Worthy Park’s Rum-Bar Silver
Low shock introduction to Jamaican, unaged rum
Sipping tips: When you pick this up, I implore you to chew your food before swallowing. Most spirits taste harsh if you down it immediately (taking shots or drinking it like its juice): you’re blasting your palette and taste buds with high-proof alcohol. Take a small swig, let the liquid sit in your mouth, and hug every crevice for 4–5 seconds (open the taste buds). Down it. You’ll pick up all the flavors and truly know what the beverage tastes like. Once you do that 1–2 times, your palette is ready. Drink away neatly.
And to my NY’ers, I am sorry for all the wild language.
An average Jamaican’s response to the Sipping tips — “high proof, which part?!” I’ll return to that later. “Overproof” is a fixture of national pride/identity. And in that way, Rum-Bar Silver is a sort of proverbial Black sheep.
Part A — Nothing but the feels.
It smells so good. You can’t stop nose-ing it, both the bottle opening and the liquid in my glass. Akin to smelling your lover repeatedly, in that obsessive way. Pheromones, pheromones, pheromones!
I just smelled it again, my goodness. You know where this places you — squarely into rum cake land. You smell and immediately think about that black cake goddess, not the light brown/other color variety. What is that stuff?! Canal Street rum cake. GET IT OUTTA HERE!
This is a perfect introduction for your lover (or friend, settle down) who is of the ‘it burns’ persuasion anytime they drink something with a bit of ABV. You know what I’m talking about: try this –> oh no, that’s too strong. It’s your time to shine when you put them onto this. Pour some up for bae/your friend (reminder, see Sipping tips). If you must, serve it chilled. Too many of these and there won’t be a whole lot of chillin’ happening, unless you’re sipping with your friend (of course) #rumresponsibly.
When I ask for a glass of white wine, I am talking about this! Easy sips. I’m starting here because Rum-Bar Silver is approachable compared to its “Overproof” cousin, which has 23% more ABV, that good ol-Yardie “standard” proof of 63%. We’re not there yet, can’t shock you into oblivion. Still need to get you used to this lovely spirit.
The fruit-y, molasses-y, banana-y, floral-y, whatever else is going on-y…is ripe for making cocktails, if you must. This is still alcohol. Those tastes come with a bite. I had it with bitters, ginger beer, and two muddled Demerara sugar cubes…amazing. At 40% ABV, it can be justified as more for cocktails (to my dismay).
On the point of cocktails in Jamaica — it’s not really a thing, bluntly speaking. Typically, they won’t be as good as cocktails in “major cities” worldwide, and that’s pretty standard, from what I understand, across other Caribbean islands. Cuba may be a strong exception because of heavy American tourism (and thirst for good spirits/cocktails) to the island during Prohibition. I know that last line read pretty awkwardly to the modern-day American who is only familiar with the embargoed Cuba. My fellow Americans (oh man, remember Limewire), it’s not always as it seems. Walk back in time a little bit. The same is true because of the general presence of American soldiers in Cuba after their Revolution / . See the history of the Cuba Libre cocktail, which some now refer to as rum and coke, for example. Cuba Libre = Free Cuba. Mojitos? Oh yes, it’s a very Cuban drink, loved by Americans. See, the beverages run deeper than you think!
Wait, back to Jamaica and cocktails. Why is it not really a thing? People prefer to answer this with responses that are more culturally forward in appearance because it shuts down follow-up questions. When this conversation comes up, and someone says — that’s just how it is, we’re more of a rum and ting, or rum and water type of people, you nod ok-ok. I believe the answer is a bit more straightforward, just not very pretty — bro, people can’t afford it. Per the World Bank, the GDP per Capita in Jamaica is USD 6,874.20 as of 2023; the numbers are only slightly better if we use the .
The average Jamaican does not spend much of their income on even the most extravagant cocktails because it’s unwise. And if your local population doesn’t pour into something, then you don’t (can’t) practice being good at it, and there goes a self-fulfilling prophecy. And to all that, a Jamaican would say — wi jus nah drink cocktail, bredda, y fi dem drink deh…further distracting you from the truth. All love. My two halves — NY(C) and Jamaica — you truly are the arbiters and swat team of language policing. The head honchos of ‘clean that up.’ Between the two, my brain has a running list of words and phrases that shall never go without policing.
For many Jamaicans, a ginger beer or a ting with the rum will suffice if it’s not enjoyed neat or on the rocks. Even long-aged rums, for many, outside of the crown jewel, [no longer Jamaican-owned], are out of mind, out of sight for most ($$$). Back to Rum-Bar Silver, this rum becomes justifiable locally, even though it may confuse the typical Jamaican palette because, remember, “Overproof.”
