Review #1050; Rum #378
A few years ago the Aficionados group had a chance for a collaboration with Fine Drams. Several casks of very old tropically aged Jamaicans were up for sale due to a broker that went out of business on the island of Jamaica. I was asked to be on the panel and so I accepted and helped taste through the set. I want to disclose to be as transparent as possible. I can assure you I receive no money on this, in fact it cost me money to buy all these rums! Now on to the rum.
Please note that due to pandemic related delays the age on the labels is slightly off.
Distillery: Clarendon
Bottler: Fine Drams
Region: Jamaica
Still: Pot Still
ABV: 68.3%.
Cask Type: Ex-Bourbon 24 Years in Jamaica, 3 years in Denmark
Marque: EMB 240-250 gr/hLAA
Nose: Bold and Pungent Star Anise, Raspberry Jam, Nuttiness, Cumin, Toasted Coconut, Vanilla, Vicks Vapor Rub, Orange Peel, Dark Chocolate
Palate: Thick oily mouthfeel, Raspberry Jam, Star Anise, oil, Cumin, Toasted Coconut, Vanilla, Vicks Vapor Rum, Orange Peel, Black Tea, Dark Chocolate
Finish: Long Finish, big pungent star anise, cherry cough syrup, raspberry jam, black tea, motor oil, Dark Chocolate
No score given due to being involved in selecting this, but I think its pretty easy to tell from the notes that if it were scored it would be highly. As it were of the 4 old Jamaican rums on Finedrams this was my favorite by a wide margin on the 2nd tasting.
It is interesting, when we were making our selections on the first go around my preferences were flipped and this was my least favorite. However, between trying hundreds of rums, having covid, and having my tastes shift on the re*taste and now drinking through this it is by far my favorite. It is echoes of Saint Lucia Vendome and Trinidad Distillers Limited single casks. Loads of industrial notes, medicine, and fruits make for quite the bottle of rum. In addition, as you know, I love the smaller bottle size format so more folks can try fun sized offerings such as this.