Hampden Estate Pure Single Jamaican Overproof

I really like strong rums and this one is my favorite overproof. You won't guess that it is so strong, because it's power is lost in good fruity taste

After more than a year this rum is still available almost everywhere and in Italy it is sometimes offered for 50 €. In many reviews I have already read that the 8 year old thinner brother already brings just as many flavors and the surcharge is not justified here. The when the new LROK with 47% is offered at a price of 125 euros, it is worth to have a look at this outcast Hampden.
It is a blend of OWH / LFCH / DOK that was tropically aged for 8 years. I don't know whether there are several versions of it, as with the younger brother. I have the bottle with 8 years of maturation on the back and on the front too.

Nose: Very sweet and sharp nose that initially reminds me of LFCH. But then leaves an impression of higher marks with more fruitiness. Sweet tropical fruits can be perceived, apples, pineapples, papays, then slightly salty, malty notes. That's when I think of pretzel sticks with beer. I find young bourbon wood deeper in the glass, but be careful when sticking your nose into the glass, it is quite sharp and you can leave it in the glass for an hour.

Taste: It starts off slightly salty with vanilla, then we have the pretzel sticks with a little bourbon wood influence. That's the LFCH influence. Immediately spills over into the fruity aromas, increases in spiciness, becomes malty and salty again. Then again fruity, exploding with the entire fruit palette, there are against apple, pineapple, honey, papaya. Then he goes sharply with salty and malty flavors.
The finish is very long because it is very spicy. The 60% is not a problem for me, but inexperienced rum pirates are easily overwhelmed. It is recommended to enjoy it in small sips.

Aftertaste: Lots of LFCH malt, pretzel sticks, also light fruit aromas

Conclusion: I think he's better than the younger brother. I missed the fruity aromas back then, maybe the dilution was less good for him. It is quite hot and strong, but I could still imagine it to be a bit more fruity to reduce the salty aromas.
Overall a very good and underrated rum, a bargain for me for the price.

Overall rating: 87 points

Sweetness: 2/5
Fruits: 4/5
Sharpness: 4.5 / 5
Complexity: 3.5 / 5
Value (60 €): 4/5

This is really close to the regular 8 y with 46 ABV . This is just a bit more powerfull on nose and taste. Not sure if this is actually better. Really great both of them with a extremely fair price.

Have had this bottle on my Jamaican shelf for a while.
The launching of this rum, together with its 46% ABV brother, marking an historic moment for all rum enthusiasts loving the 100% funky pot still rum from Jamaica.
It’s very complex, dry and intense. It’s quite hard for me to detect the aromas and flavors because of the complexity and high ABV, but I can recognize cherries, oak and spices. The finish is long, elegant and subtle.
No need for expensive Veliers anymore.
Pictures: My Jamaican shelf & My opened bottle.

This is my first bottle of self-label Hampden, and it’s excellent. Decently funky, still recognizably Jamaican, but with a lot of fun citrus and mango notes that I have never really had before. The bottle and label are fun, too. Very impressed.

Excellent rum to say how strong it is ..it went down easy

Vůně: Hampden funk ® , ovocná, banány, koření, piliny, kvašáky...
Chuť: nakyslejší pomerančová, banány, tropické ovoce, čokoláda, hřeje, kořenitá
Dochuť: vynikající, ovocná, proměnlivá 9,4/10

Rum se vyrábí z pramenité vody a prochází přírodní "divokou" fermentací. Zraje cca 8 let a neobsahuje žádný cukr ani barviva.

Aroma: Med, květiny, kyselé ovoce, lehce travnatost, třtina (?).
Chuť: Hutná, ovocná, jemně kořenitá a štiplavá. Stopově je cítit i závan jódu.
Dozvuk: Opět závan jódu, ovoce, bylinky, decentně dřevitost a kyselé ovoce. Velmi dlouhý.
Sladkost: 0/3
Ochutnán vzorek
Klasická 8yo je velmi dobrá základovka, Overproof je ještě o fous lepší.

To be fair, though, it’s not the most remarkable offering from Hampden, especially as an overproof with so much competition in this GI. This is comparable to Rum Fire, which is a far better value in versatility and flavor profile.