A blend of pot still rums distilled from fermented molasses from the Worthy Park Estate sugar mill, sugar and Jamaican Pimento, also known as allspice. Fresh Jamaican pimento is ground and blended into a tank of light Jamaican rum from Worthy Park. After seven days, the mixture is filtered, then sugar and water are slowly added until the ABV has been lowered to 30% ABV. There is no color added to this product.
Ed Hamilton is a modern pioneer of rum, a man who single handedly discovered and brought countless Caribbean rums to the US market. The molasses used at Demerara Distillers Ltd comes from Guyana and contained 65% dissolved sugar, one of the highest sugar contents of any molasses found in the Caribbean. The high sugar content is attributed to the age of the Guyanese sugar mill. Demerara Distillers Ltd. utilizes a variety of column and pot stills the company acquired through acquisitions over the past 300 years. Among the unique stills are a wooden pot and a wooden column still that distill the heavier rums while copper and stainless column stills are used to make lighter rums.
The pot still rums of this lush, tropical island nation located just south of Martinique, are widely regarded as some of the best examples of their kind in the world. The slow fermented molasses came off the Vendome Pot Still at 82% ABV and aged for five years in used bourbon barrels before being shipped to New York. The flavors are explosive and the intensity is pleasantly persistent even as the notes evolve over time. Notes include Anjou pears, cinnamon stick, papaya, honey and spicy oak.
Hamilton Navy Strength Rum is a careful blend of Jamaican and Guyanese rums. It is called Navy Strength because it is bottled at 57% alcohol by volume, the traditional strength required by the British Royal Navy. At this proof, if the spirits spilled while in storage, it would not prevent the stored gunpowder from igniting when eventually used. West Indian rum is known for its deep, full flavors and pleasant aromas. On the palate, rich notes of exotic spice, banana, tobacco and smoky oak blend with flavors of dried fruit and honey.
In the glass, this rum is a dark copper, partially the result of added spirit caramel. The nose is molasses, with more subtle traces of leather and tobacco. The initial entry surprises with a sweet fruit, but which quickly transforms into the molasses and tobacco tones picked up from the nose, along with some mild spice. The finish is dry and earthy, with the tobacco fading out last with a slight amount of burn. This is a robust spirit that has no designs on being a fancy sherry-casked sipping rum. Not an ideal gateway rum for someone new to the category, it’s worthwhile to pull out when demonstrating the diversity of styles. Also ideal for cocktails which call for a non-overproof demerara-style rum, where it competes in the same space as the El Dorado 5 and El Dorado 8.
A blend of light, very light and heavy pot still rums from the legendary Worthy Park Estate, this Jamaican spirit is Aged up to 5 years. Colored with gold-tint sugar-based caramel, this pot still spirit embodies the heavy aroma and flavor of Jamaican rum.