Kintra Worthy Park 10Y

Jamaica
61.8%
€57.50

Pure Single Rum – 100% Pot Still
ABV Hydrometer Test: 61-62% ABV @ 20°
* P

Today I am tasting Kintra Worthy Park 10y.

I recently reviewed Kintra’s Foursquare 14y rum, where I included info about Kintra themselves, which I will not reproduce here. You can refresh your memory about Kintra by clicking here.

I purchased these two Kintra rums at the same time and am very excited to have some more pure rums to taste. I am assuming that this particular one has come from some of the first rums since Worthy Park resumed distilling in mid-2005, following the distillery’s re-opening in 2005. To the best of my knowledge, Rum Bar is the only ‘brand’ that currently comes from Worthy Park (released in 2007), along with the odd indie bottling such as this.

Under Richard Seale’s/Luca Gargano’s proposed rum categorisation, this would most-likely be classed as a “Pure Single Rum” – 100% Pot Still.

Bottle/Presentation       3/3
The label is straight forward and uncluttered, but shows the kind of things, serious rum drinkers want to know. Thanks to the useful label, I know this rum was distilled in June 2006, from cask number V140 and was bottled on 19-12-2016. I have bottle number 073 of 241, the rum is 61.8% ABV. The rum is a “natural colour”, without any chill filtration nor added sugars. The ONLY thing missing is the type of still used, but otherwise, the labelling is superb. Underneath the distinctive “Kintra” name is a strip of what looks and feels like snakeskin.

The bottle itself is a traditional style, with an artificial cork enclosure, smothered in a wax seal.

Glass/Aroma       7/10
This rum presents itself as a pale to medium amber colour. As with all Kintra bottles, it is completely natural in colour. The legs are quite feint and take a long time to slide down the sides of the glass.

Breath in deeply at first and you could lose your sight from this rum, such is the intensity of the aroma at this high ABV. But give the rum some time in the glass to allow the fumes to die down somewhat and some pleasant aromas develop. Initially these aromas are quite fruity and dominated by plums, reminiscent of an eau-de-vie. Beneath the plums lie dried mango and sweet pineapple. There is also a buttery presence leading to molasses.

Add a little water and more aromas come out to play, notably some citrus, pepper and a pastry-like scent.

Taste, Initial-middle       35/40
The initial entry of this rum belies the high ABV such is the smooth, soft, almost creamy texture that is present. There is a buttery feel to it that translates from the original aroma profile. It actually has a hint of the flavour of cream soda, with a light dose of vanilla. This is especially noticeable when you taste it with a little added water. There is also a soft and light citrus note to it.

Taste, Middle/Throat       32/40
As this reaches the mid-palate some of the smoothness is replaced by a little fire from the high ABV. The creaminess is still noticeable but the flavours have changed and developed more towards the initial aromas. I can taste bright citrus and fiery pepper, possibly even ginger, leading to a hint of pineapple towards the back of the mouth. This pineapple is then joined by some bitter plum as the rum reaches your throat. Further tastings lead me to detect some oak and I find that the more of this I drink the more astringent it feels, with a very dry mouth-feel becoming noticeable. Adding water softens the fire somewhat and allows the rum to be more approachable and it continues to have a buttery feel.

Afterburn       6/7
This rum has a very long and fiery afterburn. Long after swallowing, one can still feel the rum as well as notice those bitter plum and peppery flavours. The dryness continues, too, making you feel quite thirsty.

Morning After Aroma
Molasses and plums are still detectable in the glass.

TOTAL       83/100

Overall
Sometimes pure pot still rums can be a challenge such is their intensity and this falls into that category. At times this can taste quite raw, which I think comes primarily from the high ABV. But with perseverance this rum will reward the drinker. By that I mean, leave it to rest in the glass for some time and the aromas soften somewhat and the flavours open up and develop further. A few drops of water also help, but it is nice to have the high ABV to start with so the consumer can decide on how strong they would like their drink to be. At €57.50 (around £48, April 2017) this is pretty good value, too as you are effectively getting one and a half bottles at regular 40% ABV, so that would make this £32 for a bottle.

Click HERE for Kintra’s web site.

Click HERE for Kintra’s Facebook page.

 

*
P Denotes the rum contains POT still distillate.
C Denotes the rum contains traditional/Coffey COLUMN still distillate.
B Denotes the rum contains a BLEND of POT and COLUMN still distillate.
M Denotes the rum contains MULTI-COLUMN still distillate or is a MODERN rum.
A Denotes the rum is an AGRICOLE i.e. from Cane Juice.
S Denotes the rum is presented in a SWEETENED style.

Marking Guide:
Bottle/Presentation Out of 3
Glass/Aroma Out of 10
Taste, Initial-middle Out of 40
Taste, Middle/Throat Out of 40
Afterburn Out of 7
TOTAL 100