dram Clan Long Pond “LPS” 2001 22YO (56,3%): Nose: LPS it is, but my first impression is that this is much closer to Hampden than it is to Long Pond. We get pineapple, smoky agave, juicy orange, a very fruity sort of vinegar and subtle oak. Even at 22 years, we don’t get much wood in the nose as the esters dominate everything. After about twenty minutes in the glass I can also find olives/ brine as well as some more herbal notes. Let’s hope the palate keeps these promises. Palate: The Rum is much tamer than I anticipated, but I don’t mind that at all. Quite the opposite, it is actually a very welcome surprise! Grilled pineapple and orange, which add a nice smoky note balance out perfectly with the notes from the cask. There are many more notes but these are mostly nuances in the grand scheme of things. Most notably I can name sweet pastry, salty and umami notes (think soy sauce perhaps), pepper, stale anise and a whiff of coriander. Finish: Different spices such as fennel seeds and pepper, paired with oak and herbs last for a while. This is a very good bottling, that just falls short of being great. I am not quite sure what it lacks but at the end of the day, that certain something is missing. Nevertheless I am glad that I got my hands on a bottle of this stuff! (87/100)

There’s something else that I think deserves a small announcement: I have finally managed to create the “Miscellaneous Bottlers” page, a gathering point for all bottlers and their associated tasted and reviewed Rums that didn’t get their own page so far. It serves as some sort of archive for many of Single Cask Rum’s reviews so far, even though quite a few are still missing I believe. Enjoy browsing!