A brief Long Pond session with a few samples I wanted to try.

Plantation Long Pond “VRW” 2009 12YO ‘Luxembourgish Cask Selection’ Spanish Orange Wine Cask (53%): The wine finishes can be nice, but don’t have to be. Nose: Very lovely with beautiful floral notes, sweet yellow stone fruits (think peach and apricot), vanilla, honey, some waxy notes and jasmin flavoured green tea. I hope the palate can keep these promises. Palate: These notes of green tea cement themselves, as do jasmin and related floral notes. Honey and vanilla are still present as well, but they are now joined by esters and tropical fruits, mango and papaya first and foremost. Later something more salty such as salty popcorn. Finish: A crazy combination but it works. Cheddar, salted caramel, oak, vanilla and sea water last for quite some time. A really cool Rum I think, that will certainly not please every palate. (84/100)

Thompson Bros Long Pond”VRW” 2000 22YO (51,1%): We are extremely familiar with this batch and basically know what to expect. This is “VRW” by the way. Nose: Quite fruity with papaya, pear, apple and pineapple, but also a hint of acetone, olives and sligtly nutty notes. Deeper in the glass I can also find a mix of straw- and raspberries paired with almond chips. Very nice. Palate: This is probably the creamiest and most mature expression of this batch we’ve had to date. I get raisins, the mix of fruits from the nose, green olives and the nuts again. Perhaps also a hint of cappuccino and biscuit. I think it is just great. Finish: Long, rich and fruity, without offering any new notes however. A very fun and pleasant Rum at the right maturity. (87/100)

Rum Artesanal Long Pond “VRW” 2000 22YO (55,8%): A sister cask of the Thompson Bros. Nose: Oh, this one has quite a few faulty notes if you ask me. Honeydew melon, aloe vera, peach and a certain spice I just cannot name deliver an extremely odd feeling. It isn’t bad per se, but somewhat disturbing. Behind that we can find more exotic fruits as we’ve typically associate them with these Rums but all in all it still isn’t totally pleasant. Palate: Way thinner and less complex than the Thompson Bros. Acetone, sour pineapple, mango and citrus are the most dominant notes here but they just don’t make a good match with this weird nose. Finish: All of a sudden these strange aloe vera and honeydew melon notes reappear. The oak delivers a certain dryness and astringency which is nice, but also at odds with the Rest of the profile. It are Rums like these that I would finish in another cask if I were to bottle it. (78/100)

Plantation Long Pond “HJC” 1999 23YO ‘Salon du Rhum 2022’ (76%): Now look at this! Nose: This one is ultra intense but it takes some time until you can sense something behind that initial cloud of alcohol. Then we get oranges, sour cherries, sweet pastry, solvents. ripe mango, honey, herbs and a mix of red berries. Palate: The alcohol is integrated surprisingly well but I can only take small sips. This orange and sour cherry combination is still my major association. With the second and third sip I also get pineapple, mango, a hint of iodine, yellow stone fruits and slightly nutty notes. Adding water: The dilution doesn’t really reveal any additional aromas but it makes the Rum more accessible. It does emphasize the herbal notes however and makes the profile a bit more smoky. Finish: Long and rich with oranges, cherries, oak, vanilla and the herbs. Here and the a mix of nuts appears. Even though I don’t really see myself drinking an entire bottle of this, it is a great Rum for science. (87/100)

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