Overview
Brand: Holmes Cay
Origin: Worthy Park, Lluidas Vale, Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica
Still: Pot
Age: 11 years
Finish: ex-Bourbon
ABV: 57.2%
The New York Rum Festival is one of a series of conferences run by The Rum Lab, which describes itself as "an educational platform focused on the rum, rhum & ron industry". I had a great time at their flagship Miami Rum Festival in 2023, which saw a "who's who" of the rum community hanging out among the seminars, tasting events, and late night hangouts.
Later that year, this Holmes Cay single cask was selected by a 14 member jury at New York Rum Fest after a blind tasting. Let's take a look at the details of what they picked.
Holmes Cay Jamaica WPL 2012 is a molasses-based pot still rum originally produced at the acclaimed Worthy Park distillery. It aged for 8 years at origin in Lluidas Vale, Jamaica, before being sent to Main Rum Co. in Europe for an additional 3 years of maturation, giving this an 11 year age statement. It was bottled in New York state at 57.2% ABV.
Appearance
Amber, low viscosity
Nose
Grapefruit, rotting banana, smoked sea salt, grilled pineapple, overripe green grapes, Play-Doh, sesame oil
Palate
Rotting banana, grilled pineapple, overripe green grapes, grapefruit brûlée, vanilla bean, candied dates
Finish
Long, fruity, dark; dates, prunes, brown sugar, stewed grapes, nutmeg, honeycomb
Rating: 8/10
Summary
After tasting this, I can see why my friend and Holmes Cay rep Mike Hooker called this "the most Port Mourant-like Worthy Park rum". It features a slightly herbal and dark bend to the rotting fruit notes one expects, leaning heavily into the rotting grape notes typical of the Guyanese PM marque.
This rum, though, still features a heap of tropical fruits: grapefruit, banana, pineapple, grapes. Smoked sea salt floats in the nose, with Play-Doh and sesame oil helping to fade out the bouquet. Those fruits come alive upon sipping the rum, with the aforementioned grape notes playing a starring role, while candied dates yield a darker, slightly meatier end of the palate. Next comes the long and fruity finish, bringing more dark fruits, brown sugar, and nutmeg.
The New York Rum Fest's jury made a great selection. If you like the WPL– or even the Port Mourant– marque, you will likely enjoy this single cask.