Mezan Long Pond 2000

Mezan's Long Pond 2000 comes from the Trelawny distillery that built its name on the Wedderburn ester band, a funky, fruit-forward and famously polarising house whose marques climb toward the legal ceiling. Eighteen years of maturation and single-cask selection make this a divisive bottling, the kind that splits a room between those who chase the hogo and those it overwhelms.

The nose leans woody and toasted with varnish and licorice, and there is a clear funky, rubbery streak that marks the Long Pond character. On the palate the fruit and ester meet a firm bitterness, with lime and a woody grip, and the finish stays dry, oaky and gingery rather than sweet. Bottled at 58.6% with no added sugar, this is an honest, full-proof Jamaican that does not smooth its rougher edges. It is at its best for drinkers who already know they enjoy Long Pond, since the bitterness and rubber that thrill some will not be to every taste.