Long Pond Plantation Bardstown Fusion Series Bourbon Cask (Romdeluxe) 1998

Long Pond is the historic Wedderburn house of Trelawny, usually fruit forward and sometimes polarising, but this 1998 vintage from the Plantation line shows its gentler face. Bottled by Maison Ferrand as a single cask at 22 years, it was distilled on a column still rather than the heavy pot, which already tames the wildness before the wood gets to work.

Matured in ex-bourbon casks, the bourbon imprint runs from start to finish: vanilla, tropical fruit and raisin on the nose, then caramel, barrel and clear bourbon sweetness on the palate. This reads closer to a rounded Barbadian style than to high-ester Jamaica, with moderate heat and a roasted, spicy, woody close. It is unsweetened and cask strength on paper, yet the column distillate and long ageing make it an approachable, crowd-pleasing pour for anyone easing into Long Pond.