CAMBRIDGE (LONG POND) STC❤E 2005 13 YEARS OLD 62,5% VELIER

Distilled in 2005, aged for 13 years in Tropics and bottled in 2018 from a stock of 11 barrels, this rum is a reproduction of the STC♥E mark of the Cambridge Estate Distillery, closed 1947. The Continental Flavoured style is one of the four classifications used in Jamaica, which identifies rums with 700/1600 gr/hlpa of esters at the time of distillation. The mark STC♥E on the label specially refers to rums with 550-700 gr/hlpa.

THE BRAND

Long Pond distillery, located northwest in the Jamaican parish of Trelawny and not far from Montego Bay, was built in 1753 in the middle of a large expanse of sugarcane. Over the years the distillery has passed through various ownerships, either private or publics, until 1953, when it was acquired by the Seagram Ltd, owner of the Captain Morgan brand. In the following decades and after the acquisition of the neighbouring estate, Vale Royal, Long Pond was renamed Trelawny Estate.

In the 1970s, Jamaican distilleries started shutting down one after the other and the Jamaican government began a process of nationalisation in order to save their activities. This led the Seagram Ltd to withdraw from the island and in 1977 also the Trelawany Estate was nationalised and included in the National Rum of Jamaica (NRJ) circuit, created by the government to save the distilleries.

In 1993 the continuous economic loss, brought the NRJ to look for some investors, deciding to calling on the Demerara Distillers Ltd in Guyana and the West Indies Rum Distiller in Barbados, this latter currently owned by Alexandre Gabriel from the French Maison Ferrand.

In 2012 Long Pond was closed by the group, mainly due to wastes treatment problems and to the dunder storage tanks that required huge capitals for repairing, focusing their attenction on the Clarendon distillery.

In July 2017, given the renewed interest in Jamaican rums in recent years, after a maintenance began after its closure and thanks to foreign capitals, Long Pond distillery has re-opened the doors, making its John Dore pot stills and Blair column still come back to life.

It almost disappeared in a fire in summer 2018, but the fate left unaffected its historical stills.

THE BOTTLER

Velier was founded by the Chaix family in Genova in 1947 as a small traditional company specialised in the importation and distribution of wines, champagnes and spirits. In 1983, a young Luca Gargano, former brand ambassador for Saint James at that time, acquired shares in Velier. Under his influence the company began spacialising in the importation of outstanding spirits exclusively destinated to the Italian market. By the early 90s Luca heard about a legendary stock of Saint James rum dating back probably to 1885 and bottled in 1952. After a complex negotiation, he finally managed to acquire the entire stock. This was only the first of a list of legendary selections to come in the following years.