Aroma visualization from community tastings
Fine Drams Clarendon Fine Old Clarendon Rum (Aficionados) EMB 1997
Made for people already deep into old Jamaican funk, this 1997 Clarendon (EMB mark, 23 years, cask strength) throws tropical fruit, glue, rubber and polish at you before the oak and mint arrive. Reviewers call it wild, intense and endlessly evolving. Give it plenty of air or a drop of water — the 68.5% bites at first, then opens into an aroma bomb.
The community says- Explosive tropical fruit
- Classic Jamaican funk
- Long evolving finish
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The look inside the bottle
How does Fine Drams Clarendon Fine Old Clarendon Rum (Aficionados) EMB 1997 taste?
Aggregated from 81 community reviews.
Wild, fruity old Jamaican funk bomb Something close to a consensus favorite among funk fans — fruity, dirty and beautifully evolving. The catch is the heat: several find the 68.5% sharp until it airs out or gets a drop of water.
Fans of high-ester Jamaican funk who sip cask strength
Beginners — it's hot, wild and demanding
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
42 of 81 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
How is Fine Drams Clarendon Fine Old Clarendon Rum (Aficionados) EMB 1997 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 9.1 sits in the “Excellent” band. 100% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 0% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
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Community voices
What does the community say?
1% rate it between 6 and 8. 20 selected write-ups from 81 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by TheJackDrop
glue, varnish (markers recognized and sought-after on this type of provenance, I repeat) - even polish a bit like shoe polish... and melted tropical fruit. In short: Jamaican funk is here, and with your eyes closed, you can't miss it. It comes out of the bottle without asking for your consent 👀 well, yeah, it's 1997... Next come woody, vanilla, a combination almost reminiscent of lip balm, fun! It's thick and fat, heavy on the nose alone. Nb: after 45min of aeration, coffee emerges from the glass, the wood becomes more present, an old, dusty, damp wood, and some red fruits make their appearance. In 👄: the explosion of flavors! We keep the framework of the nose, with exotic fruits, glue, why not even rubber instead. We add spices, a slight spiciness and a hint of wood. The vanilla has turned into a light mocha. It's very thick, and not all that strong for those used to 55-60 proof rum! Finish: obviously very long, more piquant, slightly bitter dark chocolate, a background of red fruits interspersed with fresh mint, rather discreet. After a few refills, the chocolate is more present on the tongue, but the minty aspect lingers on the cheeks, and never leaves us ♥️ Nb: I love this mentholated aspect, which lightens up these heavy rums. It makes you want to go back quickly. In short, this is obviously not a rum for Thursday evenings with friends. It's a slow tasting experience, extreme in the range of aromas presented, and surely unforgettable! The slap in the face was foretold, but here it is. Definitely in my top 5.
Review by RumTaTa
Tasting compared with Colours of Rum Clarendon N°2.This is more fruity in comparison and has more Jamaica funk, again I have the association with Long Pond. Palate: less bitter and more fruity, the high alcohol content is very well integrated. Overall very balanced, a little funkyness and glue is also present and is well rounded by the tannins.In the aftertaste it becomes a little bitter but the fruitiness is not lost. This rum is in direct comparison less bitter, fruitier and does not have as much alcoholic sharpness. The origin from Jamaica is more noticeable. I like excellent and a tad better than the Colours of Rum Clarendon N°2.For me, the best Clarendon from the 90s so far.
Review by cigares
RumX Awards 2023. Sweet and slightly spicy on the nose, with a vegetal, woody and fruity edge (pineapple, kiwi, apple). The palate is spicy with deep notes and a freshness reminiscent of menthol (blue candy). The finish is long and flavorful, balanced with citrus notes that finish this rum off very elegantly. A little parasitic acidity reduces the note a little. Tasted again, this time it seems a little better than the 26 ans.
Review by Mirco
One of the top bottlings of the 2023. For me, it's a touch ahead of the 1995 EMB from Fine Dram (another PLV cracker on release). Unfortunately it was quickly sold out. Here you'll find a typical EMB profile with mint, menthol, tropical fruits like peach... nice wood influence.
Review by Rodolphe
Excellent. The old tropical clarendon which is of a very high level. The nose is top, nice balance between very ripe fruits, almond and a hint of rubber that tends to fade with aeration. On the palate, the 68° stings a bit and tends to make less room for the other aromas. I liked it better with a little bit of water. The profile is pretty much in line with the nose I think. We are here at a very high level, for a hundred euros for 35cl, the kind of bottling to take if you like these old tropical clarendons. Let's salute here the bottler because the format is a great idea and makes the product affordable and more available. Good for them.
Review by Adrian Wahl
Wow. What a bottling. Hot contender for bottling of the year. Tested against the RumSponge Clarendon 1997 and the Fine Drams is a bit wilder. Actually, both are equally good for me, but the price of the Fine Drams gives it an extra point. Absolute board. It's amazing that you can still buy it. Right off into May Tai with it.92/100
Review by Thunderbird
About this Clarendon has already been written abundantly... and most are right. This is already exceptionally good! This woody, spicy note hits me right in my rum heart! Of it very much like more
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
#4166 A very nice and funny Clarendon with fruityness and some glue. Very well balanced and a must try if you have the chance.
