Worthy Park Cask Selection Series #3 - Sherry - 57% abv.

Worthy Park Cask Selection Series #3 - Sherry - 57% abv.

I’m sure many people have seen these flashing across their screens recently, so I thought I would sit down with the first of the new series of casks selections from Jamaica’s wonderful Worthy Park. Traditionally, Worthy Park (and pretty much all Jamaican rums for that matter) are aged solely in American ex-bourbon barrels, as was also the case for Worthy Park’s Signature release that was bottled at 45%. However, recently Worthy Park has started playing around with some new cask finishes! They have previously released 2012 vintages of Marsala (#1) and Oloroso (#2) that were both bottled at cask strength, and were both tasty devils! Now they have continued this series with three new additions; Sherry (#3), Madeira (#4) and Port (#5) casks…and an unreleased and unnumbered Virgin Oak cask…As with the first releases, all of these additions are bottled at cask strength and have spent time in both American ex-bourbon oak in addition to their finishing touches.

Now on to the #3 Sherry Cask Finish, of which there were 1148 bottles produced at 57%.

On the nose I'm hit with green fruits! Green apples, unripe pears, sour green grapes. Take this greenery and mix it together with the classroom white liquid glue we all knew and loved. Not plastic. Not oil. But specifically that white glue. The interesting thing here though, is that these are the first smells that jump out of the glass as you bring it towards your nose…Once you really get in there, I mean deep down in there, the whole profile changes! It goes from unripe and green to over-ripe, dried and pruney. Not sure how many people have had prune soufflé, but it smells like this. I very much dislike prune soufflé, yet somehow I am VERY much enjoying this. Raisins, almonds and a good punch of wood. The Sherry really shines through here. Oxidised nutty notes mixed with a medley of liquorice, cinnamon and pepper. The Jamaican funk is there if you look for it, but it does not take over the show here at all.

About to take a sip, I breathe in through my mouth and I can already taste the almonds. Creamy yet bitter. Dark cherries, chocolate, vanilla and a fair amount of spice. Cloves, cinnamon, and butter melted over green apples and pears. In addition to the quite powerful heat from the 57% there is quite a lot of acidity here. Orange peel that has been dipped in grenadine. As I breathe out between sips, I get a good dose of wood coming through, with an ever so slight smokiness that goes along with it.

The finish is quite long, starting fruity, leading in to astringent and dry woodiness and finishing off somehow with peaches and apricots.

Overall, another tasty addition to the Worthy Park family. This specific release came across a little less funky and more dry than I would have liked. A little more oiliness and slightly less acidity would have balanced out the high abv…However, these are minor points on an overall delicious high proof Jamaican bomb.

Lovely.

Thanks to Zan Kong from Worthy Park and Joshua Singh from 1423 for sending me these samples.

Reviews of #’s 4 & 5 will certainly follow shortly.

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