Rum Artesanal Hampden 1993 is a 29 year old Jamaican molasses rum bearing the JMC mark. It has a very high ester content of between 1300 and 1400 grams per hectolitre of pure alcohol.
The rum was distilled in September 1993 in an iron still at the Hampden Estate distillery, well known for its very aromatic "heavy rums". It then underwent a very long period of maturation in oak casks, before being released in April 2022.
This cask number 261 was selected and bottled without reduction by the independent bottler Rum Artesanal, based in Bad Bevensen, Germany. It produced 168 bottles for the market.
Nico's tasting note
The nose is a thick and powerful honey, extremely aromatic and dense. The concentration of very ripe exotic fruits tinged with solvent is almost suffocating, so one feels the rich, tropical air that gave birth to this rum.
The aeration brings us something very creamy, greedy and pastry, like a frangipane enriched with a heavily aromatic rum. From the beginning, a certain velvety impression does not leave us, and it is precisely there that the great age of this rum seems to make the difference. Indeed, while the fruit and concentration are monumental, no hint of alcohol or aggressiveness spoils the fun.
The palate is quite lively and warm at the attack, and surprises with a very acidic entry, with a hint of freshly-fruited licorice that evokes English candy. This acidity continues with very (even too) ripe exotic fruits, which rub shoulders with the freshness of the green oak tannins. A little vanilla and coconut milk balm then settles on the palate, allowing us to appreciate the smoothness of mango and jackfruit.
The finish is long and is divided between the pastry flavors of grapes and pits on the one hand, and deep notes of olive and iodine on the other.
"A very mature, weathered, candied Hampden, with a monstrously concentrated nose and ultimately quite tart on the palate..."
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