Rest & Be Thankful Long Pond LSO 1998

Rest and Be Thankful bottled this Long Pond, the LSO marque, distilled in 1998 and aged 23 years in ex-bourbon from a single cask at 55.5%. Long Pond is Trelawny's historic Wedderburn house, fruit-forward and sometimes polarising, and this particular cask sits firmly on its divisive side.

Molasses-based and pot still, it leans woody, vegetal and floral rather than fruity, with green fruit and apple on the nose, then an oily palate of oak, candied fruit and a clear bitter streak. The finish runs woody, bitter and espresso-like. This is a Long Pond that needs plenty of time to open and trades the expected tropical funk for a drier, more austere character that will not suit everyone. Certified unsweetened and at cask strength, it rewards patient drinkers curious about the estate's more challenging output.