Habitation Velier Clarendon The Nectar MMW 2015

Habitation Velier, Velier's pot still Pure Single Rum line, bottled this Clarendon distilled in 2015 and aged six years, drawn from the Monymusk side of the operation under the MMW marque. Clarendon is Jamaica's workhorse supplier, and this release shows a harmonious, focused take rather than an extreme one.

Distilled from molasses and matured in ex-bourbon wood under tropical conditions, it shows vanilla, young wood, tropical fruit and ester on the nose, then young wood, tropical fruit, spice and ester on the palate, with vinegar and lactic notes adding tang, finishing on tropical fruit, espresso and black tea. Bottled at 60% and unsweetened, the funk is moderate and the fruit, mint and coffee come together with real harmony. Impetuous at first, it settles with time in the glass into an excellent young Monymusk, a high-proof Jamaican that drinks vibrantly neat for experienced palates.