You may have noticed that TWJ started bottling some of its Many Faces of Rum releases in standard bottles, rather than the dumpy style that used to be linked to Karuizawa Noh bottlings. It’s simply a matter of priorities: that bottle has increased a lot in price, so switching the bottle keeps the rums affordable. Today we’re trying a New Yarmouth 2009 in this bottle style.
Rare expressions – like the others we’re trying today – will still come in the signature heavy bottle. Today we’ll have a TDL 2000, Mhoba 2021 (which is actually a 2020) and the latest The Duo (Chapter 4).
T.D.L. 25 yo 2000 (53,2%, The Whisky Jury ‘The Many Faces of Rum’ 2025, refill barrel #04, 227 btl.)
Nose: rather honeyed. Pink bananas, yellow plums, stewed mango, hints of dandelions and lemon candy. Some confectionary notes, a little toffee, sugarcane and white chocolate. Coconut shavings as well. On the creamy side of the TDL spectrum.
Mouth: war of the fruits. Lots of sweet Alphonso mango, lychee, stewed peaches. Still a little more creamy vanilla and caramelized notes than we’d expected. Then a little cookie dough, cinnamon and salt. Minty notes, flashes of multivitamin juice again, and light herbal notes. Light touches of pink grapefruit juice. Almonds too.
Finish: medium length, with hints of white pepper and oak, along with lingering vanilla and cane sweetness.
As we noted a few months ago, TDL 2000 seems to be less bright and explosive as TDL 2002. Yet it’s hard to resist this combination of tropical fruits and confectionary sweetness. Dessert rum! As always TWJ retailers are mentioned online, but most of the bottles are gone already.
The Duo – Chapter #4: LP 1998 + HD 2014 (54,2%, The Whisky Jury 2025, refill wood, 183 btl.)
Nose: Jamaican funk, all on glue, slightly artificial banana and fermenting pineapple. Then hints of orange peels and varnish, olive brine and subtle herbs. Here as well we get a confectionary touch of vanilla and Demerara sugar in the background. A slightly rounder version of the typical funkiness.
Mouth: more of this synthetic banana, think banana ice cream and foam candy, even a hint of Pisang Ambon. This goes well with lime and lemon candy, as well as pineapple cubes. In the background you get the old wood, liquorice and pepper of the old Long Pond, while Hampden adds some acetone and extra funk.
Finish: long, with a drying estery note, plenty of banana again, along with a bit of heat from the wood spice.
The same recipe as the original Duo – why not. It does click, toning down the ester levels ever so slightly and making it really complex. This should become a recurring expression indeed. Score: 90/100
New Yarmouth 15 yo 2009 (59,7%, The Whisky Jury 2025, refill bourbon barrel #04, 221 btl.)
Nose: now more pronounced glue, nail polish remover and fermented pineapple. Then also ripe bananas, lemons, pickled gherkins and a fresh wave of menthol. Some carbon dust, sea water and a hint of bicycle shops. Just a touch of oak shavings.
Mouth: truckloads of peppermint now, with the drying effect of esters, almost mineral. Then the fruits come back: bananas, pineapple and unripe mango, along with varnished notes, glue and green olives in brine. Some grassy notes and wood again.
Finish: very long, with spices and esters all over the place. A mix of varnish and subtle grapefruit bitterness now.
I believe earlier casks were a tad more fruity with just a bit less astringency, but nonetheless a lovely Jamaican drop. Still a few bottles out there. Score: 90/100
Mhoba 2021 (59,5%, The Whisky Jury 2025, refill bourbon barrel #BC6, 137 btl.)
Nose: wait, still Jamaica? The same level of esters, new plastics and solvents, in any case. Black olives, acetone, leather and fermenting pineapple: check. Then green banana, nice lime, a hint of sawdust and pepper. A little grassy olive oil as well. Beautiful.
Mouth: salty liquorice, hints of rubber and burnt caramel in the distance, along with Mediterranean herbs, more (roasted) pineapple and some oak tannins. Oranges too, along with hints of chocolate and tobacco.
Finish: long, slightly darker and more earthy than most Jamaicans, on cocoa and toasted oak alongside the esters.
This was actually bottled in December 2020 so the label is a misprint. Whatever, the important thing is the high quality. Is there a counterpart of a hattrick with four goals? A quattrick? Score: 90/100