We’re having a Jamaican session today, with three Hampden rums recently bottled by The Whisky Jury.
We start with a pair of HD 2013 (bottled for two retailers) and HD 2014. That last one is the first “catch” in the new series called The Ester Hunter. Now this series doesn’t seem to be limited to the most extreme ester bombs alone – equal amounts of esters can easily be found in the regular Many Faces of Rum series, so the concept may seem a little vague. That said, the visual appeal with the gold foil is stunning, in my opinion.
The third bottling is a much older HD 2000. The back label explains it is a combination of three casks from the final vintage of this famous distillery. This time it’s a low ester mark (my guess would be LROK).
HD 2014 <>H (56,8%, The Whisky Jury ‘The Ester Hunter’ 2024, 165 btl.)
Nose: totally on point. Pungent glue, allspice, hints of apple vinegar and nail polish remover. Then sour pineapple, lime acidity and green banana, with hints of marzipan and Pelikan sticks. Firm briny notes as well.
Mouth: no surprises here, really. Oily and funky. More green bananas, acetone and aniseed. A nice lime acidity again, with hints of yoghurt and olives in brine. Then pineapple and glue again, with a salty edge and a pleasant mineral dryness. Perhaps just a little alcohol in the end.
Finish: long, with this combination of raw alcohol and white sugar, as well as aniseed and a faint hint of espresso.
Very good Hampden, with this chemical, sharp and concentrated profile. Honestly, even the lousiest hunter can catch esters in this one. Retailers can be found through the TWJ website.
HD 10 yo 2013 (60,3%, The Whisky Jury for Care for Craft Spirits & WhiskyAGE 2024, refill barrel #434985, 270 btl.)
Nose: same same? Perhaps a little more gasoline and brand-new tyres, with less of these lemon and lime notes. Big hints of Pattex and other glues, with pepper and anise, as well as green bananas. After a while this becomes sharper than the 2014 – just a matter of preference.
Mouth: an ester avalanche again, although there’s nice banana candy and yoghurt to balance the heavy liquorice, vinegary notes, seawater and gasoline. Then hints of caraway seeds and menthol, as well as olive brine in abundance.
Finish: very long, totally estery, with varnish, salt, green olives and lemons. Less of the alcohol I got in the 2014.
When coming back to the 2014 after this, you feel a tad more wood there. So the 2013 is sharper and more pure, in my opinion. Also more estery, in that sense, so I would have swapped the labels. Overall pretty brilliant Hampden, in any case. Score: 91/100
HD 23 yo 2000 ‘The last casks of 2000’ (52%, The Whisky Jury ‘The Many Faces of Rum’ 2024, refill barrel #42+48+75, 173 btl.)
Nose: milder glue, with a nice rounded banana foam and pineapple cube note. Definitely fruitier than the youngsters, even a hint of green mango and whiffs of tropical fruit bubblegum. Then sour butter, a hint of vanilla, sea salt and a faint whiff of diesel.
Mouth: nice salty notes, with light pencil shavings, with more mango and pineapple. Also tiny hints of lime and berries, fresh herbs and drops of cough syrup. Then varnish, pink grapefruit, cardamom and vanilla. Relatively light, staying fresh and harmonious at all times thanks to a crisp tartness.
Finish: medium to long, with a drying funky note, still on pineapple, along with a hint of anise.
A lighter style for a change. Clearly more fruity this time, with less prominent esters. Very drinkable, not the powerhouse some are expecting from Hampden, but hard to resist in my opinion. Score: 91/100