Lime and Sugarcane

Specs

Distillery:
Distiller:
ABV:
Age:
Material: Molasses & Cane Juice
Distillation: Pot
Additives: None
Price: $39.00/750 ml
Appearance: Transparent

Worthy Park Overproof – No White, No Jamaican. Just Overproof.

Worthy Park is a real gem of Jamaican production. In the recent past it was shuttered and produced nothing but in the past decades it has bounced back and become synonymous with quality. It recently moved away from its famous Rum-Bar brand, so named for the many road side rum bars in Jamaica. Now it introducing Worthy Park Selects as its core offering that it exports to the world.

Worthy Park is one of a few rum producers who grow all their own sugarcane for distilling. For many reasons, a lot of other distilleries do not or cannot do this, or rely on a mixture of imported molasses to supplement their own sugarcane and molasses production. The single estate designation is always something to look for on a rum and always something that the producer should be proud of.

The producer wastes no time bringing this fact to our attention on the bottle. A standard liquor bottle with a slightly flared base, it is topped with a black screw cap and has a fancy looking label with the Worthy Park initials, their name, ‘OVERPROOF,’ the indication of Jamaica Rum, and the proud ‘single estate distilled, blended, and bottled.’ The label also has some dates on their seals, as well as letting us know that it is 100% copper pot distilled. A pot distillation is always welcome in my rums because it makes a heavier, higher ester, higher volatile organic compounds count rum.

The back of the bottle continues their story, highlighting their field to glass production, their hundreds of years of history, and celebrating Jamaica. I always enjoy these little blurbs on the back of bottles because they can really serve to help inform you as to what you are getting into when you pour something out of the bottle.

It also helps when the product is quality and the producer isn’t full of crap.

Producer’s Notes

‘On the nose, it presents a crisp, light aroma, unlike a traditional full-strength Overproof rum. Worthy Park’s signature ripe tropical fruit flavours share the spotlight with cane sugar sweetness with a slight tickle of honey which is attributed to our cane juice distillate. Its palate presents a familiar overproof punch, while complemented with sugar, honey, and fruit flavors.’ They’re really emphasizing their light crispness and pushing that ‘we are different than the other guys.’

The Fresca of the rum world, apparently.

Let’s see if I pick up on any of that.

My Experience

Nose: Tropical Fruits, a Light Overripe Banana aroma, Pineapple, and a tiny bit of Mango, as well as some Citric Acid in front of very faint Acetone. Definitely funky, but not musky. Smells Sweet.

Palate: Fruity, like literal Fruit Loops Cereal, Sweet, with a light Burn, Ripe Bananas on the back end, but the front is like a fresh tropical fruit salad of Banana, Pineapple and Mango. Very light on the tongue.

Finish: Medium Finish. There’s a bit of musk on the back end with the Acetone lingering a lot.

Wow, wow, wow. It really is sweet and refreshing. The complete absence of the depth of musk that you might get from other overproof Jamaican rums throws me off a bit but it still has the funk. The banana, the pineapple, those tropical fruits; they are all there at every stage of the experience. Drinking this spirit straight is quite smooth with only a little heat. I could do without the long acetone tail but it doesn’t really detract and in a cocktail, it wouldn’t be apparent at all.

The combination of the molasses and the cane juice makes for a wonderful marriage. The esters and yummy volatile organic compounds are all present in force but that heady musky depth is replaced with a very light sweet fruitiness that makes it borderline artificial feeling without crossing that line. It is definitely unique amongst the overproof rums.

Comparing Against The Producer’s Notes & Flavor Profile

I can’t really say much here except that Worthy Park is pretty spot on. This overproof is not like the others. It definitely stands out. It is not a marketing gimmick. It is light on the nose and tongue. The cane juice is definitely doing some heavy lifting of the flavors.

Did I get honey? No.

Is it noticeably sweeter? Absolutely.

Honey is only appropriate in rum from the Canary Isles.

Conclusion:

Overall Score: Read the Review; this isn’t a spreadsheet.

Worthy Park has something special on their hands here. The mix of molasses and cane juice is not just some marketing gimmick. Taking their sugar cane from their estate and mixing it with the molasses makes for a very light and fruity overproof white Jamaican rum. From experience, it still holds up in a cocktail and delivers those yummy funky flavors.

Worthy Park Overproof is a bottle worth trying and having. It is above reproach in all departments and would elevate anything it is mixed with. The lightness of the cane juice just makes it unique against other rums and makes me wish there were more expressions like this one to try.

It is the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup of rum.