Jamaica 2023 - Hampden 1500-1600 GR/HLPA Pedro Ximénez

Jamaica 2023 - Hampden 1500-1600 GR/HLPA Pedro Ximénez

Region: Jamaica

Distillery: Hampden

Age: 9 months

Distillation: 04-2023

Bottled: 05-2024

Cask no: 28

Cask type: Pedro Ximénez

Still type: Pot Still

Maturation: Continental

ABV 62.9%

Vol. 700 ml

No bottles: 329

Tasting Notes:

“This might well be something illegal—1500 to 1600 gr ester/HLPA, they say. Ah, that would be DOK. ‘Aged in Europe’, they add, but I doubt that makes the slightest difference after just one year. Right then, let’s hold tight and dive in quickly… Colour: amber. Nose: if all ex-PX casks were like this… Crayola crayons, tar, incense, cedarwood, black olives, and brake pads. That said, it’s possible the PX has slightly tamed this little monster, but we’ll need water to really judge. With water: hmm, not sure it’s helped much—still those classic Hampden markers of tar, tarmac, carbon, green olives, smoked fish, and sauna oils. Mouth (neat): carbon, tar, pepper, and rubber dissolved in turpentine. You get the picture. With water: ah, there it is, a tiny bit of sweetness creeping in… But no, we’re joking, it’s still wonderfully brutal. Perhaps that hint of dried apricot and the two little raisins duelling in the background do come from the PX. Who knows. Finish: very long, yet somehow not that long (?). Lovely smoky brine. Comments: between us, if there’s one distillery that’s magnificent both in its youth and in its aged versions, it’s this blessed Hampden, which we still can’t seem to fault.”

Note: SGP:563 - 89 points.
Source: whiskyfun.com