Habitation Velier Hampden 2010 HLCF/LROK LMDW
Another Habitation Velier Hampden release. This time out its a three way collaboration which has brought this particular rum into existence. HLCF/LROK is a blend of two Hampden expressions which have both been issued individually HLCF (Hampden Light Continental Flavoured) and LROK (Light Rum Owen Kelly).
I’m not going to comment on the marques names other than they don’t really make a great deal of sense – certainly not flavourwise anyway.
As well as being a venture which entails Velier and Hampden Estate online retailer La Maison du Whisky are also involved with this rum. The rum was bottled for them as part of their 60th birthday celebrations.
Hampden 2010 HLCF/LROK comes in the now familiar Habitation Velier opaque 3/4 “flask” style bottle. You get a good quality cork stopper and a very sturdy presentation box. Mostly available in France this rum was briefly available from the Whisky Exchange here in the UK. It retailed at around the £90 mark for a 70cl bottle.
Unlike most other Habiation Velier bottlings this has not been bottled at Cask Strength or Barrel Proof. It denotes High proof only – 60% is the ABV for this. So still pretty hefty stuff.
Once Velier give us just about all the information a rum geek might ever need.
Distilled in 2010 bottled in 2016 – aged for 6 years in a Tropical Climate at Hampden Estate. Angels Share 40%. It was distilled on a Double Retort Pot Still (as pictured on the label). The ester count is not noted this time around. 100% Pot Still rum.
It notes Jamaica Pure Single Rum on the bottle – under the Gargano classification I would have expected this to have been noted as Single Blended rum. It is after all two rums blended together from the same distillery. I don’t know whether this is an error or if this can be classed as Pure Single Rum. It may be me that is wrong if its 100% Pot Still from the same distillery?
Anyway we may as well get on with (what I hope) will be the good bit.
In the glass the rum is straw to golden brown colour. Nosing the rum you are confronted by an array of fermenting fruity goodness.
The rum tingles the nose a little at full ABV. Fermenting grapes, tropical fruits, burnt bananas, pungent aromas of petrol and a hint of varnish. To say the nose is big would be a huge understatement. It’s massive.
Underneath all the fruitness is a light, slightly brooding vanilla and light oak spices. You could honestly nose this for days and not get bored.
Sipping this rum reminds me more of beloved Duncan Taylor Long Pond, than any other Hampden I have tried. It is so fruity yet full blooded. At full ABV it is a touch too intense for my palate so I’ve brought it down with a little water to around 50% ABV.
I don’t feel any of the flavour has been compromised its still a full on assault of the senses. This is a real treat.
Each mouthfeel is awash with brash fruity flavours – Papaya, red grapes, raisins, banana and even a hint of gooseberry. The finish is reasonably long and it is only really in the finish where you get any oak or spiciness from the cask. Long and really satisfying the oak and spiciness marries perfectly with the earlier fruity punch.
I would say this is Hampden with a twist. Very much like the split cask Velier Demerara’s, Gargano has seen something in both rums and thought they might just work that little bit better blended together.
Now I haven’t tried the LROK on its own (please feel free to forward a sample anyone) but this has certainly moved the already excellent HLCF up a notch for me.
Buy all you you can find!
Comandante Fidel Ron Anejo del Caribe. Spain is quite an interesting place to visit when you are on the search for rum. First up it’s cheap as chips compared to the UK, sadly though they do seem to prefer (funnily enough) the Spanish style of rum. So you are faced with an endless supply of Cuban, Venezuelan and Guatemalan rum.
he blanks anyway, even if I do a translation. The bottle is a 3/4 stubby style affair with a rounder base and a short neck. The neck has a diffuser in the bottle to prevent any other rum being poured into this as a cheaper replacement. It is imported into Spain and I’ve not seen it anywhere else.
