Long Pond

In 1730, British naval officer Simon Peter Clarke was deported to Jamaica for banditry - an inauspicious backstory for a distillery his family would build on their sugar cane estate in 1753, one that remains among the oldest rum producers in the Caribbean to this day. In the 1940s, Seagram chief Samuel Bronfman acquired Long Pond from the Jamaican government, laying the foundation for the Captain Morgan brand. After nationalisation in 1977, the distillery passed in 1980 to the newly formed National Rums of Jamaica - a consortium that still operates Long Pond alongside Clarendon today. In 2018, a devastating fire destroyed 65,000 litres of rum, but production has continued since: Long Pond remains known for some of Jamaica's most intense, ester-rich pot still rums.

Why is Long Pond called the "phoenix of Jamaica"?

The distillery has had to close and reopen multiple times - most recently in 2012 due to leaking dunder tanks, and again after a devastating fire in 2018 that destroyed 65,000 litres of rum. Despite this, Long Pond continues to produce rum today and has recovered every time.

What does Long Pond have to do with Captain Morgan?

In the 1940s, Seagram chief Samuel Bronfman bought the distillery from the Jamaican government and used its rum as the foundation for the world-famous Captain Morgan brand.

Flavour profile

Taste: Intense and ester-rich with tropical fruit, a strong funky note and pronounced spice - typical of traditional Jamaican pot still distillation.

Recommended enjoyment: Neat for connoisseurs of intense Jamaican rum, or as an aromatic building block for tiki cocktails.

Available is the rare cask bottling Long Pond 22 Year Old CRV Single Cask - Rest & Be Thankful.

Facts and figures

Sugar estate since 1753, first written rum records 1780. Nationalised 1977, part of National Rums of Jamaica since 1980. Closures in 2012 and after the 2018 fire, operational again since.