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Fine Drams Clarendon Fine Old Jamaican Rum (Aficionados) EMB 1995
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Overripe mango, passion fruit and lime crash into old dusty oak here — a tropically-aged Clarendon from 1995 that most reviewers rank near the top of the vintage. Nearly 28 years give it licorice, vanilla, mint and a fleshy, smoky edge, but at 68.3% it stays intense, dry and bitter on the wood. Several say the alcohol is beautifully integrated; a few find it a touch hot and tannic.
The community says- Loud tropical fruit
- Long complex finish
- Well-integrated 68%
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Yes, if you're after bold, mature, oaky rums for sipping neat.
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The look inside the bottle
How does Fine Drams Clarendon Fine Old Jamaican Rum (Aficionados) EMB 1995 taste?
From community reviews · summarized with AI
Old tropical Clarendon: fruit meets bitter oak Consensus is a top-tier vintage Jamaican — fruit-forward yet heavily woody, and long. The catch: the full 68.3% burns for some, and the oak turns bitter neat, so water helps.
Aroma profilefans of aged tropical Jamaican pot-still
beginners and anyone put off by bitter oak
Style & occasion: Mature & oakySipping neat
Full aroma profile Aroma families · nose & palate · top aromas
Relative to this rum's strongest aroma family
46 of 99 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
Which glass for which rum? The community guide ›
What does the community say?
99 community reviews
Rating scale & review checks
On RumX, 7 means “Good” and 8 means “Very good”.
See the full rating guideHow ratings are made and how we check them ›The website shows a selection of written reviews. The distribution also includes ratings without text. All published reviews are available in the RumX app.
49 selected written reviews
The distribution above includes all 99 ratings, including those without text.
Review by cigares
RumX Awards 2023 and tasted with friends. The color is dark, reflecting its 28 years of age. The nose is very fruity with overripe fruits including pineapple, lime, a hint of encoustique, young wood, and a slight hint of Cémentite glue. The palate is rather sweet considering the 68.3% ABV, with a basket of fruits invading the palate, including mirabelle plum, star fruit, mango, and plum. Acidity and honey and a beautiful, discreet freshness support the whole. The wood is perhaps a little pronounced but at the same time contributes to the complexity. The finish is very beautiful, long and complex, with lime, herbs and a lovely wood-related bitterness. A very beautiful rum and a favorite for its evolution and complexity, with so many fruits that I find it difficult to define them. Tasted again alongside the 23-year-old and seems a little less good to me.
Review by Jakob
It is already apparent on the nose, but on the palate it is finally clear: this is a top representative of the 1995 Clarendon vintage. Fully ripe tropical fruit, mint, wood, even the age is recognizable - in a positive sense. Very complex, yet round, fresh and yet heavy - the profile of the 1995 vintage is definitely one of the best of the EMB Marques and also sets benchmarks for Jamaican releases in general. This rum is further proof of this - only the alcohol integration is not quite on a par with its sister releases. Nevertheless, an exquisite rum.
Review by Mirco
For me, the two Fine Drams Clarendons are THE releases of 2023. Typical EMB profile, no exception. This 95 bottling performs exceptionally well in EMB crosstasting. Great PLV. In the overall field, this rum is slightly behind.
Review by Galli33
2nd place of my Clarendon 1995 EMB tasting😬😉🫨🤤 Nose: Very fruity, overripe fruits 😬 reminds me somewhere on a LP, is there also a hint of nail polish in the background 🤔 Mouth: A remarkable mix of wood, licorice, minty and fruity notes 🤤🫨 Finish: Long, woody and herbal(also a bit bitter and astringen -points), . The alcohol is integrated very well..
Review by Thunderbird
This is also an outstanding representative of the 95 vintage! Not quite as strong as the 97, but real top class! Altogether a little stronger and more demanding, definitely not a rum for beginners! It lacks the good alcohol integration, otherwise it would have deserved a few more points
Review by Rodolphe
The 95 is a more woody profile than the 97, more greedy but less fruity. With aeration, it becomes more and more supple and pleasant. Noble wood, licorice and vanilla supported behind by some very ripe tropical fruits. Great depth. I love it. The mouth is of the same level, it is a very great rum. I find that a well done reduction towards 60/62% would have made it a bit more accessible. But it's a wonderful product, at a great price. I'm glad I picked up a bottle for myself!
