Aroma visualization from community tastings
Bristol Long Pond 1985
Ripe mango, vanilla and a surprising crispy sweetness carry this 37-year-old Long Pond, with far less oak than you'd expect from that age. The nose gets the love — fruity, buttery, a hint of glue and varnish. On the palate several tasters call it thin for 49.5%, and a few wished it had punched harder. Elegant and easy to sip, just not the deepest old Jamaican.
The community says- Ripe mango fruit
- Fresh for its age
- But: Thin body
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How does Bristol Long Pond 1985 taste?
Aggregated from 63 community reviews.
Fruity, sweet old Long Pond, a touch thin Well-liked as a gentle, fruity old Long Pond with amazing freshness for its age. The recurring gripes: it drinks thin, sweet almost to a fault, and a bit linear for the years behind it.
Fans of soft, fruity aged Jamaicans who prize elegance over funk
Anyone chasing bold, punchy high-ester Long Pond
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
Which glass for which rum? The community guide →
27 of 63 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
Recommendation
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One difference each to this rum.
Rated better
Cadenhead's Rockley Green Label 1986
8.8/10595 €
More intense
Nobilis Long Pond No. 4 2000
8.5/10300 €
Similar rating, cheaper
Bristol Hampden Jamaica Trelawney County DOK 2009
8.3/10150 €First choice: 17 of 23 tasters who tried both prefer it.
How is Bristol Long Pond 1985 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 8.5 sits in the “Very good” band. 100% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 0% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
Community voices
What does the community say?
90% rate it 8 or higher. 17 selected write-ups from 63 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by Thunderbird
On the nose a fermented mango with a tendency to sourness! That suits the LP! On the palate it is light and thin, initially with a sweetness of milk chocolate and burnt sugar, gradually joined by herbs and spices! Not very intense... I hardly notice any fruit at all. The finish initially continues these aromas, later dried fruit appears again in the form of dried apricots! A pleasing rum with little wood despite its age! Overall, however, it doesn't offer enough to make it into the top league
Review by Tschusikowsky
Ein spezieller Tropfen. Die Nase ist wundervoll, erstaundlich frisch. Man riecht das Alter dennoch. Er hat Ausstrahlung, Charakter mit Niveau. Ähnlich dem im Adventskalander probierten 1970er Clement, nicht geschmacklich aber vom Eindruck. Der Rum macht sehr viel Spass zu trinken. Wunderbar vielseitig, extrem viel zu entdecken. Der Abgang ist leider doch sehr abprupt verschwunden. Mehr Volumen hätten ihn bestimmt zu was ganz Besonderem gemacht. Wie beim Kaiman stört mich das aber nicht sehr.
Review by Gunnar Böhme "Bauerngaumen" 🤓
Auch wenn ich kein Freund von Rums der Long-Pond-Destillerie bin, muss ich diesen Rum doch positiv erwähnen. Er hinterlässt einen milden Gesamteindruck, ist ein Gaumenschmeichler, aber eben auch keine Ecken und Kanten, an denen man ihn wiedererkennen würde. Blind verkostet hätte ich ihn auch für einen Rum halten können, der nur ein Zehntel des Releasepreises kostet. (Ich weiß, ich habe keine Ahnung. 😉) Erstaunlich, dass man das Fass nach 37 Jahren kaum herausschmeckt.
Review by Alexander Rasch
Eine feine Nase, dann folgt ein Geschmacksprofil mit viel Holzeinfluss und ordentlich Bitterstoffen. An der Zungenspitze leider etwas dünn bzw. eine gewisse Kälte. Dann aber kommt der Rum mit viel Holz und Pfeffer und wird immer Intensiver zum Abgang und bleibt lange stehen. Der Nachklang ist definitiv das Highlight hier. Gefällt mir gut, aber ist für mich den Preis nicht wert der hier verlangt wird. Da gibt es für 100-200€ spannendere Long Pond Abfüllungen.
Review by Jakob
Amazingly fresh nose for its age. However, the fruity notes fade into the background on the palate as the length increases, with a nice sweetness and a little more woodiness coming to the fore - but the rum does not tip over into overly bitter spheres. Unfortunately, I find the aromatic refinement a little lacking overall, which is why I am left with a very tasty rum in my glass, but one that is not quite in the absolute top league.
