Rum Style

On the Wray & Nephew bottle it reads 63% ABV; on American labels, 126 proof. Overproof isn't a legal term but a trade word for very strong rum. British proof defines 100 degrees proof as 57.15% ABV, while in the US, proof is simply double the ABV percentage. A rum at 63% ABV clearly exceeds both benchmarks.

The overproof from Clarendon is a blend of pot still and column distillate, unaged and unsweetened. According to the producer, it's a staple of Jamaican daily life, and the trade press describes it as sharp, fruity and strongly molasses-driven. It's rarely drunk neat, appearing instead in punch, highballs and cooking.

The region's second style is the pot still rum from Lluidas Vale. It comes from a double-retort setup and is made without a dunder pit. At Worthy Park, fruit and clean yeast notes take centre stage, rather than the glue-like character associated with dunder-pit distilleries.

The difference from neighbours in Trelawny lies in fermentation and target market. There, rums with extremely high ester levels are produced, mainly intended for blending. In Clarendon and Lluidas Vale, the focus is on bold but drinkable white rum and on bulk rum destined to end up in other brands.

The term Navy Strength colloquially refers to around 57% ABV and belongs to a different story altogether. Jamaican overproof sits above that. Anyone wanting to know what's really in the bottle should read the percentage, not the colour.