Aroma visualization from community tastings
Valinch & Mallet Long Pond The Spirit of Art VRW 2005
Drinkers keep landing on the same verdict here: a Long Pond that's surprisingly soft for 56.8%, leaning on fruit and balance rather than raw funk. Expect dark chocolate and nuts up front shifting into tropical fruit, ripe banana, a little glue and roasted, coffee-tinged depth. A few feel it tips too woody and spicy; most call it one of the better V&M VRW bottlings.
- Complex nose
- Tropical fruit
- Long finish
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How does Valinch & Mallet Long Pond The Spirit of Art VRW 2005 taste?
Aggregated from 63 community reviews.
Soft, fruity Long Pond with roasted depth Most tasters rate it highly: complex, fruity and very drinkable with the alcohol well tucked in. The only quibbles are a slightly woody, spicy edge and that some want a touch more intensity.
Jamaican funk fans who want fruit and balance over raw ester
Anyone chasing maximum intensity or hot, high-ester punch
How is Valinch & Mallet Long Pond The Spirit of Art VRW 2005 rated?
RumX's 0–10 scale is strict , 8.7 lands squarely in the "Very good" band. 100% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 0% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
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Rum reviews
Selected write-ups from 63 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Based on 63 ratings
Review by alex
Tout simplement parmi les meilleurs long pond que j’ai pu déguster. Grosse claque. Il est superbe 🤩😍🤩 Complexité et longueur 🤩🤩🤩 c’est du lourd
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
incredibly harmonious easy Sipping long pond. seeeehr cool, I would have liked to buy a bottle...🤤 nice mix of dark chocolate, baked banana with sesame, espresso, ginger and orange+grapefruit zest, some mirabelle plum and pear, maple syrup and roasted pecans. It's not until the finish that the signature baked banana comes through subtly with a nice freshness of toasted sesame and mint. brutally delicious stuff!⚡ I like it even a good bit better than the Velier vrw 12y 💯 for me the best VRW on the market!
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
2023 and I still love it though at the last bottle 😊 Another wonderful bottling from Valinch & Mallet. Happy that I got my hands on 2 bottles. Remember to rest for 15-20 minutes to release all those wonderful flavours. 2021.12.10 Sitting in my recliner right now enjoying this wonderful rum. No wonder people like it, real funk and fruits from Jamaica. I have the entire series and the general quality level is very high.
Review by Thunderbird
This is a Long Pond just the way I like it... complex with funk, fruit, spice, wood and toasty sweetness. That's exactly how it should be, it's a good thing I still have a bottle to call my own. V&M did a great job and got a perfect bottling
Review by Basti
Very tasty VRW with an extremely complex nose. Edit: Tasted again at Crosstasting Long Pond 2095/2006. Light esters and some solvent on the nose, lots of floral/perfumed aromas, but also lots of fruit and spice. Perhaps the most complex nose of the round. The whole thing continues on the palate, slightly soapy (not disturbing) and lots of fruit here too. Less intense than the other representatives, but just as much fun :)
Review by Tschusikowsky
The fruit, the balance, the age, the esters, the complexity. Really, really good! At the beginning it has nutty, chocolaty notes, later these change into very nice fruity notes. Everything is very well integrated.
Review by Rhum Mirror 🇧🇪
Pas de grosse surprise, les solvants typiques de la Jamaïque s’offre au nez immédiatement. Mais la salade de fruits tropicaux fait très vite son apparition. Le nez est très élégant avec une touche de miel très gourmande. L’ensemble est très agréable avec des effluves de légères épices et de boisé. En bouche, c’est dans la trame du nez, très fruité, à nouveau sur les fruits tropicaux et la fraise. C’est très léger et équilibré avec un boisé tout en douceur. Les 56.8% sont parfaitement fondu. Belle longueur plus sur le café qui s’estompe agréablement au fil du temps.
