Today we’re looking at one of the most iconic rum styles, the overproof white rum from Jamaica. This style has emerged in the past couple decades in cocktail circles as a seminal rum for mixing, wildly different to how it is consumed by Jamaicans who typically use it as a mixer with water or Ting grapefruit soda. These unaged rums are issued at 63% ABV, and thanks to long fermentation they feature bold flavors and a fragrance that’ll fill a room.

The contenders:

• Wray & Nephew Overproof – the iconic market leader
• Rum Fire – Hampden Estate’s funky pot still cult favorite
• Rum Bar Overproof – Worthy Park’s previous U.S. expression
• Worthy Park Overproof – the current entry that includes some sugar cane juice distillate
• Charley’s J.B. Overproof Rum Trelawny Blend – a Wray & Nephew product exclusive to Jamaica

Neat Comparison

It was easy to pick Rum Fire out of this lineup simply on the nose, but I liked the tomato notes from Rum Bar’s nose even more. There’s a pronounced nail polish aroma and flavor that I found pleasant from J.B. and it seems to be heavier in body than Wray & Nephew.

I chose the winner because I found it to be the most balanced and had a great mouthfeel.

Winner: Rum Bar Overproof
2nd: Charley’s J.B.
3rd: Rum Fire

Grapefruit Soda Comparison

The differences between these rums, aside from Rum Fire, were more muted when I did a 4:1 mix with Squirt grapefruit soda.

Rum Fire was the most flavorful here but introduced harsher notes that weren’t my favorite. I was pleased that Worthy Park Overproof played better in this format and disappointed that Wray and J.B. didn’t hold up as well to the soda. My favorite struck a balance of bold flavors and was a perfect complement to the soda.

Winner: Rum Bar Overproof
2nd: Worthy Park Overproof
3rd: Rum Fire

Rum Bar Overproof Wins Both Blind Tests!

This is pretty shocking, and a bit of a bummer since this expression isn’t available outside of Jamaica now. I’ve always felt that Rum Bar Overproof was a great middle ground between the market leaders; it has a heavier body than Wray but more approachable flavors than Rum Fire. All of these rums are delicious but in these blind tests Rum Bar Overproof was the clear winner.