This lower-ester Hampden is an tasty installment in the Habitation Velier series. While it's tame by Hampden standards there's still plenty of fruity-spicy flavor from nose to finish.

This 2016 installment in the Habitation Velier series features the OWH mark from Hampden in Jamaica. The OWH is Hampdens lowest ester profile, which makes this release a case of casting against type for a distillery known for its funky high ester rums. It was tropically aged for 7 years leading to an angels share of > 42%, then bottled in 2023 at 60% ABV. The label specifies the level of congeners (966g/HLAA) instead of esters, suggesting both that it’s not an ester bomb, but neither is it devoid of flavor.

We measured a density of 0.906g/cc and a refractive index of 1.3612, indicating no added sugar (duh) and agreeing with bottle’s “No added augar” label.

If you know your drinking Hampden, the nose is pretty subtle. There are clear notes of toasted sugar and leather, along with banana, oak, vanilla, fresh apple, and some classic Hampden pineapple (low ester not no ester—this is Hampden after all). The palate is quite fresh: ginger, apple peel, banana, celery, oak, and some oily, briney notes on the back. The finish is decently strong, with plenty of fruity, spices (more vegetal spice than baking spice), and some nondescript medicinal notes.

In our blind taste test is performed great as a neat sipper (8.1/10) and incredible mixed in a daiquiri (9.0/10), where is came across as balanced yet interesting. In a strange way it helps to not think of this as a Hampden rum. As a Hampden expression the obvious thing to say about it is that it’s not face-meltingly high ester (and perhaps that it doesn’t have enough age for the cask to be a main player). But if I try to blind myself to the distillery, and think of this as a non-descript Jamaican rum, it’s incredibly interesting and tasty, with plenty of fruitiness leaning into some quasi-vegetal funk. It’s pleasant, plays well with others, and for a cask-strength Hampden, doesn’t require too much of the drinker.

 

The Superficial: Standard Habitation Velier fare. Everything is thoughtful and quality, from the large block of informative text, to the cute illustration of the still, to the classic flask-like bottle shape and functional stopper.

Tags:  Hampden | Jamaica | Limited Release | Moderately Aged | Pot Still