Elixir Distillers of London Worthy Park Black Tot Rum Rum Trail 2013

Elixir Distillers of London bottled this 2013 Worthy Park for the Rum Trail series under its Black Tot label, an eleven-year-old aged in ex-bourbon and presented at 48%. Worthy Park is a single-estate St. Catherine distillery, here drawn from pot and column spirit, its clean, precise house style giving a more composed take on Jamaican character.

Distilled from molasses and aged eleven years, it noses on citrus, apple, wood and orchard fruit, then offers fruits, berries, a spicy edge and wood on the palate, the finish turning woody and herbal with banana and ginger. The combination of pot and column spirit keeps the funk in check, leaning toward a fruity, oak-framed profile rather than loud ester. Unsweetened and bottled at a balanced 48%, this is an approachable, fruit-and-oak Worthy Park for drinkers who want a clean, well-aged Jamaican with orchard fruit and gentle spice rather than full solvent intensity, a tidy introduction to the distillery's style.