Worthy Park Unveils Its Oldest Rum, a 20 Year Old
Worthy Park's new 20 Year Old comes from some of the very first rum the estate distilled in 2005, when production restarted after a four-decade break. The Jamaican producer is releasing it as its oldest expression yet, to mark its 20th anniversary. It debuts at Ian Burrell's UK RumFest this month, with only around 2,500 bottles to go around.
Did You Know?
Worthy Park's rum distillation restarted in 2005 after a break of about 40 years, and this bottle includes liquid from that first year.
The release came a year "late" on purpose. The team waited because of how the casks were maturing, so the blend uses rum from both 2005 and 2006.
Worthy Park has stuck to pot still rum only, which the article calls practically unheard of in Jamaica in 2005 and still rare today.
The Release
Extra-old releases have become common in whisky, but rum aged at its source for 20 years is much harder to find. Worthy Park's 20 Year Old is a rare example, built from casks the distillery filled in its first two years of modern production.
Commercial manager Alexander Kong says the timing came down to the casks, which is why the anniversary bottling landed a year after the 2005 starting point. Senior blender and quality-control manager Craig Nicholson says barrel selection was the key decision. The goal was to show the value of tropical ageing while keeping the character that has defined Worthy Park from the start. Tropical ageing means maturing the rum in Jamaica's heat and humidity rather than in a cool climate, a method that is usually said to change a rum quickly and intensely.
The rum is bottled at 55% ABV. That is high, though the article notes it is not quite cask strength, meaning it is not exactly the strength it came out of the barrel. Kong explains the thinking: "It's high ABV, but high on flavour." He adds that Worthy Park rums show their complexity and depth best at higher proof.
The launch happens at UK RumFest on 17 and 18 October, which is celebrating its own 20th birthday. Kong credits founder Ian Burrell as a big supporter of Worthy Park and of Jamaican rum as a whole. Europe and the US will follow the UK, and Jamaica will also get an allocation.
The Story of Worthy Park
Worthy Park is a Jamaican rum producer that makes its rum on one estate. According to Kong, it is 100% Jamaican-owned and operated, and its rum is made from sugarcane grown on the estate, 1,200 feet above sea level.
Worthy Park's defining trait is that it releases only pot still rum. A pot still is a traditional copper still that distills in batches, and it is often linked with fuller, more characterful spirits than column distillation. Choosing that path when distillation restarted in 2005 set the estate apart in Jamaica, and it still does.
The 20 Year Old ties that history together. It draws on the first years of the modern distillery, which makes it something of a time capsule. Kong calls it "a really great encapsulation of Worthy Park."
Why It Stands Out
Age statements this high are scarce in rum, especially for rum that matured at its place of origin. This release also carries a clear origin story, with liquid from the distillery's restart year. Kong says other older casks have been set aside for future releases, so this may be the first chapter of a longer older-stock program rather than a one-off.
The Details
Style: Jamaican pot still rum
Age: 20 years
ABV/Proof: 55% ABV (110 proof)
Distillation Years: 2005 and 2006
Release Size: Around 2,500 bottles
Availability: UK first, followed by Europe and the US, with an allocation for Jamaica
Release Date: Debuts at UK RumFest, 17 to 18 October 2026
Tonights Poison Take
This is the kind of bottle rum fans have been waiting for: an older Jamaican pot still rum with a clear story and a real anniversary behind it. Only about 2,500 bottles split across several markets means it will not last long, and pricing has not been shared yet. Keep an eye on the US timing, which has not been announced.
Bar Talk: Worthy Park's 20 Year Old uses rum from the year Jamaica's distillery started up again after 40 years, and they only make pot still rum.
Send this to the rum fan who keeps asking when Jamaica will get its own 20 year old.
Please enjoy responsibly.
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