Overview
Brand: Worthy Park, Special Cask series
Origin: Worthy Park, Lluidas Vale, Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica
Still: Pot
Age: 10 years
Finish: ex-Bourbon & ex-Madeira
ABV: 45%
Worthy Park consistently puts out phenomenal rums, from their newer Overproof to their tried-and-true aged Single Estate Reserve. With their Special Cask Series, the Lluidas Vale producer aims to show how their rum reacts to different types of cask maturation.
Worthy Park Special Cask Series Madeira was produced using pot stills in 2010 using molasses as its base material, and matured for 8 years in ex-Bourbon casks. Then, in 2018, the rum was transferred to casks that previously held madeira, in which it spent an additional 2 years, for a total of 10 years of aging. Those casks were emptied, blended, and eventually bottled at 45% ABV.
Appearance
Amber, low viscosity
Nose
Cooked raspberries, rotten banana, permanent marker, almond bar, caramelized pineapple
Palate
Raspberries, cranberries, red plums, cooked banana, molasses, underripe red grapes, strawberry syrup
Finish
Long, fruity, dry; cooked raspberries, permanent marker, plums, nutmeg, vanilla bean
Rating: 7/10
Summary
With my first foray into cask-finished Worthy Park, this Madeira expression delights me and reaffirms my enjoyment of this type of cask for rum maturation. It provides a slightly sour and/or bitter red fruit character, while retaining the core of the rum itself.
Those red fruits pop up in the form of cooked raspberries, cranberries, plums, and underripe (and slightly sour) grapes. The nose and finish also bring the sting of permanent marker, while almond bar pastries join caramelized pineapple slices on the intricate nose. The final moments after sipping the rum leave onself with nutmeg spice and vanilla bean notes.
For fans of Worthy Park, this is very enjoyable as an exploration into secondary cask aging. I think a lot of the Worthy Park character is covered up by the cask finish on this, so I would suggest a different expression from the producer for those that may be new to the brand.