Worthy Park WPH 2021

Worthy Park is the clean, precise pot-still estate of St. Catherine, drawing its esters from fermentation alone, which caps its funk below Hampden's. WPH is one of its heavier marks, and this unaged white from 1423's transparent Single Barrel programme pushes that side hard at 57%.

With no cask ageing, this is raw Worthy Park distillate: overripe, grassy and funky on the nose, then a palate of overripe fruit, banana, pineapple and a metallic, olive-brine edge. Certified unsweetened, it is loud and a little wild neat, more rounded than a Hampden overproof but unmistakably high ester. The molasses, banana and earthy finish underlines its purpose, which is mixing. In a Daiquiri or other rum-forward cocktail it sings, lending funk and fruit that survive dilution, and it is best approached as a characterful mixer rather than a contemplative sipper.