Long Pond Plantation 2009 (Spirit in the sky) CRV

This single cask Long Pond was distilled in 2009 and aged fourteen years before Maison Ferrand bottled it under its Plantation label. Long Pond is the historic Wedderburn house of Trelawny, a distillery that can deliver serious funk, but this expression lands in a quieter, more wood-led register, matured in ex-bourbon oak and reduced to 45.6% with no added sugar.

The aroma leans on caramel, vanilla, wood and a faint technical note, the palate stays caramel-led with wood, spice and a slightly sharp edge, and the finish brings wood and a cognac-like character. Tasters who love Long Pond find the profile appealing but lament its lightness, a nice shape let down by the gentle strength, with the distillery's trademark fruit and funk muted. Fourteen years and the reduction have made it soft and approachable, an easygoing aged Jamaican for those who prefer caramel and oak over loud ester, though drinkers chasing full Long Pond intensity will want something at higher proof.