Precious Liquors Clarendon DNC Do Not Collect EMB 2004

This Precious Liquors bottling captures Clarendon under the unusual DNC mark, a workhorse central-Jamaica pot-still distillate at 19 years from the 2004 vintage. It is drawn at cask strength near 60%, with sweetening status unconfirmed by the data, so it is best read as a dry, spirit-driven rum.

Matured in ex-bourbon wood, it opens woody, fruity and solventy and needs air to settle. Once open it offers tart apple and pear, vanilla and caramel, a light funk and the briny, medicinal streak that runs through much Clarendon. The finish stays woody, spicy and varnish-tinged. This is a punchy, oak-forward pour rather than a soft one, the kind of nuanced, slightly austere bottling that suits drinkers already comfortable with Clarendon's tart, medicinal character and willing to give the glass time.