Bristol Rockley Still 1986

Bristol Classic Rum, the English specialist in rum from closed and historic sources, bottled this 1986 Barbados rum made in the Rockley style and given a sherry finish. Aged 26 years and reduced to 46%, it is a mature, characterful example of a Bajan profile quite unlike the modern coconut-and-caramel template.

Rockley is best understood as a style, medium-to-heavy and high-ester, marked by honey, fruit and a herbal-medicinal streak. Here the sherry cask adds a layer of red fruits, cherry and candied sweetness over the base, with burnt sugar, honey and caramel on the palate and toasted wood, nuts and a light medicinal edge through the finish. Bottled unsweetened, its sweetness comes from fruit and cask rather than dosage. At 46% it drinks easily despite its depth, the age clearly audible without any harshness. A complex, slightly old-fashioned Barbados rum for drinkers who like sherried fruit and honeyed character in a sipping rum.