Review by Lot-NAS
This Rum is as spicy as it gets and overly complex in all aspects. The nose is stunning, warm, wood, spices and dried fruits. The palate comes a bit rough at first because of its complexity. You get used to it after a few sips but nevertheless I found it to be even better with just a few drops of water. The finish is long and warm with a sweetness that I couldn’t find before turning into honey after some time. Beginning in the nose, changing a bit on the palate and again in the finish, this really is a great complex and balanced Rum. Many thanks for the Sample to J.
Review by Tom Buteneers
Look at me, late to the (tasting) party 😁 So many reviews and they all make a point. One of the best or 2023. Not an easy rum though… And that’s final 😉
Review by Rene Pfeiffer
Really cool. Complex and intense. Only in the nose stings the alcohol first slightly. On the palate, however, a blast.
Review by Alex1981
Even a note better than the 95 release, more intense fruits power that survives some water and opens up some more. Great profile that keeps on evolving and the long finish gives enough time to explore. //update: yes, still great :-)
Review by Buddudharma
Great EMB with great alcohol integration and a complex profile. A little less balanced and complete than the Rum Sponge, but on a par with the Velier. A PLV cracker at the issue price.
Review by Oliver
Great balance of fruitiness and (tropical) wood influence with some rubber and glue associations. Excellent aroma! Intense, complex and pleasantly bitter on the palate. Wow, this is really fun! Excellent Jamaican at a very fair issue price with a great form factor!
Review by Gunnar Böhme "Bauerngaumen" 🤓
Simply an EMB poem. 😍 I'll be honest: Blind it could have been currently for me also one of these great Chairman's Single Casks (St. Lucia) of last year - so I have to deal more with this rum. This will include that I absolutely times against the outstanding EMB of RA (RX7788) tasted. But already I can say: hot contender for my list of the best rums of 2023 (to which the breakthrough bottle size also contributes). 😋😋😋
Review by TheRhumhoe
A Clarendon released in a 35-centiliter format, rather original but very economical. Due to its strength, the olfactory profile is more closed, dark, empyreumatic, spicy and powerful than Clarendon Rum Sponge. However, after long aeration, it expresses its full potential through notes of menthol, incense, fruit (exotic and red) and almonds. The attack on the palate is striking, but more aromatic than expected. Fruit and honey notes are more pronounced than spices and roasted notes. There's a rubbery feel, with glue, varnish and tire notes, as well as a hint of herbs on the finish. Alcohol is present, but rather well integrated for the beast. The finish is long, beautifully fruity, slightly bitter, quite delicate with a hint of menthol and spice, leather, dark chocolate and woody notes crossed with varnish and glue on a rubbery background. It leaves a strangely more gourmand and rounded impression on the finish than Rum Sponge. A high-level bottling, powerful but well-structured, which fully reveals itself after an hour's aeration. There's certainly less quantity in the bottle, but the quality/price ratio is just excellent for such a juice.
Review by mto75
the Sponge in direct comparison with the Fine Drams. Both mega intense and complex, with overripe fruit (overripe mango), rubber, floor wax, vanillle, old barrel...the FD goes a little more in the direction of sweet and sour mango chutney, the Sponge is a little rounder and sweeter (tropical fruit salad). The palate is both super intense as well, with rubber, bicycle inner tube, barrel, overripe tropical fruit, the finish is long with black tea and barrel / tannins. With its lower ABV, the Sponge seems a wwnig more approachable. Bottom line, though, I can't come up with a clear winner. Both top notch!
Review by Frank
With a bit of distance, I'll treat myself to the second old tropical EMB. With the key data, it will certainly not be a disappointment: Nose: complex, powerful and violently intense. The nose must first get used to the initially biting 68.5%. But then a great bouquet of tropical fruits opens up. Sweet and sour passion fruit, gooseberry and kiwi, plus papaya and orange. The sweet impression is underlined by floral violets. Now the woody and spicy flavors come so slowly with vanilla, fragrant cherry wood and fine mint. Intense and beautiful aromatic package. 9,1 Palate: already properly astringent and also bitter at the start, plus the high ABV creates an intense warmth. Anyway, powerful and intense. At first, the mint is very present and foregrounded. In addition, I think there is some coriander and cardamom. Behind that, lemon zest and again tart gooseberry. Everything fits together very well and provides a very interesting flavor curve from bitter-woody to fresh-sour-sweet and fruity, back to bitter with mint. Lime grass out the back. 9.1 Impressive rum, nothing for on the side and certainly not for beginners.
Review by Serge
Tasted against three 95s EMBs ... Colours of Rum (no10), Tara, Rum Club. The 97 shows itself clearly wilder and dirty / rougher ... but very very horny. Absolute recommendation.
Review by Johannes
Super complex! Unlike the EMB95 not so much menthol, more wood. Great!
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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 The Auditor Reviews
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Details about Fine Drams Clarendon Fine Old Clarendon Rum (Aficionados) EMB 1997
A Pot Still Rum from Jamaica, bottled by Fine Drams, at 68,5%.
Community purchases
116 bottles logged by 73 collectors.
A drinker & collector.
19% opened, 11 emptied and repurchased.
What did the community pay for Fine Drams Clarendon Fine Old Clarendon Rum (Aficionados) EMB 1997?
Community paid 100–115 €.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
116 purchased · 83 tasted · 56 wishlist · as of
About the Clarendon distillery
The Clarendon distillery is located in Jamaica. Rums from Clarendon have been reviewed 5,769 times with an average of 8.2/10.
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