Rest & Be Thankful Long Pond LSO 1998

Long Pond is the historic Wedderburn house of Trelawny, and this LSO marque from Rest & Be Thankful reaches a venerable 23 years. Bottled unsweetened at 60.2%, it shows that even an old, high strength Long Pond need not be dominated by aggressive funk.

Distilled from molasses and matured in ex-bourbon oak, the long ageing pulls the profile toward sweet, caramelised territory. The aroma is banana, fermented and slightly dairy notes with kiwi and citrus, the palate turns pungent and oily with banana and caramelised sugar, and the finish keeps the banana, caramelised sugar, vanilla and caramel. The esters are more restrained than the marque name might suggest, with overripe banana and sour kiwi leading the fruit. It is an interesting, atypical composition rather than a textbook funk bomb, a characterful old Long Pond for drinkers who appreciate maturity and an unusual aromatic mix.