Hampden Great House Distillery Edition 2020 ABV 59% 700ml

Founded in 1779, the Great House (“habitation” in French) of the Jamaican distillery Hampden was used as a warehouse for storing barrels until the early 1900s. A blend of Hampden OWH (80-120 grams of esters) distilled in 2013 (80%) and Hampden DOK (1,500-1,600 grams of esters) distilled in 2017 (20%, this version immediately immerses us in the heady, captivating and almost bewitching universe of rums produced by the distillery, considered by specialists to be Jamaica’s most authentic. Intensely medicinal, mineral and wonderfully oxidative, the palette of flavours and aromas also radiates fruity and floral freshness.

Profile: the powerful first nose is medicinal, camphoric, hot, fruity (very ripe pineapple) and slightly tarry. Allowed to breathe, it gently develops into molasses, notes of pipe tobacco and heady florals (tuberose). With time, it becomes increasingly fruity (pear, peach). The taut attack is mineral (basalt), chocolate, liquorice and fruity (pineapple, William’s pear). The empyreumatic mid-palate is then tarry but also tangy (orange zest). The creamy start of the finish is rich (vanilla cake, mille- feuille). The flavour palette becomes continually more sophisticated. The retro-nasal olfaction is powdery (cocoa), spicy (cinnamon) and refreshing.

Tasting Notes for The Hampden Great House Jamaican Rum 2020 Edition

Nose: Extremely powerful and rich, with ripe banana and pineapple backed up by a hint of oak and brooding camphor.

Taste: The fruits are present but play a supporting role to darker flavors of chocolate, liquorice, tobacco, and a burnt, earthy element.

Finish: Baking spices, particularly cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa, and sweet rum baba cake.

Overall: Limited edition rum from one of the world's stand-out distilleries. You would expect this to be excellent, and it surpasses those expectations.