If you’re a fan of Jamaican rum, then you’re a fan of Long Pond and its various renowned marks that make their way into National Rums of Jamaica’s numerous blends. The 18-Year-Old follow-up cask to last year’s 17-Year-Old VRW cask is an astounding example of the Wedderburn style produced on Long Pond’s famed double-retort pot stills. This 18 Year Old is just outright explosive on the nose. Classic VRW in its big, boisterous intensity in the form of a super-ripe tropical fruit cocktail, but the complexity is simply mind-blowing in its secondary and tertiary notes too, which are every bit as intense as the fruit core. Rich, warm mahogany, burnt toffee, peanut brittle, and graham cracker are just a few things that came to mind, followed by caramel apple, pear blossom, and sweet pipe tobacco in the background. I really can’t overstate how layered and nuanced this is for such a big style. Ultimately, it really does defy specific description, so you can just let your imagination run wild with it. The palate is every bit as intense, and where the 17-Year-Old needed water, this one just sings right out of the gate with singular depth married to exquisitely precise weight and texture. All the tropical fruit from the nose emerges, including papaya, mango, pineapple, and plantain. But again, the complexity is just off the charts. Take your time, give it air, and you’ll be rewarded with a fabulously intriguing texture that holds up flavors of red currant, that thrilling hogo funk that we all love in Jamaican pot still juice, plus anything from apple liqueur and black currant to new leather, cedar sawdust, and mint. Needless to say, the finish carries on and on, and you’re left wondering if it’ll ever slow down let alone end. If only we could all get this much more sophisticated and intriguing with only one extra year of age.
97 points, Andrew Kitz, B-21 Spirits Buyer (Jun 2026)
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