Tastes

Reading from the back of the label, this was the third distillation from Worthy Park distillery since it re-opened after working nearly uninterrupted since 1670 (the rum for this bottle was distilled in 2007 and bottled 10 years later). Habitation Velier is known to work with distilleries to bottle special pot still rums under their label at cask strength (often leaving the barrels at the distillery to age before bottling). I have not had a ton of these, but they tend to have a pretty loyal following. The Last Ward 2009 was the last one that I had, and it was very good. The nose for this one is very fruity, with some sweetness and lemon peel coming through. Ideally, I would let this sit for a good 15 to 20 minutes before taking your first sip. On the palate the strength is apparent immediately (for some it may be best to add a little bit of water to dial down the ABV), but after getting accustomed to it, you will get cinnamon and ginger. The fruity notes from the nose also appear, but I can't pinpoint which fruit exactly, maybe pineapple. It's a very rich experience and not at all sweet. The finish seems to go on forever and brings in some chocolate notes, with a nice burn. It's hard to decide if this is better than the Last Ward 2009, but it's at least it's equal. I expected that there would be some funkiness to this since it is from Worthy Park (even though the label does state WPL or Worthy Park Light for lower ester rum, I still anticipated some funk to the rum), but this dials that back nearly completely and is more in line with what I would expect from a well-aged Appleton rum. That is not a knock on this at all, just not what I expected and either way this is very good. At some point I will get around to reviewing the many Foursquare bottles that I have, but I would think this would still hold up quite well to those. I'm sure it's hard to find this bottle, but if you do, I strongly recommend buying it.

Last Ward 2009 is an aged rum from Frank Ward, that was triple distilled at the Mount Gay distillery for the since acquired brand Mount Gilboa. Habitation Velier rums are pretty hard to come by where I live, so when I get the chance, I always try to snatch up a bottle. Rum was the first spirit category that I got into, mainly because you could get quality rum for a pretty cheap price. This is one such bottle where I would venture to say if this were a scotch or bourbon it would go for three times the price. Mount Gay rums are typically aged and blended, so a pot still rum is a rarity. I usually drink spirits neat, but this is one of those high ABV rums where you may want to add water if you are not used to the high proof. If you do drink it neat without water, I would recommend letting it sit for at least 15 minutes, ideally 30 minutes. On the nose the caramel and vanilla hit you along with bread like notes. I didn't notice a hint of heat which was surprising at this ABV. The palate, while hot if you didn't give it time to rest, jumps from cherries and dried fruit to leather and oak. I even get some faint smoke. The finish is incredibly long, with some spice and sweetness. Overall, this is an outstanding rum. It goes to show you don't need to age a rum 20 plus years for it to be great. If you are able to wait at least 15 minutes, you will be in for a treat. The high proof may scare off a few people that just enjoy a nice sweet dram of rum, but if you are up for the challenge and have the patience this rum will reward you. If you can find it, buy it.