Wine & Spirits - June 2019 - 15

wort before it was distilled-or they would take it even further, and
add some of the goo from their "muck pit," a tank full of old fermenting fruit, cane juice and molasses.
This is how Hampden Estate dials its rums into the Continental Flavoured category. The distillery is in the Trelawny parish, just west of
Montego Bay, an area that has been known for its high-ester rums for
265 years. Most of the area's rums, in fact, are so powerful that they
have been used mainly for blending in things such as chocolates and

J. WRAY & NEPHEW
WHITE OVERPROOF
RUM
Clear and unaged, J. Wray &
Nephew is the go-to sipping rum
on the island. Be careful with
this bottle, as the alcohol can
be deceiving: It's impressively
integrated, the alcohol
balanced by fruity flavors of
dried mango, superripe papaya
and grapefruit pith, with a hint
of forest floor and mushroom.
It's perfect with grapefruit
soda or in a Hemingway
Daiquiri.

colognes. The Harris family bought the distillery in 2009 and refocused
the estate on bottling rum for drinking. Using dunder and muck from
their bubbly pits, their single-estate aged rums are full of high-intensity flavor. Like Worthy Park's entries, these rums are opening up a
new understanding of Jamaican rum and opening the door for more
Americans to drink like Jamaicans.
Jamaican rum ranges from fresh and fiery to mellow and well aged,
and from clean to deeply funky. Here's a guide to some of the best.

WORTHY PARK
RUM BAR GOLD
POT-STILL
JAMAICA RUM
Jamaica's hot, humid
climate makes it possible
to age spirits quickly. This
rum, aged in ex-Bourbon
barrels for four years, is a
great example of when funk
meets light age-with notes
ranging from milk chocolate
and cinnamon to musky
strawberry-an excellent
mixer in a Tiki drink.

Imported by Campari Group,
NY; $21, 63% abv

Imported by Back Bar Project,
Seattle, WA; $28, 40% abv

HAMPDEN ESTATE
PURE SINGLE JAMAICAN
OVERPROOF RUM

APPLETON ESTATE
12 YEAR RARE BLEND
JAMAICAN RUM

Made from Hampden Estate's
sugarcane and distilled and
aged in house, this dials
the ester count into the
Continental Flavoured range,
among Jamaica's most
intense rums. Its funk
is surprisingly easy
to savor as it mellows
with time in the glass,
blending into notes
of walnuts, flambéed
bananas and coffee cake.
Drink it poured over an
ice cube, or use it in a
variation on a flip, with
Amontillado and egg.

Save Appleton's Signature and
Reserve rums for punches,
and enjoy this one in a
snifter. Blended from a
range of aged rums, the
youngest 12 years old, this
is deep and rich in flavors
of passion fruit and cantaloupe, toffee and
marzipan, with
vegetal notes to
balance.
Imported by the
Campari Group,
NY; $40, 45% abv

SMITH & CROSS
TRADITIONAL
JAMAICA RUM
Distilled at Hampden Estate
and bottled for importer Eric
Seed, this was one of the first
rums to showcase hogo in
the US market. It tastes like
fermenting pear and passion fruit, with notes of
caramelized brown sugar,
banana leaf, cinnamon and
clove. It's a bold choice to
enjoy with a water back or
even with a splash of cola.
Imported by Haus Alpenz,
NY; $33, 57% abv

HAMILTON
JAMAICAN POT STILL
BLACK RUM
Ed Hamilton runs Ministry of
Rum, a company dedicated to
specialty rums from around
the Caribbean. He commissions this one from Worthy
Park, which makes it from
estate-grown sugarcane, fermented for three weeks
and distilled in a pot still.
It's a rich, earthy rum with
mahogany scents, chestnut notes and undertones
of passion fruit, mint and
sweet molasses.
Imported by Caribbean
Spirits, Bradenton, FL;
$32, 46.5% abv

Imported by La Maison &
Velier, NY; $70, 60% abv
WINE & SPIRITS

JUNE 2019

Wine & Spirits - June 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - June 2019