Review by DomM
Even among the 95 vintage, this one is quite intense. Despite some time to oxidize in the opened bottle, the FD needs quite some time to open up. It remains very intense on the nose as well as on the palate delivering on the sought after profile, which I quite enjoy. On its own, I like to bottling very much but feel that (from memory) there are some sister casks out there, which provide a bit more complexity while being more accessible. Still very good in my book.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
I like it even better than the 97. Really intense after passion fruit, lime and other tropical fruits, lots of menthol, violets and vanilla pulp, as well as the slightly meaty, bacony note typical of emb. Really unusual and wacky.
Review by Alex Kunath
Probably the best Clarendon I've had so far! Even after repeated tastings, this rum is simply excellent! It perfectly combines the fruit and wood of a tropical-aged Jamaican!
Review by Leo Krüper
Beautiful Clarendon. Some bitterness in the wood, quite dry. Super PLV
Review by zabo
I was spontaneously torn open by DomM yesterday evening. Must try this one again at my leisure. From the fresh bottle it's a little too alcoholic for me. I think a better rating would be possible with enough time to breathe.
Review by Adrian Wahl
Super good EMB 1995, but for me a bit behind the RA 1995 EMB.
Review by SaibotZtar
Very good Clarendon. Tried on vacation...there it tastes even better 😎
Review by Joachim Guger
A beautiful, reddish-brown color. A really great nose. Woody, spicy, licorice and dried fruit. A hint of Hampden. Varnish and solvent. Warm, balanced and very powerful. And then tar. Very complex. Then very strong in the mouth (felt more than 65%), slightly furry. Complex spices, caramel, wood. Medium long finish. Great rum! Many thanks to Michael for the great blind sample!
Review by Frank
Oh yes, I am thrilled to the max with this old tropical aged EMB. Nose: incredibly intense and voluminous, complex and dense. Very tasty! Lots of tropical fruit, pleasant wood, nicely spicy while still fresh and with wonderfully integrated high ABV. First, intense lemon and lime with orange zest and passion fruit and papaya. Light pineapple and distinct gooseberry come in. Besides that, floral with violets. The freshness comes not only from the lemon, but also from a light mint note. The fruit is capped by restrained esters and the associated fine vinegar essence, which also goes in the direction of polish. Fragrant cherry wood with neat vanilla and some black pepper round out the picture. Fantastic. 9.3 Palate: the nose continues consistently full-bodied and delicious on the palate. Again, that intense fruit with lime, passion fruit and pineapple. Here now also more intense mint with even more violet, which brings a clear association towards soap. Out the back stronger flavors of toasted barrel, vanilla, slightly bacony with salt. Eerily beautiful. 9.1 This '95 EMB is totally coherent. Makes a decent impression even after half an hour in the glass and is just delicious.
Review by Serge
A little closed and aggressive at first, but benefits significantly from a bit of standing time. All in all, however, for a 95 EMB it remains in the midfield for me. Considering the cool bottle size and the price, it's still quite attractive.
Review by mto75
The FD 95 in comparison with the Sponge and FD 97. The profile of the two 97s is definitely different from the 95. The 95 waits with a passion fruit note, and goes a little more in the direction of vanilla. But also on the 95, decent bean wax, overripe, tropical fruit (mango), barrel. On the palate rubber, barrel, passion fruit. Black tea on the finish. I like it at least as much as the 97.
Review by Rene Pfeiffer
I like the 95 profile very much. Reference so far the RA for just under 200 euros the 0.5l. The one here now 108 euros for 0.35l. PLV therefore better, which gives another 0.1 points more.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
#5440 02.07.2025 Enjoying a few samples while watching Takeshi's Castle. Nose Fresh, medium intense, light wood, fruity, light banana, faint manto, faint caramel, light roasted. Palate Oily, fresh, light wood, medium intense, faint medicinal, naturally sweet, medium spicy, light citrus, light chocolate. Finish Long and warm, light wood, fruity, naturally sweet, light citrus, faint mint, light chocolate. Empty glass Vanilla, light chocolate, fruits, light mint.
Review by Johannes
Alcohol very well integrated! For an EMB95 very round!
Review by Beancheese
This one is simply not for me as much as I wanted to love this. The nose was wonderful and I had extremely high hopes for this one after nosing for quite some time. It offered fruits, sweetness, wood, vanilla, hints of passion fruit and some mint, without anything being too overpowering. The palate, on the other hand, was simply too dry, bitter, intense and wood and spice forward for me. There is fruit behind it but this does not strike me as being in balance - the upfront intensity and bitterness dominates even when the fruit makes an appearance. You can also feel every bit of the 68% ABV despite its age. Nice length on this one for sure, it lingers and stays with you but largely as a byproduct of the intensity that this one carries.
