Bedford Park New Yarmouth & Worthy Park Rum

You might be able to guess what the question is that I get asked most when it comes to rum. “What is your favourite rum?”. Problem is, I don’t have a favourite rum. I might consider one the best today and something completely different next week. What I can give a satisfying answer to is when someone asks about my preference for a rum country. Nobody ever asks that question though. Damn! The answer to it is Jamaica. I simply love the wide variety of fruity flavours in Jamaican rum. It takes you on a sensory journey almost every time.

The Jamaican distillery I’m liking most at the moment is New Yarmouth, although I am getting into Long Pond more and more lately. Sigh….choices choices. New Yarmouth is one of the least well known distilleries in Jamaica. For some reason there is a veil of secrecy around it. I don’t know why. I once asked Joy Spence, master blender at Appleton, about New Yarmouth. She politely let me know she couldn’t share anything about it with me. Apparently, no mortal human rum enthusiast has ever been able to set foot inside. I hear Ian Burrell hasn’t even been there and he’s definitely not mortal! The way this distillery is usually identified is by mentioning:“it’s the one where Wray & Nephew is produced”. No surprise then that it’s owned by Campari, who also own Appleton.

When talking about fruity (funky) Jamaican rums, we always have to mention ester levels, since they are a large part of the reason why one is fruitier than the other. Like the other Jamaican distilleries, New Yarmouth uses different marques for different ester levels:

Esters g/hlaa  –  Marque (NYE/)

95 - 150  P (Plummer)

150 - 250 W (Wedderburn)

250 - 350              CR

500 - 700              HM (Hugh Murdoch)

900 - 1000            RH (Robert Henriques)

1300 - 1400          WM (William McConnell)

1500 - 1600          WK  (Winston Kennedy)

There is something for everyone! From the “give me a hint of fruit” girl/guy to the absolute ester junkie! I tend to prefer something in the middle. But, I’ll try them all if I can….and trying I did this one particular night with the fine people from Bedford Park. They wanted my opinion on a few Jamaican rums. Generous as I am, I didn’t say no to this invite. There was one moment I remember very well from that night. I was tasting a New Yarmouth rum, put the glass down and said:”Mic drop!”. Nothing else needed to be said. Well, apart from:”BOTTLE IT NOW!!!”. Bottle it they did.

That particular rum is part of this tasting, together with a second New Yarmouth expression and one from Worthy Park. 

The Cast  

Bedford Park New Yarmouth - 2019 5yr 69% (NYE/HM)

Bedford Park New Yarmouth - 2009 15yr 59.8% (NYE/HM)

Bedford Park Worthy Park - 2015 9yr 60.8% (WPM)

All of them were aged in once used ex-bourbon barrels.

Nosing

Bedford Park New Yarmouth 2019 5yr

Carboard, pineapple, banana, compost, olives, blue cheese, molasses, light oak, vanilla, plastic.

Bedford Park New Yarmouth 2009 15yr

The colour of this one is barely darker than the 2019. Something has to be wrong! (This is sarcasm).

Nose is heavier/thicker than 2019. Oak, candle wax, buttery caramel, overripe banana, pineapple, citrus, cherries, warm oaky acetone, mineral stones, light coconut, pickled onions, and a smell of slightly damp oak.

The more you come back to it, the more you receive.

Bedford Park Worthy Park 2015 9yr

A much “darker” profile, if you know what I mean. Banana, oak, light plastic, glossy magazine, mint, vanilla, light compost, citrus. Oaky banana pot still glory.

The 15yr New Yarmouth is the most complex one of the three, but the Worthy Park might even be a bit more perfect in its simplicity.

Tasting

Bedford Park New Yarmouth 2019 5yr

Pretty hot (young rum), lots of pineapple mixed with plastic, apples that are sweating acetone, light mint, oak, coconut, citrus. Adding some water makes it fruitier with strawberry clearly coming forward. Finish is long and on the dry side. Perhaps a tad too hot and oaky without the water.

Bedford Park New Yarmouth 2009 15yr

Mouth full type of rum. Soggy oak, blue cheese, pineapple, olives, light paint, pretty spicy, hint of rubber, nutmeg, light coconut. Finish is long and uber fruity with quite a bit of oak and very little bitterness. It’s excellent. A hot, fruity, oaky, funky medicin.

Bedford Park Worthy Park 2015 9yr

Orange, banana oak, light raisins, mint, very citrusy, slightly hot (but ok). Rum and raisins ice cream with overripe bananas on top. It’s better with a drop of water. It improves the balance, makes it a little sweeter, less oaky. Really elevates it. Finish lasts for ever, with some bitterness. Quite a bit of that typical oaky pot still sourness present. I’m getting Worthy Park 12 year vibes from this one!

Conclusion

The Mic Drop rum is the 5 year old, the kid of the three. Of course that rum wasn’t bottled immediately and remained in cask for a few more months. From my (bad) memory I feel those months have changed the spirit quite a bit. Almost like the effect a brand new barrel has on its contents. To get it back to where it was at the sampling stage I had to add some water. That brings the oak and hotness down a tad and gives the rest an opportunity to shine. Wow, what a difference! What a rum! I’m scoring it based on nothing added, but that rum at the sampling stage, or this one with water, is an easy 90. As a sipping rum it's not for the faint of heart. If that's not your thing you should still consider it as a mixing ingredient. It works very well in cocktails from a taste and cost perspective! The bottle is relatively low cost and a little bit of New Yarmouth 5yr goes a long way in a cocktail. The aroma and flavour it adds is phenomenal.

I’ve mentioned numerous times how I’m occasionally frustrated about independent bottlers focusing on very old rums. I find there is usually too much cask influence and they are too expensive. Younger rums have more vibrancy and contain more of the original character of the spirit. I’ve had discussions about this with Bedford Park as well and I’m happy they decided to bottle this very young New Yarmouth and mid aged Worthy Park.

The WP expression and the 15 year New Yarmouth I liked almost equally. Both fantastic rums. The NY goes deeper with more complexity. The WP has that strong pot still character and gives me Worthy Park 12 year vibes. It would have scored a little higher if there wasn’t the need to add water to experience its maximum potential. 

A little angel has whispered in my ear there are a few more barrels of New Yarmouth rum ageing in the Bedford Park warehouse. I can’t wait!

Scores

Bedford Park New Yarmouth 2019 5yr – 85

Bedford Park New Yarmouth 2009 15yr – 91

Bedford Park Worthy Park 2015 9yr – 88

Click here for info on the scoring method.

Click here for the complete list of reviews.