Clarendon Rum Sponge Exclusive Edition No. 2 2004

Clarendon is one of Jamaica's great workhorse distilleries, and its pot still spirit can age into something both estery and refined. This Rum Sponge Exclusive Edition No. 2 from Decadent Drinks takes a single 2004 cask to 18 years and bottles it at cask strength, a crisp, characterful old Clarendon.

Distilled from molasses on the pot still and matured in ex-bourbon oak, the spirit shows its esters alongside dark, fruity depth. The aroma is ester, barrel, dark and fruity, the palate turns to tropical fruit with a metallic, fruity and alcoholic lift, and the finish settles into sweetness and allspice. At 60% it is robust and concentrated, with the funk and fruit balanced by the years in oak. Tasters reach for words like crisp and delicious, a fitting note for a long aged Jamaican that keeps its pot still character intact. A rewarding neat pour for drinkers who enjoy estery, mature Clarendon at full strength.