NRJ Cambridge 2005 Long Pond STC<3E 13 Year Old Jamaica Pot Still Rum – 62.5%
Note: This review was first published on Reddit July 21st, 2021. The stats below have been revised with more details.
Stats: Part of the National Rums of Jamaica bottling series from Velier, this was my first experience with single Long Pond distillate. It is a pure pot still Jamaican rum of the STCE mark, which stands for Simon Thompson Cambridge Estate, indicating a “continental flavoured” style of rum that utilizes both dunder and muck, boasting an ester level of 550-700 gr/hLpa. The mark was originally designated at the Cambridge distillery which shuttered in 1947 and was replicated by Long Pond (both located in the Trelawney Parish). This batch of 11 barrels was distilled in 2005 and tropically aged for 13 years, giving a generous 63% to the angels before being bottled at a walloping 62.5%. 3,648 bottles were produced.
Source: Sample provided by a generous rum friend in the North East.
Conditions: 1 oz sipped neat in a Glencairn over the course of 30+ min.
Nose: Clove, pepper, buttered popcorn, copy paper, butter cream. Not super expressive or wild as I expected.
Mouth: Very woody, anise, tobacco. After a squirt of water it becomes more oily with an indiscernible sweetness. Ubiquitous hogo notes that were masked come out to play just a little, but not with the intensity I’d expect. Old tree bark and some pot still funk/trash notes hang around.
Final thoughts: I feel like this spent too much time in wood in a tropical climate. To my still developing palate the nuances of the fermentation and distillate have gotten buried. The nose was muted and the palate didn’t discern much until diluted, and even then it was mild. I don’t often say this, but I think a lower ABV would be beneficial and help bring out more of those typical fruity, Jamaica pot still rum notes I love and expected. Perhaps with further sessions I would pull out more pleasurable notes and rank this higher, but it’s just not speaking to me today.
My Rating: 3
My Scale:
1 – I don’t want this in my mouth ever again
2 – Best used for mixing
3 – Decent sipper
4 – Very enjoyable
5 – I’m buying a back up bottle
Austin Rum Society 