Clarendon Rum Sponge No. 13

"Great anise and fennel associations! Very special, but really exciting. Nice balance of fruitiness and spicy flavors on the palate."

"Overall an interesting rum lacking expected funkiness and esters. The nose is fresh, round and fruity with aromas of anise, lemon and mango. At the palate it’s fruity, peppery and minty with flavors of orange and lemon."

"A rum tasted online with Angus MacRaild. The color is quite pale. The nose is marked by aniseed and even fennel - strange! But also phenol. The palate is also marked by anise/fennel, but fruit is immediately present. The finish is long and still marked by the decidedly herbaceous sides of this rather strange rum. The empty glass gives fruit and anise/fennel equal billing."

"In the approach, the brute aromatics, which the rum on the original strength probably had, is still recognizable - but the targeted reduction to a good 57% results in an exciting alternative to the already existing Clarendon 2007 releases. The aromatics definitely open up new facets and is far from the alcoholic force of the releases with a good ten percent more by volume on the road."

"Also a very nice release with really good balance between the elements. Not as elegant as No. 17 but still nice and fruity. There is a lovely freshness to this one and the roasted notes are very light. The empty glass is really nice and I can pick up some chocolate and light minty notes."

"For its age a wonderfully round Clarendon with beautiful fruit notes and very pleasant spice! Class bottling"

"Rum Sponge - RumX-live tasting, the fifth and last of the evening. This was significantly diluted from 67% to 57%, but this does not detract from the enjoyment. Nose: interesting, fruity, but at the same time somewhat medicinal, very slightly phenolic. In addition, pronounced vinegar and something fresh, like peppers pickled in vinegar. The fruit tends towards papaya. A slight sweetness of sugar syrup or caramel with aniseed. But somewhat weaker compared to the others... 8.1 Palate: unexpectedly spicy and bacony with lots of aniseed and fatty, sweet tonka bean. Behind this, a very light mint, which is immediately captured by lemon zest. Slightly metallic. 8.3"

"Wow, die Nase startet mit Eukalyptus und Fenchel, das ist ja grandios! Dazu viel Frucht und Lack. Gefällt mir auf Anhieb! Am Gaumen wirkt der Rum ausgewogen und noch ein wenig jung. Der Nachklang ist auch sehr fruchtig und bringt erfreulich wenig Holz oder Bitterkeit. Sehr guter relativ junger Clarendon!"

"Un Clarendon qui se distingue par un nez original sur les épices (piment, anis) les herbes aromatiques et les notes médicinales. C’est à la fois frais et végétal, avec une touche d’originalité pour un rhum jamaïcain. Les fruits et les phénols ne sont pas loin, mais clairement secondaires ici. L’attaque en bouche est astringente et puissante. Les fruits arrivent en premier lieu mais sont rapidement effacés par une flopée d’épices intenses, allant du réglisse, au poivre en passant par l’anis, le piment et les herbes aromatiques. Puis jaillissent des notes médicinales, de notes de sel et de l’umami avec un boisé soutenu. L’alcool pourrait être mieux intégré dans l’ensemble. La finale est de bonne longueur. Elle présente des saveurs chaudes et épicées, amères et végétales. Ce n’est qu’après que les fruits et le caramel apportent une touche de douceur à ce profil rustre et atypique. Un drôle de Clarendon qui s’illustre de par son originalité mais qui manque de finesse."

"Solider Clarendon 2007. Sehr prominent Anis in der Nase. Nicht das Profil was ich mag bei Clarendon, aber gut."

"Ein junger Rum mit Estern, der Assoziation an saure Früchte wie grüne Äpfel, Ananas und Zitrusfrüchte weckt. Das ganze wird durch Honig, Vanille und Geröstetem schön abgerundet, auch wenn sich der Rum nicht reif genug anfühlt. Im Mund überwältigt die Ladung von sauren Früchten, wobei zudem eine alkoholische Schärfe und eine pflanzliche Teenote hinzukommt, welche im Abgang zusammen mit Schokolade dominiert. Interessant und abwechslungsreich, aber nicht gerade harmonisch nach meinen Vorstellungen."

"Interesting flavor profile but not really my thing."

"Not quite a typical Clarendon. For a Clarendon very fruity! Also, lots of spices with licorice, anise and juniper. Also citrus notes. Really exciting!"

"I find this Clarendon fantastic on the nose - the combination of aniseed and tropical fruit is really great and inviting. On the palate it is much more roasted and also a little too spicy. Fruit is present but could be more."

"A good Clarendon that knows how to think outside the box, with a more vegetal profile and fruit in the background. Very nice. After all, I prefer its 2007 counterpart from the antipodes collection."