Rum-Bar Silver

A year ago, I reviewed Rum-Bar Gold rum from the historic Worthy Park Estate located on the island of Jamaica. To recap: Worthy Park began growing sugarcane in 1720 and producing rum in 1741 making it the oldest operating rum company in the country. After a brief closure, in 2005 the Clark family opened a new state of the art facility that pipes the molasses one kilometer from the sugar factory to the distillery. They ferment the molasses and distill it using a Scottish Forsyth Copper Pot Stills. Rum-Bar Silver is comprised on an unaged blend of three of their marks of rum and blended to 40% ABV.

 Appearance

The rum in the bottle and glass is clear with just a tiny amount of cloudiness to the liquid. The 750 ml bottle is a standard long handled design, but the label is what really pops it on the shelves and makes it easy to see.
Agitating the liquid creates a thick ring that immediately thickens and spins off fast moving waves of legs. The ring thins and drops another slower wave of legs before evaporating and leaving a ring of beads behind.

 Nose

Wow, the aroma of this rum is fruit forward with a strong hit of fresh ripe bananas leading the way. This is followed by aromas of tangerine, green apple, strawberry and apricots rounded out by dark rich Madagascar Vanilla, punctuated by a pungent alcohol/vegetal laden note.

 Palate

Sipping the rum, my first surprise was that the banana note had more of a honeyed flavor. Similar to what honeyed dehydrated banana chips have. The second surprise was the swirl of fruit and vanilla flavors from the aroma are all present and incredibly dense and chewy. The alcohol in the rum envelops the tongue and slowly envelops the entire mouth with a peppery sensation. As the flavors in the profile fades a dynamic mineral rich taste forms in the finish.

 Review

When I review unaged to minimally aged rums I am looking for unique flavor profiles that maintain their identity when mixed with ingredients. Rum-Bar Silver is a versatile workhorse rum that does well in any cocktail I have tried it in, from classic era, to Tiki, and even punches. It impresses with the flavors it delivers. Affordably priced, it hits hard when compared to other un-aged to minimally aged rums in the market place. As distribution continues to expand across the United States I expect to see this rum on more back bars, outshining the competition. In my opinion both Rum-Bar rums are worth tracking down and experimenting with.

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