Monymusk 2004
Style: Single Cask
Cask: #17
Year of distillation: 2004
Bottled: 2021
Age: 17
Region: Jamaica
Cask Type: Barrel
No. of bottles: 250
ABV: 62.4%
Release: Spring 2022
Ronnie Cox
“At full strength it delivers the linseed oil aromas but these after a few seconds are then wrapped and interwoven with familiar maturing warehouse wood. On the palate the rich oily texture is a delight but perhaps more revealing when a few drops of water are added. Oily fruity with a touch of treacle at the end of its mid-length. I could happily sip this pre-dinner or as a postdinner pick-me-up. Definitively uplifting in style.”
Tasting Notes
From the moment the cork leaves the bottle there is no doubt this is Jamaican Rum in all its funky, fruity glory. The nose is a prime example of high ester rum; off ripe tropical fruit, paraffin, wax paper, lychee and orange zest all charge out the glass. This powerful character is continued on the palate with an array of tropical fruits and leathery, almost farmy funk that appear with time. An exceptional, exuberant and eccentric dram.
Distillery
The Caribbean boasts a long history of rum distilling. Each country has its own unique style and, with maturity, the full, intense fruit, spice and often, molasses flavours shine through.
Rob says: “The ancient Monymusk sugar estate in Jamaica gives its name to this rum which is now operated by Clarendon Distillers. The Monymusk name belongs to a style rather than a distillery and was produced until the 1950’s at Innswood whose site is now used for maturation and blending. The Monymusk style is unique, funky and a great example of heavy pot still although the output is described as ‘Light Continental’.”