Worthy Park Single Estate 2006 Aged 12 Years. Today we have an official release from the rising stars of Jamaican rum, Worthy Park. This is their longest aged official release to date. It is taken from the second year of the revived production at the distillery.

The rum is WPL (Worthy Park Light) with an ester count between 60-119 gr/hl AA. So it’s not a huge high ester rum. To be fair that’s not what Worthy Park are about. They can leave that to the others. Their rums are very distinctive.

30 hour fermentation, dry, activated yeast, closed and temperature controlled. The rum was aged in once used ex-bourbon barrels the barrels were filled at an ABV of around 65%. After 12 years ageing at Worthy Park it was bottled at Cask Strength of 56% ABV in 2018. It is non chill filtered and no caramel colouring or additives.

Worthy Park Single Estate 2006 Aged 12 Years is 100% Pot Still rum. There are 4,000 bottles for the US/Caribbean market and 4,000 for Europe. It is the oldest official release of 100% Pot Still rum at Cask Strength from a Jamaican distillery. Rather than an independent bottler.

In the UK you should expect to pay around £110 it is available at The Whisky Exchange.  Presentation wise the bottle is the same contoured bottle used for the Single Estate Reserve and the 1423,dk collaborations. It is modern with good clear branding. The black card box has a lot of information on it – as does the bottle. It is for me a very good example of what enthusiasts are looking for. The big chunky wooden topped cork stopper completes a great look.

We’ve seen some great releases from independent bottlers from Worthy Park over the past few years. Much of the Jamaican rum industry has focused on selling bulk rum. This culture is now beginning to change. Worthy Park are determined to have in place a line up of Vintage rums. For which they will get full credit. Both critically but more importantly financially. They produce such great rum so they really should benefit the most.

I think we have covered everything so we may as well move onto the best bit. I’m going to be really surprised if I don’t enjoy this one.

Worthy Park Single Estate 2006 Aged 12 Years is wonderful dark/golden brown with a bright orange hue. It is inviting and Cask Strength the nose is immediately drawing me in.

The familiar notes of banana and breakfast tea but in a welcome appearance. The rum also has quite a blast of mint and pine cones. It reminds me very much of St Lucia Distillers rums. Which is no bad thing.

Milky chocolate and some baking spices mingle alongside a slightly bourbon like char. Chocolate raisins and banana bread. This is a very rich,warming and highly complex nose. Wonderful.

Sipped, even at Cask Strength it exhibits a nice amount of heat on the palate but it doesn’t get too much. Spicy ginger, cinnamon and vanilla hit the palate before fading slightly to allow an oaky char to move you along into the mid palate.

Which just has so much going on. Bruised banana, toffee, touch of menthol and some pineapple. Big milky cups of tea and dried fruits a touch of Christmas Cake. So much going on and it all builds with each sip.

Finish wise it’s long and slow. It stays long in the mouth and is wonderful amalgamation of all the rich warming flavours that have went before. It’s so comforting and so well balanced throughout.

This rum is pretty much a linear improvement from Rum Bar Gold to the Single Estate Reserve. Which is an achievement because they are both excellent rums as well!

I have joked with Zan Kong in the past about an “official” Worthy Park release finally getting a 5 star rating on the site. They’ve been working and improving and they’ve pretty much nailed it for me with this one. It has an almost perfect balance and a high level of complexity in the flavours. Which is what I look for in a “sipping” rum. There is no chance of me adding any coke to this one.

Exceptional.