HD 2015, 9 years, Jamaica edition No. 17
This 2015 Hampden is a high-ester powerhouse, aged for 8 years under the intense Caribbean sun in ex-bourbon casks. The tropical heat and humidity had clearly worked their magic on this DOK-mark rum, known for its off-the-charts ester levels. The aromas hit you like a tropical storm - overripe bananas, fermented pineapple, and a punch of industrial funk, rubber and diesel that’s pure Hampden. There’s a touch of vanilla and oak from the bourbon cask, but that signature funk that steals the show. It’s wild, it’s bold, and it’s everything you’d expect from a DOK-mark rum. A true Jamaican beast in every sense.
This 2015 Hampden is a high-ester powerhouse, aged for 8 years under the intense Caribbean sun in ex-bourbon casks. The tropical heat and humidity had clearly worked their magic on this DOK-mark rum, known for its off-the-charts ester levels. The aromas hit you like a tropical storm - overripe bananas, fermented pineapple, and a punch of industrial funk, rubber and diesel that’s pure Hampden. There’s a touch of vanilla and oak from the bourbon cask, but that signature funk that steals the show. It’s wild, it’s bold, and it’s everything you’d expect from a DOK-mark rum. A true Jamaican beast in every sense.
This 2015 Hampden is a high-ester powerhouse, aged for 8 years under the intense Caribbean sun in ex-bourbon casks. The tropical heat and humidity had clearly worked their magic on this DOK-mark rum, known for its off-the-charts ester levels. The aromas hit you like a tropical storm - overripe bananas, fermented pineapple, and a punch of industrial funk, rubber and diesel that’s pure Hampden. There’s a touch of vanilla and oak from the bourbon cask, but that signature funk that steals the show. It’s wild, it’s bold, and it’s everything you’d expect from a DOK-mark rum. A true Jamaican beast in every sense.
Jamaica 2015 edition No. 17
Region: Jamaica
Distillery: Hampden
Age: 9
Distillation: 07-2015
Bottled: 03-2025
Cask no: 2
Cask type: Ex-Bourbon
Still type: Pot (DOK)
Maturation: 8 years in the tropics
ABV 68.9%
Vol. 700 ml
No bottles: 297
Tasting Notes:
“I trust you know that in rum, ‘HD’ doesn’t stand for Harley-Davidson, right? But ‘DOK’ means 1,500 to 1,700 gr esters/hlpa, which is roughly the ‘eleven’ on Nigel Tufnel’s Spinal Tap scale. Colour: deep gold. Nose: at such strength, there’s barely anything perceptible, one simply wants to save her/his nose and olfactory bulb. Let’s say there’s a bit of acetone, Formica, and balsa. With water: dried pears, jujubes, bicycle patches, an old moped, worn tyres, and a genuine heap of dried flowers, which is rather unusual. Mouth (neat): well, this isn’t really ‘enjoyable’ at this strength, it’s almost, say kind of vulgar (Everclear is near) and ‘industrial’. Let’s move on… With water: much better, though it remains a touch odd, jumbled, rounded, curious, and not all that ‘DOK’ in the end. These beasts are truly difficult to bring down to an ideal drinking strength, it seems we rather failed here, to be perfectly honest. Finish: same. Comments: I think we somewhat botched this one, frankly. Mea Culpa.“
Note: SGP:552 - 82 points.
Source: whiskyfun.com