We’ll discuss why this is distinguishably a Jamaican rum in Part B. What I’ll end Part A with is — Jamaica is not a starter island. To be clear, this is not a shot at other islands. I’m specifically referring to the range of experiences you may have in Jamaica — good and bad — and what that may look like relative to other destinations. In that respect, Rum-Bar Silver is akin to coming to Jamaica and staying at the resort. You’ll get the taste of Jamaica, but you haven’t really gone into the deep end. Nor would I necessarily recommend doing so (drinking “Overproof”) without first getting used to the place (unaged rum with a lower ABV like Silver). All in all, good job on this one, Worthy Park.
Part A to Part B transition note: I split the rum review articles between why you may enjoy the spirit (what would inspire someone to try), A, and how it all came together, B, because I believe that A (for most) is the priority. But I know that many still want to understand B. I encourage you to continue
=)
PART B — Historical, technical.
← Historical →
Note: I finished reading “A Jamaica Plantation: The History of Worthy Park (1670–1970),” so there will be a more fulsome coverage of their story when I double-dip and post a book review on the text.
Yes, I know what you’re thinking. Jamaican rum history goes back almost 400 years?!
History (condensed):
— > Founded In 1670
— > Commercial production of sugar began in 1720 ()
— > First record of rum production at Worthy Park in 1741 () #alittleshade
My take on that 50 to 70-year gap (opining based on what I’ve read on the history of Caribbean rum): Most sugar plantations during the age of European colonialism produced sugar and had very little desire (incentive) to utilize the juice/molasses for other purposes. Technological constraints are one reason. Market and timing are the other, but likely the more important drivers. Product development (rum) followed when a desire/commercial opportunity emerged.
- As the European (continental) market for sugar experienced gluts, all that leftover sugarcane in the colonies had to be used.
- As continental consumption patterns adjusted (i.e., different spirits/beverages fluctuating in popularity/availability, gin being a good example), rum stepped in to fill the gaps.
- As the European powers needed to pay for war debts, expeditions, etc., producing and selling rum, even importing and reexporting that same rum, became a way to fund those debts.
You get the drift; the examples are plenty. My point here is that the market often dictates how and why products develop, notwithstanding the local consumption patterns/traditions of the people in the colonies. Europeans had their beliefs/habits with alcohol that developed in the Caribbean, the same for Africans and the same for certain groups of Native people. Rum and its predecessor spirits were produced in the late seventeenth century. Boom!
— > In almost four centuries, Worthy Park has traded hands — and remained a private company — between 4 families
— > Current owners, the Clarke family, took over in 1918
— > Current CEO and fourth-generation Clarke to run the company — Gordon
— > Rum production ceased in 1962 (), but then the Clarke family built a new, state-of-the-art distillery in 2005 to resume Worthy Park’s rum production
NOTE TO READER: JAMAICA INDEPENDENCE DAY IS AUGUST 6, 1962. DO WITH THAT INFORMATION WHAT YOU WISH.
← Technical →
Disclaimer: A lot of this will make way more sense if you read Part C of my What is Rum article series.
Location, location, location:
—> St. Catherine, Jamaica
I’ve been to the distillery twice (worth it!): 1) tour and 2) brought friends for them to do a tour. The location, Lluidas Vale, is important for several reasons: 1,200 feet above sea level, so the climate is cooler, has more consistent rainfall, fertile soil, slightly more lush (not anything like Portland-level), natural spring (limestone aquifer) water that has a distinct mineral profile I am highly unqualified to speak about any further, etc. This, analogous to coffee growing in the Blue Mountain region, provides a fertile environment for sugarcane growth.
More –
Products x Rum-Bar Silver:
But first, a necessary distinction. Rum-Bar is a brand under the Worthy Park portfolio, not just the name of the specific rum(s). Worthy Park still produces sugar. Their aged products also fall under the Worthy Park name/portfolio. Hence –
—> Rum-Bar brand started in 2007 (Rum-Bar Silver is part of this rollout, alongside Overproof, Gold, and Rum Cream).
The Rum-Bar brand pays tribute to the traditional rum bars that are spread across the communities on the island of Jamaica…These tiny watering holes…keep it simple, serving up white overproof rum with simple mixers, like fresh juice and soda. —
Interrupting again: Tiny watering holes, keeping it simple. Review Part A on Jamaicans and cocktails. These rum bars have a layered history — across the Caribbean — which, today, is told in a very culture-forward manner.
- Example A — Post-slavery emancipation in 1834 (British Caribbean colonies), a sharecropping system, like what developed in the Postbellum American South, was adopted to fill the labor-production void that became inevitable. This system was characterized by formerly enslaved people often working on the same plantations and promised land/autonomy once they fulfilled their crop quotas/work requirements. In most cases, the plantation owners would assert that the quotas were never entirely filled, keeping most people in the same bondage, just by a different name. What does that have to do with rum shops? Reportedly, many plantations had stores and/or rum shops strategically nearby. This proximity had the insidious effect of workers spending all of their wages getting drunk. I have no concrete evidence for this, but I suspect terms like “rumhead” have the negative association of one spending all their time and money at the rum shop, harkening back to this era of the shop being used as a tool of control.
