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Posted
4 years ago
Not sure where to start on this one. I purchased this purely to use in tiki cocktails as I'd seen it referenced by name in some recipes. I'm afraid this is going to be long winded! Sorry!
As soon as the cork was pulled the pot still aromas literally exploded out of the bottle! Although there is a lot of alcohol in the nose it's not hot or solvent like. A lot of fruit with hints of strawberry, kiwi, perhaps ripe banana and some of the muscatel coming through. Perhaps a hint of sour or tartness as well.
After letting it breathe for a few minutes I dropped a cube in, swirled, let it rest and then revisited the aroma. Very similar but perhaps a bit less intense. Very smooth and pleasing aroma (if you like Jamaican funkiness) with some sweet aromas coming out. I swear that as this opens up I get hints of mint!!
For 50% alcohol I find this very, very smooth. Warming but not hot in my opinion. Quite different than I imagined. The flavor is full and funky but less in your face than I at first thought when getting the first aromas from the snifter. Still a big flavorful fully aromatic pot still rum but somehow well rounded. Some sweetness late leading into the finish most likely from the muscatel barrels but it's definitely not a sweet rum. Hints of dry woody character but less than I expected for an 8 year rum.
This is a really surprising rum. Although funky and mostly dry it's well balanced and has great body and flavor.
Definitely not for everyone. I think if you like funky Jamaican rum then you can't go wrong even if only using as a mixer in tiki cocktails but I like this one on the rocks! If you don't like Jamaicans or think that Appleton is too funky then run for the hills and leave this to those who appreciate the funk and flavor of pot still Jamaican rum.
At $28 (from Binny's in Chicago) this is quite a bargain. A solid must for tiki and funk enthusiasts! I give it a solid 8 for it's unique character and wonderful complexity. As is stated by many other reviewers this is not a rum for everyone so if you only like sweet sugar bomb rums or shy away form other funky Jamaican rums then don't try this one and give it a poor rating. It is what it is!
Posted
6 years ago
Fantastic. Lots of raisin and grape notes of course. Super funky worthy park distillate. Worth a buy. Maybe more than a few times.
Posted
over 6 years ago
I didn't always like Jamaican rums, but as I've come to understand the process I've also come to appreciate the funky taste. I found this on a visit to Detroit. Two James is a local distillery there, who brought in barrels of rum from Jamaica, and bottled it in Detroit (basically using their distillery/bottling license to get around Michigan's outdated alcohol import laws).
I poured it neat, and could smell the rum as soon as I started to pour. It has a strong aroma of over-ripe apricots with a slight tickle of the nose. The first sip has an interesting blend of sweet and tart with just a little burn on the back of the tongue. It leaves behind a fruity aftertaste like dried apricots and raisins.
I added an ice cube, and it brought out even more of the fruitiness.
This is a great sipper, especially if you enjoy the funk. Cheers!
Posted
over 6 years ago
Robustly full of flavor, and yes, funky as all get-go. But all in a good way. A fine, fine mixer to bring out some Jamaican spin. I drink it neat, as well. Not for everyone, but that's the whole point.
Update: The more I drink this stuff, the more I like it. Try it in light cocktails, like a funky daiquiri, to bring out its flavors and let it shine. Again, it's not for everyone.
Posted
over 6 years ago
Flavorful pot stilled rum with plenty o' funk. At 100 proof, its a little too strong for me to drink neat (despite loving the flavor), but it holds it own very well in a cocktail.
Posted
4 months ago
An absolute funk bomb on the nose, huuuuuge aromas of overripe/rotting fruit, especially banana, with some subtle notes of sun-dried raisins and apricots. Pungent in a way that smacks you in the face and demands you take notice. Initial taste is a little bit of ethanol sharpness followed immediately by some woody tannin laced with dried fruits and a dry bitterness like a black tea almost? Quite complex and interesting to pull flavors out of over a couple of sips. The finish is fairly short, but leaves the lingering black tea notes and banana esters sticking around a good bit longer. Weird and wonderful, quite unlike most things I've had before.
Posted
8 months ago
Who would have thought you'd get a nice funky Jamaican rum from a bottler based in Detroit?
It has a bit of Worthy Park funk going on (Rum-Bar, Hamilton Pot Still Black) but its not over the top funky and has a lot of other flavors going on to make it interesting. And the price around $30 makes it a great value. The ratings are all over the place, probably because the WP funk isn't for everyone, but if you like that style this is a must try.
