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Hampden Estate 8-Year rum

Hampden Estate 8-Year

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TH
had this rum recently

Jamaica | Aged | Pot and Column Still Distilled

7.7/10
146 ratings
Recommendable to most
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146 Hampden Estate 8-Year Ratings

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Jimmy Cliff (PREMIUM) 🇺🇸 | 495 ratings
Posted almost 4 years ago

Great nose somewhat unique but familiar at the same time. Have had something similar before. Not a super smooth sipper but great lingering flavor with medium alcohol burn on the finish. Something unique for the collection hard to find in US.

Ponge 🇧🇪 | 16 ratings
Posted 3 years ago

The taste took some getting used to. As a relatively new rum enthousiast it felt stronger then 46%. Will have to try it again.

Lanier 🇧🇪 | 37 ratings
Posted over 3 years ago

Very smooth and ice taste. Notes of fresh grass and sugar cane juice. Finish medium to long. Not too dry. 100% pot still, no added sugar or color, as all rum should be.

Dark Waters 🇬🇧 | 7 ratings
Posted almost 4 years ago

This stuff is delicious and is a great introduction to Hampden Estate rums. My first jump into this style of Jamaican rum too I'd like to add.

Colour is golden. On the nose it is powerful. This rum does not mess about. Initially, I got a strong varnish smell. But as I let it breathe I found it opened up. I got notes of funky tropical fruit and bananas. Its quite fun picking up these funky notes that you won't get in other rums (again a very new experience for me). The flavour profile is silky, woody, tobacco, ripened banana, a gentle sweetness that roles into very dry. A lovely long finish that lingers. I have enjoyed this as a sipping rum but would be curious to try in a few cocktails as specified by Hampden on the website.

Cheers!

Paul B 🇺🇸 | 472 ratings
Posted over 4 years ago

I finally ran across a bottle of Hampden in one of my favorite liquor stores today. I did not read all of the fine print on the bottle until I got home. All I can say after reading it is that if this is what Jamaican rums tasted like in the 1800's, then I am sure glad that some master blenders have figured out a way to greatly improve on the flavors.

The nose reminded me of many of the Plantation rums, but then the taste was all burn and chemicals hiding any tropical flavors. At 92 proof and being a pot still rum, I compared this one to my Smith & Cross pot still rum at 114 proof. No comparison! The Smith & Cross has lots of tropical flavors with an even less noticeable burn. As an added bonus, Smith & Cross is slightly more than half of what I paid for this one. I don't dare use this Hampden for Mai Tai's. Honestly, I will probably use it after I have sipped on too many of my fine rums and don't want to waste any more of them with a foggy judgement. Adding an ice cube to the snifter of this did not even help. This one was also not cheap at $50.

Later that same night, I drank about four ounces on the rocks to help me get through watching a miserable football game. It was not a pleasant experience at all, but the next day showed absolutely no bad effects at all. Thank this part for the no additives. So, if all you want is a nasty tasting buzz with no penalty afterwards, then spend a nice chunk of change on this one. I would rather suffer a bit the next day after drinking a really tasty rum.

Update: After a half bottle is finally gone, I can only conclude that this rum was made for getting shit faced with absolutely no penalty the next day. I thank Luca for showing us all how awful pirate rums really tasted a few hundred years ago.

So why did I give it a high rating of 5 if I hate it? There are many more rums that taste a lot worse than this one, which it is at least bearable, but not worth the price. As a matter of fact, Don Q Cristal has absolutely no taste at all which makes it better tasting than this one, and at one fifth the price. Both have no hangover effect.

Update April 27, 2021: Thinking that I started out on a bad choice for my first Hampden rum while also liking my recent acquisition of their Rum Fire Overproof very much, I did quite a bit of research into their other products since several are now available nearby. I have now come to the conclusion that most of the Hampden rum fanatics come from the European market while most of the rum fanatics from the USA like myself refuse to fall for this marketing ploy.

Reeb Barbill 🇮🇲 | 62 ratings
Posted 5 years ago

Foul. Soap suds and lavender. Don’t even know if there was any burn because all I could taste was soap.

Might as well be whiskey.

Rancid.

Longjohnsilver 🇮🇹 | 44 ratings
Posted over 5 years ago

Rum squisito come pochi altri. Giamaicano allo stato puro, una perla per pochi, fortunatamente non per tutti.

laurent 🇫🇷 | 64 ratings
Posted 1 month ago

At a moderate 46° and "middle" ester count this is a perfect introduction to the Jamaican pot-still rums. This one is typical of what Hampden is with pineapple, green olives and a hint of varnish/glue (which may seem weird to newcomers but it works perfectly in this style of rum) but with a more easy, smooth, rounded side than some extreme high ester bottles. An "easy" Jamaican I would say, but still typical. You could compare that to peated whisky : love it or hate it, but if you want to discover peated whiskies you propably won't start with a heavily peated one. But back to Hampden : even after having tasted a lot of Jamaican rums, I still enjoy this quite affordable bottle.

Jesper Mazanti 🇩🇰 | 155 ratings
Posted 3 months ago

:-)
Colour is very light.
Smell is strong
Taste is to a kick
Aftertaste is a Wau
Tasted at romtasting Oksbøl
;-)

earljones 🇺🇸 | 1 rating
Posted 7 months ago

If this cost $20 a bottle, I would just call it a bad rum. At $70 a bottle, it's a scam. I think there's an emperor's new clothes effect here. People spent a lot of money on this bottle and don't want to admit that it's sub-well trash.

Tastes and smells like nail polish remover. Barely mixable. It's put me off from trying other Hampden rums.

Rene Rum (PREMIUM) 🇨🇭 | 547 ratings
Posted over 1 year ago

Helles Bernstein im Glas.
In der Nase kräftig und frisch. Leichte fragile Düfte balancieren geschickt über den tiefen Abgrund der dunklen Seite. Banane, Mango, Ananas, Litschi, Melone, Gräser und Blumen stehen dunkler Schokolade in schwerem Ledermantel und Zigarre gegenüber. Ein leichter Funk liegt in der Luft.
Am Gaumen tief und fruchtig. Frisch gepflückte überreife tropische Früchte verrotten langsam in einem tiefen dunklen Fass. Karamell und rote Beeren werden dazugegeben und mit edlen Gewürzen verfeinert.
Im Abgang lecker und langanhaltend. Früchte und Karamell gehen ein wenig spazieren, Holz und Beeren diskutieren noch länger.
Ein toller Rum der seine unverfälschte Kraft zeigt. Für Jamaika Liebhaber, Entdecker und Geniesser. Ist im Vergleich zum 5 Jährigen viel multidimensionaler.
G+R F LU22

Light amber in the glass.
Powerful and fresh on the nose. Light fragile scents balance skillfully over the deep abyss of the dark side. Banana, mango, pineapple, lychee, melon, grasses and flowers are juxtaposed with dark chocolate in a heavy leather coat and cigar. There is a slight funk in the air.
Deep and fruity on the palate. Freshly picked overripe tropical fruit slowly rots in a deep dark barrel. Caramel and red berries are added and refined with noble spices.
Delicious and long-lasting on the finish. Fruits and caramel walk a little, wood and berries discuss even longer.
A great rum that shows its unadulterated power. For Jamaica lovers, explorers and connoisseurs. Is much more multidimensional compared to the 5 year old.
G+R F LU22