Review by Righrum
Amazing Long Pond, this one is a great pick from V&M, not that common nowadays (except for the just released Hampden sta(r)um). Fruit and balsamic vinagre. Fruits are mainly red dried fruits and will be heavily present drink side too. A bit of wood adds to the profile but the finish is the most amazing thing. Loooooong and consistent with what the nose suggested
Review by Jakob
Delicious combination of fresh, fruity Jamaican aromas with vanilla-oakwood flavors reminiscent of Barbados and a present spicy note. Overall, a very appealing complexity. The VRW Marque demonstrates its diversity here and is convincing across the board. Very drinkable.
Review by RumTaTa
The nose starts intensely with bourbon and vanilla, complemented by (over)ripe tropical fruits. The typical Long Pond umami note is also present in the background. The alcohol is not disturbing on the nose and is well integrated. The palate is again bourbon-like at first, but tropical fruits, vanilla and oak are quickly added. The meaty notes are again in the background, but the oak comes to the fore. The rum finishes with a long aftertaste with a focus on roasted notes and oak. The fruit and a slight bitterness are also present. A wonderfully balanced, medium-bodied Long Pond from start to finish.
Review by Adrian Wahl
Für mich sicherlich einer der besten VRW, aber bei den ganz hohen Wertungen gehe ich nicht mit. Mit 56,8% eher wenig ABV, aber wirklich gelungene Abfüllung. Jetzt ab in den Mai Tai damit. Danke @Mentalo für das Sample
Review by Nivius
Oak, vanilla, raisins and glue - really great re-entry after the DryJanuary. The alcohol is superbly integrated, the finish remains cookie dough.
Review by Buddudharma
Schöne Balance zwischen Fasseinfluss und Frucht, im direkten Vergleich verliert er aber gegen den RdL 2005 VRW hinsichtlich Intensität und Mundgefühl.
Review by Maxence
Classic Long Pond profile. Nose is both funky and round but there is something that bothers me. I'm having a hard time finding what it is exactly. Anyway, palate is better in my opinion. Much more balanced and less herbal. A good rum overall.
Review by John Coffey
Peu d'esters avec un vieillissement assez important en Jamaïque.. Trop boisé et épicé pour ma part.. Même si ça doit plaire à bcp de monde.. Ça reste bon en bouche tout dz même
Review by TheFrenchRefill
L’odeur impressionnante avec un citron vert bien présent, et un coter amer en bouche qui m’a très perturbé ! Mais très bon rhum !
Review by kudzey
Alcohol integration could be better
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Expert reviews
Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by Tasting Bro's
Read full review →Details about Valinch & Mallet Long Pond The Spirit of Art VRW 2005
A Pot Still Rum from Jamaica, bottled by Valinch & Mallet, at 56,8%.
Community purchases
39 bottles logged by 34 collectors.
A drinker & collector.
20% opened, 5 emptied and repurchased.
What does Valinch & Mallet Long Pond The Spirit of Art VRW 2005 cost?
Community paid €116–€220.
Current best price: €395.00 – 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+ →
39 purchased · 63 tasted · 18 wishlist · as of
About the Long Pond distillery
The Long Pond distillery is located in Jamaica. Rums from Long Pond have been reviewed 6,782 times with an average of 8.5/10.
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Romdeluxe Long Pond Wild Series Rum Jamaica No. 26 VRW 2005Tasting noteFruity, coconut-laced Long Pond at full strength
Valinch & Mallet The Spirit of Art Jamaica Blend «Esters' Delight #2» 2008
Valinch & Mallet The Spirit of Art Jamaica Blend «Esters' Delight #2» 2008Tasting noteBalanced, funky Jamaican blend, easy sipper
Valinch & Mallet Caroni The Spirit of Art 2022 1997
Valinch & Mallet Caroni The Spirit of Art 2022 1997Tasting noteBalanced, dirty-but-friendly 1997 Caroni
Long Pond Rum Sponge No. 17 ITP 2004
Long Pond Rum Sponge No. 17 ITP 2004Tasting noteRound, sweet Long Pond with almost no funk
Valinch & Mallet Foursquare Spirit of Art #3 2005
Valinch & Mallet Foursquare Spirit of Art #3 2005Tasting noteWoody, chocolatey aged Foursquare with character
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