Posted
9 months ago
100-proof high-ester rum from Jamaica for just $25.99. I will probably always have a bottle of this on my shelf, as the price to quality is quite high. I don't know if it will replace Probitas (aka Veritas) as my go-to cocktail rum, but it is in the discussion.
Solid 7/10 rum on its own. Bonus point for the price.
Posted
9 months ago
This rum is truly amazing. Whether you’re mixing or sipping you’ll be very pleased. Lots of perfectly ripe banana, some grass and other vegetal flavors, coconut, and citrus. I love sipping it but also think it shines in tiki cocktails and is a great way to mix it up from your other favorite rums. Like any high ester fruit bomb and funk Jamaican rum, mix sparingly as it can very easily overpower your cocktail. Enjoy!
Posted
10 months ago
Tasted June 14, 2023 from our rum collection at the Forbidden Hole 🌴
Trademark Jamaican funky aroma that carries into the flavor. The end is a bit like a cracker, or perhaps bread-like, but still with the funk. Minutes later I can still taste this rum but what lingers is an essence of black licorice or anise.
This is sippable but also sure to make an impression in a tiki drink; I'm thinking it would do well with grapefruit or a bit of apricot liqueur.
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So I finally got my hands on a bottle of this rum after trying to acquire it for over a year…and man, this is a real doozy and a fascinating rum. This is rum comes from Worthy Park, in St. Catherine, Jamaica. It is a high ester young aged rum finished in Moscatel casks by Corktown Distillery in Detroit Michigan. It comes in a wonderful artistically designed bottle (I absolutely love the bottle). It weighs in at a respectable 50% ABV and that comes through on the palate
Nosing it, right away it is immediately recognizable as a Worthy Park rum. Worthy Park rums, especially the young aged ones are just a massive overload of bananas and fruit. This one is no exception. In fact it’s even more pungent on the nose than most other Worthy Park rums I have had. I might even say it’s funkier on the nose than Rum Bar Overproof, the unaged pot still fresh Overproof produced at Worthy Park. Actually in many respects this is similar to Worthy Park Overproof when that rum is diluted down a bit, which makes sense.
So enough with the pleasantries. The nose here is crazy complex. In fact it’s one of the most complex noses I have ever sensed on any rum. This is a straight up olifactory jigsaw puzzle. Nosing it from the Glencairn I get dark purple grape juice, oodles of Bananas foster, dark chocolate, cherry cola, apple cider vinegar, strawberry shortcake and modelers glue. This is straight up crazy wacky funky, even by Jamaican standards. On the nose this may well be the funkiest rum I have ever had. It is definitely a different kind of funk than Hampden and Smith & Cross but somehow it’s even more expressive. I didn’t even think that was possible. Ha!
On the palate I am a bit let down. As amazing as the nose is, it unfortunately doesn’t translate to the palate. And that’s a real shame here because, man, I would LOVE to have the nose on this rum expressed on the tongue. That’s in no way to say that the palate is bad. It’s not. In fact the palate is certainly decent enough…it’s just a let down when compared to the nose. As far as the palate goes I get Tennessee Whiskey, white grape juice, apple cider, pear juice, butterscotch, sangria, and a touch of muscadine wine. That’s a decent combination which is further smoothed out a bit by the addition of a small amount of water. Straight it is interesting but a bit sharp and disjointed on the tongue. After sipping it a while a harmony begins stabilize and the experience is quite enjoyable. But man I can’t stop thinking of how amazing this rum could be if the nose could be expressed in force on the palate.
We really need to talk about the finish on this rum…or rather the lack thereof. I am shockingly disappointed to find that this rum has virtually no finish or aftertaste at all. Once it goes down it’s just gone. Maybe some of the muscadine and sangria notes flicker faintly for a second but I am really quite stunned to find that this rum has almost no finish/aftertaste at all. That’s especially odd when I remember that Rum Bar Overproof had an exceptionally long finish for an unaged Overproof. This is so odd and quite a bit disappointing.
This rum is really hard to rate with a single number. The nose is mind blowing, just crazy good and complex. The palate is decent but a very different expression compared to the nose and not near as complex or harmonious. And there is no finish at all. This is tying my rum brain in knots. It’s like a firework show with no finale. Don’t get me wrong though, on the whole it’s still a great experience, it just falls short of its own expectations