To be fair I wasn’t expecting a sipper but even as a mixer this is god damn awful stuff. Unlike a lot of rums the flavours and aromas when sipped, do not disappear. In fact they almost become more pronounced when mixed with cola. Making for an absolutely disgusting rum and cola. I’m not exaggerating, unless you enjoy chewing tobacco I doubt you will get any enjoyment out of this rubbish.
Destilleras Arehucas have been producing rum in the Canary Islands since 1884. So they have over 130 years of rum making experience.
First up for a rum aged for only 12 months its remarkably dark. Clearly amongst the modern industrial techniques lurks one of adding Caramel Colouring. I’ve no real issue with this. It’s a fairly standard practice. Some insist it alters the taste but I have no real way of determining if this is true. I’ve been told that the small amounts needed to alter the colour do not in anyway change the taste or smell of the rum. I’ll leave others to argue the toss about it. I think the rum world has a lot more problems to worry about such as fake age statements, suspect “finishing” and reviews for freebies.
The Real McCoy Aged 12 Years Limited Edition. Yet another rum up for review from the prolific Foursquare Rum Distillery, Barbados. This rum has been “around” for quite some time I first tasted it at the Boutique Rum Festival in London in October 2016. And then I waited………
Foursquare Rum Distillery Premise. Another intriguingly named rum from Foursquare. Premise – a proposition supporting or helping to support a conclusion. Cryptic, very cryptic.
be used as “Gateway Rums”. Helping people move onto what many enthusiasts might consider to be the “best” rums. Rather than having them waste money on fancy XO decanters of adulterated multi column crap.
This is a very moreish and very easy to drink rum. You will buy a bottle but don’t expect it to last long. Such is the glut of Foursquare releases and the increase in ABV may mean that a few people see this as “weak” or think Cask Strength etc will be better. Honestly, don’t buy into that. This is another example of just how good “real” rum can be.
Much to my uncontrollable excitement Pusser’s Rum Ltd, recently re-vamped (and to be fair tidied up) their range of rums. This was done partly to introduce new expressions but also to avoid confusion caused by the numerous “Blue Label” versions on offer in varying territories.
discerning British Sailor’s drink of choice. Well, choice is something the British Sailor did not have when stationed an any Naval Base in the UK. The maximum ABV allowed is 40%. So in order to get the British Navy Rum to the British Navy, Pusser’s have opted to lower the strength.
Firstly the nose, it is as expected the classic Pusser’s aroma. It is a slightly less pungent version of the 54.5% ABV Pussers. More of the Demeraran influence is apparent on the nose. Its sweet and fruity. Plump raisins and currants. Theres a little bit of Christmas pudding (I know very seasonal!) in the mix. I’m still getting a pungent cooked banana nose which reminds me of Jamaican rum but I now understand maybe the influence of the Port Mourant and a bit of the Trini rum used. I was surprised about the Trinidad rum. I’ve found that they are relatively light and inoffensive (the exact opposite of Jamaican rum’s). Think Angostura 1919. However, my tastings were/are limited. I have since sourced a 16 year old Caroni which is bottled by a small company in Scotland and is issued in a 50cl bottle as Ancient Mariner Navy Rum. It too is based on the original naval recipe. There are similarities to Pusser’s but it is clearly the preserve of just the one island so doesn’t really taste the same. Pusser’s has been called the “single malt” of rum partly due to its lack of additives (very unusual for “British” Navy style rums) and possibly partly due to its slightly whisky like profile on the nose. I understand a lot of whisky drinkers enjoy Pussers. I’m not big on whisky but even I can detect whisky notes on the nose. It does have that kind of earthy smell to it a bit like a peaty single malt.
Foursquare Rum Distillery Shibboleth. I should really be dropping the “Rum Distillery” part of my title, as Foursquare are no longer noting this on the bottle. I’m not particularly troubled usually by anything approaching OCD type tendencies. I’m probably one of the most lazy, unorganised people you could ever meet, so even if I did have OCD I’d probably be rubbish at it…….