Review by Maxime Clr 🇫🇷
A bomb. This rum is simply fantastic, red fruits, tropical fruits, caramel, menthol, it goes in all directions but it's so well balanced. An exceptional length. What an incredible bottle.
Review by Speedflo
Very nice bottling and definitely a very cool cask. Classic, heavy clarendon profile and compared to the 1997 more herbs and fruitiness on the palate and nose. The bottlings in a super size, for flippers uniteressant and PLV top!
Review by Timo Groeger
Wow, and then such a bomb afterwards :) Definitely a really strong Long Pond. It has a lot of caramel to offer, but also many esters and delicious tropical fruits. It's just a Jamaican, this tasty rum.
Review by TheJona'Spirits
👃 Old esters aged, varnish, worn wood glue, smoke, dust. Pastry notes (meringue, cream éclair) and sweets (salted butter caramel, marshmallow, rose candies). Menthol freshness, camphor, light tiger balm. Lots of fruit, in jam form. They are tropical (mango, papaya, guava), orchard fruits (peach, cherry) and red fruits (strawberry, jujube). Finally, in the background, essential oils, mechanic’s workshop, diesel. One of the nicest noses I’ve had in a long time. Aromatic, intense, evolving, with imperceptible alcohol. 😋 Slap of finely aged esters. The whole palate is taken by a sharp flavor of peach iced tea, fresh mint, spices (black pepper, pink peppercorns, chili seed clinging to the mouth walls). Yes, that’s it, tangy peaches (if that’s possible), peppermint, camphor, Vicks Vaporub ointment. Tropical fruits are present but in the background. Peach dominates. The wood is well there too, licorice stick, old wood essences, everything needed to support these flavors. Smooth, tasty, intense mouthfeel. Perfect integration of alcohol despite the very high ABV. ⛳ Long, intense, bitterness, drying, burnt wood, spices (chili), mint, citrus (kaffir lime, pink grapefruit), sour cherry pit. 💡 In the top 3 of Clarendon 95, simply. It’s hard to do better.
Review by Basti
I like it much better than the first tasting, even if it probably won't become my favorite profile. The nose is really super good, but on the palate the Clarendons are usually too medicinal/peppery for me.
Review by Righrum
No freshness, compared with the 1997 this is more woody, but still a great rum. Superb alcohol integration and excellent interaction with the barrel
Review by Nivius
This rum has an extreme intensity of flavor..... he would only not burn sooooo - you have it with the good stuff anyway mainly with barrel strengths to do and the alcohol I also usually no longer taste - but this one and also his little brother, which make ouch when drinking....But if you put up with that, you are rewarded with an extremely tasty mix of cloves, cinnamon and pepper and a for the amount of wood, very present fruitiness.I find the hype around these bottles definitely justified and am very happy to be able to try something tasty, at a pleasant price.
Review by mick
An emb 95 tropique at this price arouses the curiosity, opened bottle for an immediate tasting, already light modification to the oxy, one is on a very old rum oriented on the wood, dusty wood, acid reglisse.The alcohol is better integrated compared to its cousin the paradisetto, it seems to be 55°, the fruits appear in mouth as well as a bitter/dirty point, it's very good but for me not 9, I find it a little short at the end of mouth, but be careful it's heavy anyway, it reminds me more of the 97 begno in fact, compared to the king paradisetto it's very easy to drink, the velier being very astringent at the attack in mouth, the ratio quality/price is incredible, has.see after 1 month of oxy....70 cl/200€ TOP de chez top, the continuation with the 23 years ds a few days
Review by Martin Spooner
The nose suggests a somewhat sharper taste. Clearly overripe fruit, very round and pleasant. In my opinion, the taste is caramel-minty. Already well spicy and for me slightly over the top. Very distinctive menthol in the finish. A great rum but a little too spicy for me.
Review by Skyfly
Super great rum, much fruitier than its co-bottlings. From nose to finish, tropical fruits are everywhere. Wood, spice, and some ester take a back seat. Alcohol perfectly integrated!
Review by Vincent D
Despite a long aeration, the nose is rather closed, but seems to be greedier than its 1997 sibling. On the palate, the wood is first felt. Then a strong intensity takes over, giving way to ripe fruit. In the end, I find it much less expressive than the 1997, even if the alcohol is less present (well, you can still taste the 68°...).
