Moon Import Clarendon Pappagalli 1979

Moon Import Clarendon Pappagalli 1979 is a vintage Clarendon from Moon Import, the long-standing Italian bottler, drawn from the workhorse Jamaican distillery whose pot marks can run notably funky. Distilled in 1979 and bottled at ten years, it shows an expressive nose of apricot, tobacco, ester and solvent, classically Jamaican in its fruit-and-funk lift.

Matured in ex-bourbon oak, the palate turns toward honey, black pepper and a charred, barrel-driven character, with the dried and tropical fruit returning on a roasted finish. Even after dilution it stays vivid, though it runs tart and spicy enough to challenge some palates. Bottled unsweetened at 46%, this is a characterful older Clarendon for drinkers who enjoy a spicier, more astringent reading of aged Jamaican rum, with plenty of vintage personality in the glass.