Background: A Berry Bros. & Rudd bottling of Jamaican rum of unknown provenance. Among the oldest (in both sense of the word) Jamaican rum we can still taste, this side of Long Pond 1941.

Nose: floral perfume; honey; glue; marzipan; orange peel; dried apricot; candied mango perhaps; salty liquorice wrapped around fresh sugarcane; more savoury spices at the back. This is rather similar in essence to The Sloth III with its supposed Rockley-style funk, only less briny.

Palate: sweet and fresh; pineapple juice; honey and orange peel; bananas and cream; tropical fruits with creamy undertones -- like a tropical fruit milkshake; mango pudding, even; wood shows up here in the form of milk coffee and chocolate.

Finish: more tropical fruits and cream, now with a savoury, earthy accompaniment -- pie crust and oil from nuts and seeds; the quintessential Jamaican funk rears its head here; liquorice menthol completes the fade.

Conclusion: nowhere close to as aggressive as this 35-year-old Jamaican, and a little less complex, yet no less attractive in its understated elegance. In fact, it is surprisingly easy-going for a Jamaican rum, missing much of the hogo funkheads love to chase. And for an easy-sipper, this is outstanding.

Score (assuming a normal distribution with mean 50): 90/100

Image Courtesy of u/zoorado. 

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