Precious Liquors Clarendon Jamaican Rum 1995

Tasted at rumfest 2024

A rum tasted at the GRF in 2024. An extremely rich, almost balsamic nose, with prunes, ripe fruit, stewed fruit, vegetal notes and even a refreshing menthol. The attack on the palate is rather gentle, then the aromas become more powerful. As on the nose, an incredible balance between dark aromas and menthol. The finish is super-long and elegant, with well-integrated wood and alcohol. A great rum, with finesse and balance. I loved it and even bought a bottle.

Great tropical Clarendon with typical markers and tropical notes. Intense and complex with multiple layers of taste & nose. Deserves a separate tatsting with some more time, but definitely great stuff! //retaste: wow, really freat and intense! Superb tropical Clarendon, raised the score a bit

Tasted at German Rum Festival 13 Excellent. Rum one of the best rums I have tasted so far. Quality wise better than the 17 years Clarendon from precious liquors.

GRF post-tasting (I had the very last sample bottled at the Precious Liquors stand): Very pleasantly restrained on the nose in terms of alcohol vapors, but associations of yellow and green fruits. Delicately oily on the palate (if there is such a thing), somehow vegetal, but certainly not grassy, typical bright, peppery Clarendon flavor, I would say. Above all, I like this spreading bitter note. For me, an EMB at the highest level.

Messebewertung. Bisher bin ich noch nicht so wirklich mit Clarendon warm geworden, doch hier passt für mich einfach alles. Super einladende Nase mit tropischen Früchten und Gewürzen. Am Gaumen schön intensiv mit viel Frucht, Pfeffer und einer leichten Bitterkeit.

On the nose, the lower ABV seems to put the spotlight more on the fruity notes versus herbs. Very nice. This is in line with the last cross tasting, where the V&M also performed very well on the nose on the back of some dilution (presumably, of course ;) ). And same story on the palate… while the dilution seems to benefit the nose very much, on the palate (at least side-by-side) the 95 vintages loses disproportionately. Less thickness and intensity. While more approachable, the dilution does not round out the edges completely but undermines complexity. The right approach (dilution vs. cask strength) is then a matter of personal preference.

GRF13 Kräftig und fruchtig. Toller Stoff