Review by alex
This game is just magnificent, with great complexity and endless length on the palate. I have a very nice compoter of fruits, Mixed vanilla and menthol, Beautiful woodies Terrific to taste 💜💜💜
Review by Gregor
Nose: Fruit and wood. At first some dark chocolate, hazelnut, juicy peach, pineapple, banana, mango, green apple, mixed berries, wood nothing intrusive in the foreground, you can smell almost forever. Palate: nice mix of chocolate, dried wine grapes, berry mix, plums followed by tropical fruits, tobacco note and wood and even some damp grass, alcohol in the finish and present but still awesome.
Review by Alexander Rasch
Damn... great one. The nose a great blend of distinct fruit and wood. Almost quaffable. Intense and complex on the palate. The finish very dry and astringent. Pleases me very very much. Alcohol very well integrated. But the smallest sips are enough here for an aroma explosion.
Review by Mentalo
95 EMB is simply excellent vintage. Comes for me but not quite to the RA bottling, which is again somewhat better balanced in its complexity.
Review by Alex1981
Woah, what a great dram! Powerful, fruity, woody and all well integrated! Wonderful
Review by Lot-NAS
I am a little bit late to the party but here we go... Based on all the other reviews there is not much else to add. Without water I find the bitterness from the wood a little bit too much and you mustn’t be too shy since it is also a pretty good swimmer and gets a little bit more balanced, smooth and sweeter on the palate.
Review by kondgab
Tropical fruits, wood, vanilla
Review by Master P
A complex rum with ripe tropical fruits and very well integrated wood. A very good moment!!! However, you have to give it some time to fully unfold. I also find quite a lot of leather in play. A demanding rum.
Review by ilRummista
A huge rum! Very powerful but elegant. Complex drink of the highest quality. More woody than the 1997, but this wood is a very pleasant hint of barrel. A symphony of aromas that starts from the moment you pour it into the glass and never ends.
Review by Sebastian.W
The nose is quite fruity with some woody and caramalised notes. The taste is very intense, it reveals less fruit and more woody and dirty notes. Despite the fact that the high ABV is noticable, it is still a great rum.
Review by Palo - V Poháriku
Wow, such an impressive EMB! Loads of fruits going on, like really a lot of them! It also has this interesting fresh minty/eucalyptus note in the finish. Not like in TDLs, but still it feels very fresh and "windy"
Review by jems5
Nose of glue Cementit beautiful fruit wrapped mango ripe yellow plum very present alcohol but the aromatic develops when the alcohol fades, quite long
Review by Buddudharma
A very nice representative of the 1995 EMBs, all of which are of consistently high quality. In direct comparison with the RA, the taste is somewhat less nuanced and somewhat stronger on the tannin side, but the alcohol is somewhat better integrated. All in all, the RA has the edge for me, although both releases are convincing.
Review by Wernie
Wow, what a great drop, powerful and intense from start to finish. I prefer a Jamaican like this 1000 times more than any High Ester! Absolute top class.
Review by Michael Turner
Right after opening and 20 min in the glass: On the nose the bomb, like BBQ. On the palate fruit, meaty-burnt and bitterness. Like eating grilled food, washing down with an IPA (bitterness, tropical fruit: mango, papaya, banana) and immediately following with an espresso. The balanced and better version of the Sample X Clarendon, I haven't opened the Fine Drama Clarendon 23 yet though.
Review by SNYBOR 🇧🇪
The nose, borderline fruity TDL profile
Review by Joël
Peach iced tea! I think the alcohol is very well integrated.
This selection contains no written reviews in this rating range.
Expert reviews
Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum.
Expert review by The Dunder Hut
What a fruit bomb, broody and fruity, the spice really is downtowned in comparison with the fruit. A lovely melange of everything you want in a nice bottle of small size. I really.kiss more of the independent bottler
Expert review by The Auditor Reviews
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Fine Drams Clarendon Fine Old Jamaican Rum (Aficionados) EMB 1995 at live auctions
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111 bottles logged by 77 collectors.
Both drunk and collected.
20% opened, 9 emptied.
What did the community pay for Fine Drams Clarendon Fine Old Jamaican Rum (Aficionados) EMB 1995?
Community paid 104–115 €.
Purchase prices reported by members, not a shop price. Avg. 110 €. Full price & collection history in RX+ ›
111 purchased · 101 tasted · 57 wishlist · as of
Details about Fine Drams Clarendon Fine Old Jamaican Rum (Aficionados) EMB 1995
A Pot Still Rum from Jamaica, bottled by Fine Drams, at 68,3%.
Read on in the RumX Guide
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