Reviewer: Tashtego
Distillery: Long Pond
Origin: Trelawny Parish, Jamaica
Bottle Size: 700 ml
Bottle Count: Unstated, single cask
ABV: 43.9%
Distilled: 2023
Base Material: Molasses
Still: Pot still
Aging specs: Aged 2 years and 2 months in Ferrand casks, matured 11 months in Chardonnay wine cask
Bottled: 2026
Nose: Tropical fruits, brine, wine, citrus, chlorine
Palate: Vanilla, baked goods, lemongrass, pear, white wine
Finish: Custard, caramel
Binny’s, the giant liquor store chain in Chicago, just got a suite of new Planteray store picks, and this Jamaica bottle seemed the most interesting to me. I was a bit wary of the low proof of 44% - it’s a shame they couldn’t bottle it a little higher to get it to 47% where it’s generally agreed that magic starts to happen. But I decided to pick this up since it’s a high ester Jamaican. This single cask rum comes from Long Pond Distillery, and it’s the VRW mark. That’s their 9th highest ester mark (out of 18), corresponding to between an LFCH and LROK mark over at Hampden. The bottle states an ester level of 152 g/hLAA (and volatile compounds of 997), which makes it high ester for rum overall but merely low to mid-range for Jamaica. Like basically every Planteray product, it’s aged in cognac casks but then matured in a Chardonnay cask, which sounded intriguing.
It’s got an ester-y nose with some tropical fruits. Weirdly it’s kind of cane-y, like a Haitian Clairin with some brine on it. You can pick up some of that wine finish, but it’s unmistakably Jamaican. On the palate, there’s a typical rum base flavor and then a big splash of vanilla. It’s fairly lactic, and I taste baked goods and some cream. It’s disappointing that that ester nose disappears when you taste this; it could use more funk. Due to the low proof, this is a bit thin. I’d compare it to the Appleton 8, which is a Jamaica rum with a similar proof that’s also not particularly funky. The more I sat with this, the more the Chardonnay came through and I got lemongrass and pear. The finish is a bit harsh, but there’s some custard there.
Despite the disappointing ABV, this is still a fairly interesting rum. It doesn’t really scream Long Pond to me, but it’s definitely a Jamaican rum, and the Chardonnay finish mostly erases that cognac flavor that overwhelms most Planteray bottles. I’ll give this a 2 on Taste, which is a “solid dram” according to our rankings. At under 90 proof, it’s probably more of a cocktail rum than a sipper. I think it would be fine in a Mai Tai or a Planter’s Punch, something like that. Because it’s pretty affordable at $43, I’ll bump it up to a 3 on Haste. If you need a Jamaican mixing rum, or a quaffable sipper (and you find yourself in Chicago) I think this is a good pick-up.
Taste/Haste Scale: 2 / 3
