World’s End Rum Navy 57. I first came across the World’s End Rum brand back in 2016 at the London Rum Festival. It was the Friday night when new brands exhibit for the trade at what is called the Boutique Rum Festival.

I’d tried quite a few different Spiced Rums by the time I came to their stand. Though, to be fair they were mostly difficult to distinguish such was the amount of vanilla used in each blend. I wasn’t overly impressed.

Now I am not a “Rum Snob” despite what some of the over sensitive clowns out there might like to think. I don’t drink a lot of Spiced Rum but I do like to have a bottle or two in rotation. I thoroughly enjoyed trying World’s End Rum Dark Spiced at the Boutique Rum Festival.  My review of World’s End Rum Dark Spiced is here. For more information on the brand which now has 5 rums in it’s portfolio try their website.

World’s End Rum have now introduced this Navy style Overproof rum. World’s End Rum Navy 57 is a blend of Worthy Park an Hampden rums from Jamaica with a small amount of Angostura rum from Trinidad.

I do not have any information on the ages of the rums used in the blend. I fancy the Jamaican elements will be between 3-5 years old with the Trinidad rum likely to be the youngest at a year or so. This is just guesswork though based on the price and the make up of other blends etc. Colourwise it is difficult to tell. I fancy most of the ageing has taken place in Europe.

Presentation wise World’s End has always had a premium appearance with strong artwork and design. The tall bar style bottle has a sturdy wooden topped synthetic cork stopper. In the UK a bottle of this rum will set you back around £40. You can currently pick up a bottle at Master of Malt.

In the glass we have a very unusual colour for a modern navy rum. Most Navy and Navy Style rums are very dark. Often (if not always) coloured with caramel to give them what many believe is the traditional very dark brown colour. World’s End have resisted any additives in this blend including caramel colouring. This rum has no additives it’s just a blend of the rums – nothing else.

As a result we have a very light golden brown spirit. It looks more like a lightly aged Hampden than what we might expect of a Navy rum.

I’m quite surprised that World’s End opted not to include any Guyanese rum from DDL. Such rums have become almost obligatory in Navy rums. It is worth noting that “Navy” rum as that which was drunk aboard British Royal Navy ships was often whatever rum was available at the time from any of the British colonies. So rum could be from Jamaica, Guyana, Barbados, Trinidad etc. It could also be a blend of a few islands rums – blended often in London.

Anyway back to World’s End Rum Navy 57. The nose is full of nail varnish and pineapple. I think most will immediately recognise the appearance of Hampden rum in the blend. Further nosing reveals some sweetness – banana bread and some milk chocolate which I will take as being the Worthy Park influence. A touch of breakfast tea seals that deal.

The Trinidad element is probably best identified by a buttery sweetness and a slightly lighter profile than a Hampden or Worthy Park rum on its own. There is a certain amount of aggression and “booziness” on the nose – which I also like. It’s not in the Smith & Cross league but it has even bite to it to make you sure this a 57% ABV rum.

All in all a more complex nose than I thought I might get. A bit like Veritas in many ways with the Hampden rum running alongside something a little lighter.

Sipped you get an initial burst of milky sugary tea and very strong slightly bitter pineapple juice. A big hit of sugary young alcohol moves you along into the mid palate.

At this stage it’s the first time I really get any sense of oak or ageing in the rum. The mid palate is quite dry with a slight charred bitter oak alongside ginger and some white pepper. Throughout this a sweet icing sugar gives a sweetness to the rum which adds a nice balance to it.

Finish wise it is quite a decent length. It is dry and has a slightly smoky note. The fizz of ginger and white pepper remain in the mouth for a long time. All in all it’s not at all bad.

Mixed this works well in a variety of drinks and cocktails. It makes a really nice rum and cola. It has a nice balance of Jamaican Hogo from the Hampden rum with a little more sophistication provided by Worthy Park and a lighter note from the Angostura rum.

Which makes it quite accessible kind of like an entry level Hampden. The sweeter notes from the Angostura rum might be off putting to some but I didn’t find them too cloying.

It’s not a “traditional” (or accepted) Navy Rum – it’s not Dark and its not from DDL. However if you want to try a blend similar in some ways to the likes of The Duppy Share or something just a little different you might find this useful. It strikes me as quite a versatile rum which could be put to numerous uses in a cocktail bar environment. Equally it’s not at all bad as a sipper.

Will be interesting to see how this one gets on over the next few years.