Overview

Brand: La Maison & Velier, Flag series

Origin: Worthy Park, Lluidas Vale, Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica

Still: Pot

Age: 9 years

Finish: ex-Bourbon

ABV: 60.4%

Our next stop as we stroll through the 2024 Flag Series releases is Jamaica. With a number of reputable distilleries available to highlight, it seems La Maison & Velier stuck with the producer they most frequently bottle: Worthy Park. Interestingly enough, for the European release, LM&V bottled an EMB marque rum from Clarendon Distillers, Ltd.

Flag Series Jamaica 2015 was produced from a base of molasses, using a copper pot still at the Worthy Park estate in Lluidas Vale, Saint Catherine Parish. The resulting rum was stored in ex-Bourbon cask #WP15H03, which spent 1 year aging in Jamaica before being shipped to Europe for another 8 years of maturation. It was bottled by LM&V in 2024 at a strength of 60.4% ABV, yielding 237 bottles in total.

Appearance

Straw, low viscosity

Nose

Fresh pineapple, ripe banana peel, dried mango, golden raisin, green coconut, hint of permanent marker

Palate

Overripe banana, grilled pineapple, dried mango, coconut flakes, golden raisins

Finish

Long, mellow, fruity; golden raisins, dried mango, banana chips, grilled pineapple, zested orange

Rating: 8/10

Summary

Flag Series Jamaica is another standout single barrel release from LM&V. It's equal parts fresh and funky, with enough depth and character to keep you coming back for more. It's an iconic bottling that is a worthy (pun intended) representation of both the producer and their native island.

Fresh pineapple, ripe banana peel, and dried mango kick off the nose, with a sweet-savory golden raisin lingering after the brute force of the tropical fruits; a stinging hint of permanent marker and green coconut round out the back end. Sipping, I get more of the same fruits, and some dried coconut flakes this time; I'll say the palate is not super complex, but it is executed flawlessly. The long, fruity finish is slightly mellow, with golden raisins, dried mango, and banana chips joined by grilled pineapple and orange zest.

Like the Fiji before it, this Jamaican edition of the Flag Series perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the project: honestly representing the elements of what makes Jamaican rum so enjoyable and unique.

Further Reading