Worthy Park 12yr Rum is one of the very best rums available.
Worthy Park 12yr Rum is one of the best rums available today. It’s readily available and although on the pricier side, it is money well spent. This is definitely Jamaican Rum but I don’t think you have to be big into Jamaican Rums to appreciate this little beast.
It was distilled in 2006 at the Worthy Park Distillery in Jamaica on the beautiful 18,000 litre Forsyths pot still.
There is a lot to talk about with this Rum, trying to get to grips with something that is utterly unique and complex would take a lot more writing than I intend for this short piece, so if you are interested in getting geeky, then may I recommend that you have a read of the wonderful article written by our friends at the Cocktail Wonk, by clicking here.
For now, let me summarise by saying that Worthy Park Single Estate Reserve won The Whisky Exchange’s, ‘Spirit of the year 2020’ and this is its big brother. It has 12 years of maturation in ex-Bourbon barrels and is bottled at the not too shabby 56%ABV.
It all starts with their homegrown sugar cane that they press on-site, which means they have access to both cane juice and their own molasses. In fact, they use both molasses and sugar cane juice to make different styles of ferment. The fermentation process takes between 30 hours and 3 weeks, depending on how high they want to take the esters. This blend of different styles of fermented mash is what is key to the end result in our glass being quite so unique.
I won’t dwell on the strength of the liquid because it doesn’t come across as aggressive at all- it is warming for sure but calm and reassuring on the palate. I smell toasted oak barrels, coconut, aloe vera and mango- it’s a very tropical nose. On the palate, though it is rich in caramel and full of sweet winter spices. What’s not to like?
The only Rum that comes close to this in my eyes is the likes of independant bottlings, such as Velier, Compagnie Des Indes, Kill Devil, Silver Seal etc.