Velier National Rums of Jamaica Ltd Cambridge ST♥CE 2005. In 2018, Independent bottler Velier released four rums from National Rums of Jamaica, this is the second of those releases that I have reviewed.

This rum was distilled at the legendary Long Pond Distillery. It has been given the Cambridge moniker, in reference to the ester classification used at the now closed Cambridge Distillery. Cambridge ST♥CE refers to rums with a ester level between 550 and 700 gr/hlpa. In the grander scheme of things, this is mid level ester levels but most commercially available Jamaican rums are much lower in esters. This is funky stuff!

ST♥CE 2005 has been aged for 13 Years, in Jamaica. The ever informative opaque Velier bottle gives us all the information we need. It was distilled back in 2005 and bottled in 2018 at an ABV of 62.5%. The Angels Share was a whopping 63% and the final outturn was 3,618 bottles from 11 barrels.

Velier National Rums of Jamaica Ltd Cambridge ST♥CE 2005 is 100% Pot Still Rum and is noted as being Continental Flavoured, which is another marque used in Jamaican Rum production. Should you be interested in purchasing a bottle then The Whisky Exchange still have stock, at £160 for a 70cl bottle.

As far as I am aware, the four bottlings comprising this National Rums of Jamaica collection represent the last of Luca Gargano’s Jamaican rum portfolio. Though please don’t quote me on that, I may have gotten that wrong. I kind of hope I have.

Anyway, lets move on and see how this one tastes.

In the glass we have have rich dark brown liquid, with a red/orange hue. Nosed I’m getting a lot of sweet malt vinegar, pineapple, bruised banana and some vanilla. This is a real nose twitcher of a rum and the vinegar note is quite pronounced in this particular rum.

Further nosing reveals light toffee, milk chocolate and some bourbon “sour mash” like notes. It’s a very complex nose and there is a lot going on. If you don’t like vinegar/pickles, you might struggle with this rum.

Sipped, I don’t think this rum is quite as vinegar heavy as the TECC 2007 there is a lot of sweetness on the initial sip. Lots of sweet pineapple juice and banana. Tropical Fruit Punch, some nicely developed spices and a good weight of oak and vanilla.

This sweetness combines with what is best described as Pickle Juice to give an acidic hit on the palate. Further sips reveal more depth and complexity. This rum is bursting with funky fruit flavours. The initial delivery moves nicely into a spicy mid palate. Notes of cinnamon, clove and a touch of ginger. It’s a very sweet and savoury type of rum. If it wasn’t so funky, it would be a bit like a sweet bourbon. The extra depth of all this funk gives this rum an extra layer beyond simple sweetness.

The finish is long and slightly sharp. A good balance of wood, spice and sweetness give a very satisfying and long finish. The flavour stays with you for a long time after sipping.

Rich, fruity and very flavourful a really great rum. Once you get past the initial nose and sip, the vinegar notes do meld together with the other flavours to give a funky but balanced Jamaican rum.

It’s not quite as perfect as my favourite Jamaican the Duncan Taylor 15 Year Old Long Pond from 2016 but it’s not far off that standard.

Great juice.