Worthy Park Estate Rum TouR Jamaica: From Grass to Glass

Nestled in the cool and tranquil hills of Lluidas Vale, St. Catherine (approximately 1200ft above sea level); the Worthy Park Estate has the pleasure of boasting being the oldest rum factory in Jamaica. With roots dating back to the 17th century, the Worthy Park Estate in recent years has opened its doors to become Jamaica’s newest rum tour attraction. Rivalling the already established, Appleton estate rum tour which I had already been on twice before and thoroughly enjoyed both times.

Jamaica is a country well-known and favoured internationally for its rum. Flavourful and strong like its people, the rum produced in Jamaica is distinct and one of the most cherished by rum connoisseurs worldwide. So the Worthy Park Estate rum tour had much to live up to in my books

RELATED: Appleton Estate Rum Tour Jamaica

How To Get There

The shortest route to Worthy Park from Kingston is via the Edward Seaga North to South (A1) Highway. Using this route, you will take the exit on the Linstead toll way. The cost for the toll is $550 for class 1 vehicles. Admittedly after this, I relied heavily on Google maps to guide me. The journey is however a rather straightforward one.

After exiting the toll, you take a slight right and continue on the main road through Ewarton until you see a sign identifying the road to Worthy Park Estate on the left. Once here, take the left as indicated and follow the road to the Worthy Park Estate. A spiraling journey upwards through mesmerizing, unspoilt foliage greets you as you make your way to the estate. The tranquility of your surroundings will soothe you as you drive as you plunged deeper and deeper into your surroundings. Sweeping fields of sugarcane greet you along the way as gentle reminders that you are on the right path. Until you finally see the welcoming gates of the Worthy Park Estate informing you that you have arrived. The visiting center (where the tour begins) is another few minutes drive in the estate, pass the machinery and the rum factory. Overall, it takes you about an hour or so to arrive at your destination.

History of Worthy Park Estate

As mentioned before, the Worthy Park Estate was established in the 17th century. In 1670, the estate opened its doors for operation. However, commercial sugar cane production did not begin on the property until ~1720. In 1741, as the demand for rum increased, the estate began its rum production. The production of rum ceased at the distillery in 1962, however, due to falling demand and an oversupply of rum on the island. Then, in 2005, the Worthy Park Estate re-established itself as a rum produced under the ‘Rum-bar’ brand and recently also under the official Worthy Park Estate label, and has been flourishing ever since. The 100% Jamaican owned company has only changed ownership 3 times and has been with the current owners, the Clarke family, since 1918.

The Worthy Park Estate Rum Tour Experience

The Worthy Park Estate Rum Tour takes you on an immersive journey through time as you learn about the intimate process of making rum from 1670 into the present day. On entry you are greeted with a customary rum punch meant to tantalize your taste buds as you anticipate the start of the tour. And might I add, the rum punch definitely hit the spot and set the tone for the day.

I don’t want to give too much away about the tour so I won’t say much. Your very knowledgeable tour guide gives a detailed lesson on the distillery, bottling and ageing process, and demonstrates the intricate process of converting sweet, sugar cane to pure, premium Jamaican rum. The guided rum tour of Worthy Park Estate includes multimedia presentations, a walking tour and culminates with tastings of their award-winning premium rums.

Fun Fact: Worthy Park is the only distillery that produces its rum 100 percent from its own molasses.

During the tasting portion, your tour guide teaches you how to truly experience the rum. Scent, sight, taste, texture are all stimulated as you learn how the different aromas and flavours influence the different rums. You get to truly appreciate the differences that the different blends, ages, alcohol volumes and pairings offer to the rums. And this serves to only heighten the experience in my book. Once the demonstration was over and the tour was winding down, you are given a sample of rum bar gold to take home and delight in at home.

Overall

I would say The Worthy Park Estate rum tour was a fairly good one. Very informative and entertaining. It’s definitely a tour you should go on if you have the opportunity to.

Tour Information

The Worthy Park Estate rum tour is held Monday to Fridays between the hours of 10 am - 2pm and lasts approximately an hour and a half.

The cost of the tour is $20 usd for Jamaican Residents (with ID) and $25 usd for Non-Residents.

What To Bring:

• Wear loose and comfortable clothing

• Comfortable shoes- there will be a whole lot of walking

• Sunscreen

• Camera - to capture the fantastic moments along the way

• Money to purchase souvenirs and keepsakes, and also to tip the guides if you want to