Remember the Fine Old Medford Rum 1876 I tried the other day? Well, turns out there was an even older sample on my desk: an 1834 Jamaica Rum from the same distributor M.E. Bellows’ Son in New York.
It was distilled over 190 years ago. Just to give you an idea, in 1834 Jamaica formally ended slavery! That’s how old this is. For your information, the abolition of slavery slowed down sugar and rum production on the island significantly, which meant Jamaica was overtaken by Guyana and Martinique as biggest rum suppliers.
Jamaica Rum 1834 ‘Bottled from barrel’ (40%, M.E. Bellows’ Son)
Nose: quite dense, immediately reminding me of some very old Inquina from Barbadillo. Plenty of PX-like sweetness and molasses, as well as some dried fruits (dates and figs) in the background. This is mixed with thyme or sage syrup and a hint of clove. Old barrels. Then raisins, coffee liqueur, drops of vermouth bitters. There’s a truly Jamaican side to it as well, something metallic and lightly dunder-y.
Mouth: a little weaker than expected, although the profile itself is quite dark again. More coffee liqueur with dark caramel and plenty of raisins. Chocolate notes. Then a light mustiness comes forward, nothing bad though. Hints of bittersweet herbs and liquorice, before a slightly metallic note sets in again.
Finish: not long, with more caramel, drops of cough syrup, coffee bitterness and a hint of old oak.
The nose was more enticing than the 1876, in my opinion. On the palate it’s definitely flatter though, lacking just a bit of oomph. So there, if you find both on the shelves, you know what to buy, ha! Seriously, the nose is priceless but this is impossible to compare to modern production. However I find it quite spectacular that there’s something undeniably Jamaican to it.