J. Wray & Nephew LTD. Special Reserve Finest Jamaica Rum 1970s

This is a piece of Jamaican rum history, a twelve year old Special Reserve bottled in the 1970s by J. Wray & Nephew, the storied company at the centre of the island's rum trade and the home of the Appleton stable. Old bottlings like this are sought after as windows onto how Jamaican rum tasted in an earlier era.

Jamaican rum is defined by pot-still character and ester-driven fruit, and a well-aged, unsweetened expression of this kind typically shows ripe tropical fruit, baking spice, oak and a touch of the island's signature funk. At 43% it is built for sipping, a vintage rum to be approached with respect for its age and its provenance rather than mixed away.