New Yarmouth RA Rum 2009

New Yarmouth is the emerging high-ester pot still darling among independent bottlers, and this 2009 single cask from Germany's Rum Artesanal, a name in the unsweetened full-proof tradition, ranks among its benchmark releases. The Clarendon-parish distillery is prized by funk hunters for robust tropical fruit, spice and pronounced ester intensity.

Distilled on the pot still from molasses and matured in ex-bourbon casks, it is bottled unsweetened at cask strength, 66.9%. The nose erupts with ester, banana, marzipan and glue, the palate carries ester, marzipan, pineapple and tropical fruit, and the finish stays dry, spicy and fruit-driven. The strength keeps everything concentrated, with the fermented-fruit and banana-bread character that marks the great New Yarmouth 2009s, the pastry-like sweetness honest to the distillate rather than added. A reference-grade high-ester Jamaican, superb neat for funk lovers and formidable in an intense tiki build.