Worthy Park 109 Jamaica Rum. Originally this was due to be released as Worthy Park Gunpowder Proof. Unfortunately, a certain brand of Navy rum with a fondness for litigation expressed it’s legal objections to such a name and Worthy Park opted to call the rum simply 109 instead.

For those not familiar with higher proof rums. 109 denotes the “proof”. Which is double the Alcohol by Volume (ABV) measurement, more popularly used here in the UK. In the US they tend to give both the proof and the ABV, whereas in the UK and Europe we tend to just opt for the ABV. So in case you can’t do the maths Worthy Park 109 Jamaica Rum is 54.5% ABV. Simples.

Technically “Gunpowder Proof” is really around 57% ABV but I’ll leave that to more boring rum commentators to rattle on about………yawn.

Now, with this particular rum Worthy Park are likely to attract quite a diverse number of rum drinkers. Those in the UK in particular will be very familiar with these very dark (coloured) rums. They are ten a penny in the UK supermarket with brands such as Lamb’s, Wood’s and OVD.

With the exception of Wood’s they are usually bottled between 37.5-40% ABV. Wood’s is 57% ABV. Some have very tenuous links to the Royal Navy and are recognised more as Navy style rather than actual Navy rums. That being rum which was available to sailors on board.

So it is likely that this particular rum may well appeal to those who enjoy Navy style rums. It should be noted, however that many of these Navy style rums are sweeter with Demerara rum being a key component (or in some cases the only component). So some people buying this expecting something similar might be surprised at what they find.

The rum will also appeal to those seeking out rum to use in drinks such as Zombie’s as a higher proof float or even just to give the drink a bit of oomph. It’s not quite as high proof as the 151 rums but more sensible bartenders might see it as a good compromise. Something that could be used as an alternative to Pusser’s Gunpowder Proof or even Plantation’s OFTD.

It might also interest those who are found of Myers’s rum or pretty much any Jamaican rum drinker really.

It will be interesting to see how this rum is received and what it ends up being used mostly as. I’m certainly thinking a rum and coke should be pretty epic……..

Anyway, I’ve blathered on about pretty much nothing so far so lets try and get some facts together regarding this rum. It is a blend of aged and unaged marks all from Worthy Park. 100% Copper Pot Distilled. Worthy Park 109 Jamaica Rum is produced using estate grown sugar cane molasses, which is fermented for 3 weeks prior to distillation. As mentioned already it is bottled at 54.5% ABV. It is caramel coloured and Worthy Park have made no secret of that. From a commercial viewpoint – it makes complete sense bear in mind what it is likely to be judged against and compared to.

The current batch of bottles available here in the UK are actually 1 litre bottles. Which was a pleasant surprise to many of us less observant folk who just assumed it was a 70cl bottle. It is currently available at The Whisky Exchange for £37.25.

Although Worthy Park 109 Jamaica Rum comes in a tall bar style bottle with a screw cap it has not been branded in with the Rum Bar range. It is branded solely as Worthy Park. The bottle is heavy and nicely made and the screw cap is good quality as well. I often find cheaper screw caps “threading” which is really annoying. I suppose I shouldn’t by so much cheap rum……….

Anyway, I haven’t got much else to say about the rum. I have contacted Zan Kong of Worthy Park to see if he can give me any more information on the marks used in the blend etc. I’ll publish an update if I hear back from him.

So shall we get on to the fun part?

In the glass as mentioned already we have a very dark spirit. Almost black with a reddish/orange hue running through and around the edges. It is coloured so is reminiscent of Myers’s (who actually add some molasses back to their rum so legend goes).

On the nose I am noticing a smoky caramel aroma. One which I am familiar with from the likes of Wood’s, OVD and Plantation’s OFTD. I’ve never really tasted a heavily coloured rum and had the option of trying the same rum minus the colour.

I must say whilst I accept that the small amount of caramel colouring used in some bottlings probably doesn’t have any effect on the smell and taste. From my previous experience of Worthy Park rums – I would suggest that the amount of colouring used is having an effect on the aroma I am getting.

And I’m fairly sure I’m not smelling something subconsciously because of the colour. Though how would I know???

On the nose Worthy Park 109 Jamaica Rum is quite smoky, with a slightly burnt note to it. Beneath this is a nice hit of banana, rum and raisin ice cream and some red apple. Theres plenty of caramel, toffee and some milky coffee. I’m not getting much of the signature English Breakfast tea.

Sipped at full strength its actually quite smooth and not at all “fiery”. I’m not getting something say like J Wray and Nephew or even Worthy Park’s own Rum Bar White Overproof. That said it still backs a big punch of flavour.

I’m definitely getting some of the unaged rum as I continue to sip this neat. Some light varnish and petrol notes with unmistakable funky flavours of pineapple, red apple and some guava. It has a sweet note to it that reminds me a little of Myers’s but this just has a bit more complexity and just feels more complete.

The mid palate has a nice length to it with some caramel, toffee and English Breakfast tea fading in and out. This is complemented alongside the funkier more astringent  youthful notes. On the finish it fades out rather quickly and has quite a dry finish. Lets be fair – its not meant as a high class sipper. Worthy Park already have a few of those around. You won’t find them for £37 a litre!

It’s the kind of rum you might drink as a chaser with a pint and just have a mouthful from time to time. It’s hair on your chest kind of stuff. A bit like Pusser’s Gunpowder, which I must admit I think hasn’t been quite the same since it went to a Guyana only blend.

Now when I first saw the mock up of “Worthy Park Gunpowder Proof” my first thought was – Rum and Coke. I’ll be honest that’s pretty much my first thought a lot of the time but never mind that……..

This works really well – it has quite a rich flavour to it similar to Rum Bar Gold but it also has an extra layer of a more-ish hit of addictive funky solvent notes which just make it very, very dangerous…………

I was a little slow in buying this (well only by a week or so, whilst I waited for a re-stock). I’ve already seen a few “bottle kill” shots on my Social Media. So I’m clearly not the only finding this to be rather good………

Worthy Park have quite a few rums – Rum Bar Gold, Rum Bar Overproof, Single Estate Reserve. They really are as good as and in many cases, so much better than a lot of the more popular, more established brands. This is another rum that can easily compete alongside the competition and even cut its own path?

Whilst it has a lot in common with a lot of different rums. It really is unique.