- Example B (post-emancipation) — When the rum shop trade became a fixture of colonial life, newly arrived contract workers/indentured servants in the Caribbean — primarily Chinese and Indian — were sometimes strategically given licensing preferences to run the shops as a way to establish a buffer class between Africans/Creoles and whites; This was most evident with the Portuguese arrivals (from Madeira) in certain islands.
Rum bars today represent what Worthy Park is paying homage to, but I had to peel some of those layers back.
On the 2007 release, this is how you enter the local market in Jamaica, most commonly at least. Produce rums Jamaicans like, understand, and will drink, while the stuff you’re aging, which you still pay taxes on (!), sits for later sale. Another part of Worthy Park’s business is bulk shipping/exporting rum to companies that either use it in their mixtures for their end products (i.e., big rum companies that import and blend rums from different countries), or to (in)dependent bottlers who either further age the rum where they are, or bottle the aged product as-is for their own (likely wealthier) local market.
— > Released the Single Estate Reserve (their own aged product) in 2017
From Sugarcane to Rum-Bar Silver:
Remember when I said that Rum-Bar Silver tastes distinguishably Jamaican? Let’s jump into why (caveat: soil, water, location is already a lot of the explanation). For my vegans, this is it! A truly farm-to-table or cane-to-glass product. Single estate, distilled, blended, & bottled (Single Malt drinkers, your eye is twitching for a reason — yes). Translation: the entire process — sugar cane growing to rum production/bottling — is done in one place; Sustainability geeks are losing their minds right now.
Worthy Park has so much aligned to be a great rum company. We have the cane fields, the sugar factory, and the distillery, all at the same location. “Cane field to glass” as they say. We also have 349 years of well-documented history and heritage that cannot be reproduced or fabricated. Finally, we have the origin, being JAMAICA, world famous for many things, including rum. I feel grateful to have this foundation behind me to distill and blend truly great Jamaican Rum. —
The Jamaican taste for Rum-Bar Silver is primarily because of the fermentation-forward nature of Jamaican rum production, proprietary/wild yeast and its organic compounds when it interacts with the cane sugars (though other yeast strains are used), and the 100% molasses and pot distillation profile. This is the truly fascinating thing about rum from different places: it is near impossible to replicate taste based on the variation in terroir (land, soil, wild yeast in the environment (or lack thereof), water source, cane variety, and how the cane interacts with the soil, climate, etc.). On the fermentation-forward piece, Rum-Bar Silver is a blend of three different marques (a marque is a specific type of rum distillate that is distinct in taste/profile and is specific to that distillery). They take those three marques (or mar-kewz, as the American side of my brain keeps telling me) and let them stew/ferment from “30 hours up to 3 weeks.”
The marques used are .
Industry jargon to describe ‘that Jamaican rum taste’ is funky. It’s meant to be a term of endearment signifying the bold, roasted fruit-y, unmistakable taste. I don’t generally use the term because it sidesteps most rum drinkers in Jamaica, who likely have no idea that this is how people refer to their juice. However, I understand why differentiated terminology is needed to classify the liquids. Call a yard mon’s alcohol funky…might get a little testy for you. You know? It’s just an understanding on the island. The same way you won’t find a whole lot of men in Jamaica named John. Moving on.
You knew it was coming. There’s always historical context behind why these distinctive “things” develop and become national identities!
During the nineteenth century, other changes took place in rum making. Processed strains of yeast were introduced to help ensure proper and complete fermentation. Once again, Jamaica distillers remained conservative. Wray argued vehemently against using processed strains of yeast, which he believed completely altered the character and taste of Jamaican rum. —
In 1876, an international exhibition in Philadelphia celebrated the high quality of Jamaican rum. Because of its distinctive taste, Jamaican rum was widely sought after in Germany where it was used to adulterate spirits made from German beet sugar. —
“I entertain a very good opinion of the [modified common stills], and consider them well adapted to the requirements of a sugar estate. But of all the different arrangements. I have never known any to surpass the common [pot] still and double retorts…I consider that it stands unrivaled.” — Leonard Wray ()
Anyone familiar with the most popular unaged Jamaican rum is reading this thinking…is that Wray-Wray? Hey-hey. Going to leave that as a cliffhanger…
For lawyers or people who like to read legalese, here are Jamaica Intellectual Property Office’s latest guidelines (rules) outlining what can be legally classified as Jamaican Rum — . Contentious stuff at the moment. If interested, Matt Pietrek () has a condensing the information.
Till Next Time.
I hope you enjoyed this review. I’m sure you’ll enjoy Rum-Bar Silver even more. Beyond the beverage, my goal is for you to walk away feeling an ounce more knowledgeable than you did however many minutes ago. If so, then mission accomplished. Cheers.
#rumresponsibly
