RUM Jamaica (Selected by The Bottle Shop) VRW

Nose: very ripe tropical fruit solvents (mango, coconut, etc.) coated in delicious caramel and wood. It's almost New Yarmouth 94. The palate is magnificent, with all the markers present on the nose. The palate really has a (big) tdl side to it, with ripe mango and a hint of menthol. Blind, I would have been wrong about the provenance with this palate. The finish is long and warm. A real bomb! Bravo Stefan!

Excellent juice 😍😍😍 Tropical fruits galore, a touch of "meat", cinnamon, coconut cinnamon, coconut, sental, spices, dark chocolate and caramel make up this 18-year-old LP. It glides along on its own, and after a very long half-hour of aeration, all the potential is there. I love it, clearly!

Fruity, caramelised, oak influence, umami, little funk, alcohol integration really really good. It needs to be rested, and then the reward is there. I am expecting that the spirit gets better over time. Also, I would like to compare this and RX20000 version in future if possible. The slight difference in ratings, where we have the juice from the same barrel (with couple of months of difference), is very interesting. Could it be the form of the day, real differences or hype..

Nose: the rum remains closed for quite a long time, it's not easy for me to get past the glue, varnish and alcohol at first. After about 20 minutes, the rum opens up much better. It seems quite mild to me for a 2005 VRW. Notes such as caramel, coconut, bourbon and light roasted notes predominate, subtly fruity. Not at all typical of Long Pond on the palate. Much reminds me of Belize and Foursquare - only much more intense than those. Additionally, more fruit but less than expected. Also the typical Long Pond umami note: more in the background. Finish: very long and a little bit of everything - very balanced! Very good rum that gains a lot with time in the glass! Very balanced and complex. I'm not sure if I would have blindly guessed Long Pond! After another 30 minutes, the rum becomes much fruitier and gets a fruity touch like some old Clarendon EMBs have! Great class, another 2 points!

In direct comparison with the RumX Bottling, I find it difficult to discern any differences. The Bottleshop bottling perhaps has a little more of the cask (for whatever reason...?) and the RumX bottling has a slightly floral note. All in all, however, I think they are both very good 2005 VRWs!

Really very close to the RX20000 ... I've just tried it solo and haven't tasted it in parallel yet. But the two rums are identical from memory. But I will try them again side by side. In any case, both are excellent value for money.

Very intense and powerful in the nose, starting off with glue and woody as well as umami notes. With some time to breath, a nice basket of tropical fruits shows up to the party. Very good. Very good 👍 ch and complex on the palate as well. Plenty of funk and power. Intense tropical fruits but much less overwhelming compared to tropically aged STC*Es. One could almost call this elegant - mind you that obviously depends on your personal preference of ester levels. Excellent bottling all in all.

A touch more complex than its sister cask RX 20000, as this one is a little more fruity and minty.

From memory I would say there is really no difference to the RumX bottling. Same high level. In any case, a super barrel selection. A direct comparison will follow with the RX20000 and the NRJ bottling. Then I will report back.

Three different VRW LP 2005 bottlings in the glass today. Bottle store & RumX Community: They are very similar in profile and very complex. For me, the Community bottling is a little more intense and voluminous on the palate. The Whisky blues: Also very complex and somewhat spicy. More astringent on the palate than its competitors and longer on the finish. Much woodier and with more chocolate notes, but a little less fruit. All three brilliant rums!

Tropical fruits on the nose, very intense, almost a little like boiled down. Also glue, caramel and the meaty, sour note typical of (tropical) LPs. Lots of spiciness on the palate, long finish. Great bottling and on a par with the RdL VRW 2005, which I had at 88 points.

Tested directly against the RX20000. I imagine that I can feel a very slight difference to the RX20000. Both bottlings are brutally good, but I give it 88/100, just behind RX20000

From the slightly roasted caramelized vanilla smell, I would blindly never come up with jamaica. The scent is really heavenly. The taste continues with a pleasant sweetness and plenty of power, light chocolate notes with dark fruits. The finish is a little alcoholic, but I don't find it annoying. Or it just seems that way to me because it's the first sip this week. A successful bottling 👌

Easterdram #3! Finally the Bottleshop VRW. Very nice fruity, rich, fruity and slightly estery tones come to the fore in the nose. With time you can smell more and more wood. On the palate, the only words that come to mind are full-bodied and long-lasting! In my opinion, the wood comes through very clearly on the palate, but not too strongly. The Jamaican scares you, but it's not an ester bomb, which I really like. Conclusion: A very strong and lingering bottling.

So we have the sister bottle of RumX 20,000 bottles I missed out on buying. It's the same ABV except for a tenth of an ounce, so we're happy. For me, both in aroma and taste, a very fruity LP. The fruitiness really wins. Then vanilla, some baked fruit and after a while the characteristic taste of glue as we know it from LP develops beautifully. I was surprised by the taste of mint at the end.