Review by Serge
Verkostet am Cata Wiki Stand auf der Village in Nürnberg. Sehr schöner Long Pond mit wunderbar buttriger Nase mit vergorenen Früchten und etwas das mich an mandelige Frangipani Paste aus französischer Patisserie erinnert. Am Gaumen setzt sich die Erwartung der Nase fort. Ohne Enttäuschung und sehr gut. Etwas dünn vielleicht. Mit 55-60% wäre das eine sehr starke 90
Review by Galli33
Very smooth, almost easy sipping old LP with a nice sweet caramel note. Nose: Delicious, fruity, glue, varnish and a bit spicy! Superb! Palate: Thin (diluted?), a lot of fruits, a hint of glue and a well integrated barrel. The spiciness disappeard. Finish: Medium long and more on the woodier side. The tannins make it slightly astringend.
Review by DomM
For me one of the nicer bottlings of 80ish Long Ponds. It presents a rather fruity nose with mango and peach alongside vanilla and wood. On the palate wood is (unsurprisingly) more present but the overall picture is nicely balanced with fruity notes and enough liveliness despite its long aging.
Review by zabo
Verkostet auf der Pueblo del Ron Nürnberg 2024. Nachdem sich DomM ein Gläschen bei Catawiki gegönnt hat, durfte ich auch mal dran sippen. Meiner Meinung nach ist er ein wenig drüber und hätte früher aus dem Fass gemusst. Mir leider ein wenig zu holzig.
Review by Johannes
Insgesamt hohe Qualität! Am Anfang diskrete, schöne Fruchtnoten, die aber doch schnell weg sind. Im Mittelteil etwas dünn, Abgang schon lang aber adstringierend, etwas bitter. Insgesamt ein easy sipper, der schön komplex ist, aber nicht überfordert.
Review by Giorgio Garotti
Un mix tra un long pond e un hampden probabilmente dovuto alla riduzione di grado che ha fatto emergere di più le note fruttate! Mi sono mancate un po’ le note che contraddistinguono long pond e il rum risulta un po’ troppo lineare!
Review by mto75
beautiful LP nose with tropical fruit (mango) and this fermented, slightly tending towards vinegar. On the palate barrel, and toasty notes. Unfortunately a bit thin despite the 49.5%. Otherwise, a few more points would have been in it.
Review by Christoph
Sehr elegante Holz- und Fruchtnoten. Extrem angenehm am Gaumen. Einfach lecker. Die „niedrigen“ Prozent tun der Intensität des Rums nichts ab. Ester sind nicht direkt präsent, erst nach einer Weile im Glas entfalten sie sich.
Review by Mentalo
Erstaunlich wenig Holz und Bitterkeit nach 37 Jahren. Dafür sehr viel Süße, die ich teilweise schon als penetrant empfand. Es kommen aber auch schöne Fruchtnoten Richtung Mango durch und im Abgang eineangenehme Holznote.
Review by Sam 🥃
Premier rhum de ce type pour moi, je n'ai pas encore goûté de référence qui me permettent de le comparer. Dans tous les cas ça été une bonne expérience et je l'ai trouvé vraiment très bon. Tout passait très bien.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Wahnsinnig spannender alter Long Pond der trotz der Verdünnung extrem aromatisch sehr lecker ist. Erinnert auch bisschen blind an rockley 86 mit der Honig, Röstmandeln Note. Sehr sehe lecker , geiler Stoff.
Review by Andi
Super edler Tropfen, süßlich aber nicht zu aufdringlich, wird immer fruchtiger im Glas, Rosinen, trocken Früchte. Echt super starker Tropfen.
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Expert reviews
2 critics scored it, averaging 8.8/10. Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by Zucker und Zeste
Read full review →Expert review by Le Blog À Roger
Read full review →Live auctions
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Market value
Avg. community purchase price 450 €
What members paid for this bottle, self-reported. Not a market value — the purchases are over three years old at the median and unverified.
Details about Bristol Long Pond 1985
A Pot Still Rum from Jamaica, bottled by Bristol Classic Rum, at 49,5%.
Community purchases
11 bottles logged by 9 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
9% opened, 0 emptied and repurchased.
What does Bristol Long Pond 1985 cost?
Community paid 427–613 €.
Current best price: 820.00 € – above the typical community range.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
11 purchased · 63 tasted · 8 wishlist · as of
Read on in the RumX Guide
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