Long Pond Rum Sponge No. 17 ITP 2004

This 18 year old Long Pond comes from Decadent Drinks, the bottler behind the Rum Sponge series curated alongside Angus MacRaild, drawn here from the ITP marque of the 2004 vintage. Long Pond is Trelawny's historic Wedderburn house, but the lower-ester marks like this one show a tamed, gourmand side of the distillery rather than the rubber-and-brine extreme.

Distilled on the double-retort pot still from molasses and matured in ex-bourbon casks at full proof, it is bottled at 60%. Expect a rich, pastry-like profile of coconut, banana, caramel and chocolate with soft tropical fruit, the esters dialled right back so it reads closer to a Foursquare or New Yarmouth than to classic loud Long Pond. The alcohol sits well for the strength and the finish runs long and dessert-like. A round, low-ester take on Jamaica for drinkers who want the island's DNA in a softer, sweeter-framed register, though it carries no added sugar.