Kill Devil Jamaica Long Pond 15 Year Old

Bythefatrumpirate

Kill Devil Jamaica Long Pond Rum Review by the fat rum pirateHere we have another independent bottling by Kill Devil (Hunter Laing) of Jamaica Rum from the Long Pond Distillery.  Over the past year I have become more familiar with rums from the Long Pond distillery.

Rums such as Expressions by Old Man Rum Co. have an element of aged Pot Still rum from the Long Pond distillery and I also purchases a Duncan Taylor bottling from Long Pond shortly before Christmas 2016.  Which turned out to be one of the best rums I have ever tasted.

So I had been looking around to try a few more Long Pond rums.  The rums from Long Pond can be hard to obtain (a number of casks all seem to come from a batch distilled in 2000).  The distillery makes money selling bulk rum for blending.  Or made rum rather sadly it seems the distillery closed in 2012.  It’s sister distillery Clarenden is however still operational.  Currently there are only 5 operating distilleries on Jamaica.  For more background information I will point you in the direction of the excellent Cocktail Wonk .

I will instead concentrate on telling you more about this specific rum.  As mentioned already this Long Pond is bottled by Kill Devil so it comes in their distinctive 3/4 opaque bottles.  They use the same design for all their rums (differing colour scheme for the cask strength offerings – purple rather than gold).

The rum is bottled not at cask strength but at 46% ABV.  It retails at Kill Devil Jamaica Long Pond Rum Review by the fat rum pirataround the £60 mark.  It is a single cask which produced 292 bottles. Distilled in June 2000.  It is a 100% Pot Still rum.  Aged for 15 years and finally released in early 2017.

You might struggle to find a bottle.  I’m struggling to write my reviews quick enough unfortunately.  I don’t want to write about bottles that are no longer obtainable.  I need some kind of priority system in place.

Anyway enough of my “woes” (too much rum?) lets move on to the actual rum.

First thing up is the colour – I suspect the rum has been aged mostly in Europe as it is a very light coloured rum.  Straw like – you could (if you pour enough) mistake it for a glass of white wine.

On the nose you are immediately hit with familiar Jamaican Pot Still funk.  Black bananas, stewed fruits and a touch of pineapple.  What you also get is the familiar Long Pond aromas.  Pine cones, maybe a touch of toothpaste – something slightly menthol on the nose.  It’s very distinctive. There’s a little touch of young blended whisky there as well.

The rum is slightly lower in ABV than the Duncan Taylor (51.9% ABV) but I am not really noticing a great deal of difference between the two overall.  I’m not sure on the nose if I could blind pick one from the other.

When sipped I’m not getting the definition of the more menthol/herby notes that I got from the nose.  I’m getting a lot more of a savoury less sweet sip. Despite its colour it is actually quite woody.  I was expecting as much oak as I am getting.

On the finish there is a bit of the “fresher” notes but definitely not when sipping.  The finish as it stands is good – a nice length and it has more of the sweeter notes I so enjoyed with the Duncan Taylor bottling.

For me its just a shame that more the sweeter/clearer notes so well defined and prominent in the Duncan Taylor bottling have been lost on the sip.

Having said that it is not without its charms.  In many ways I’m quite happy not to be trying something exactly the same as the Duncan Taylor bottling.  The rum is still a very good example of a traditional Jamaican Pot Still rum.

The more savoury elements of the rum and the interaction with the oak give a still very complex and rewarding sip.  It’s certainly not a boring rum.  It wouldn’t be a rum you would pick up every day for a relaxing sip.  A rum to enjoy when you fancy giving your manliness (or womenliness) a run out.

This is still a very good example of Long Pond – which seem to becoming more and more difficult to obtain.  If you can find a bottle of this then its certainly worth £60 – as long as you know exactly what you are buying.  It’s not badly balanced overall, has a lot of flavour going on and a well defined and lengthy finish.

Sometimes maybe I set the bar too high.

 

 

 

 

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  • Glen’s Dark Rum

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Glens Dark Rum Review

    Glen Catrine Distillers are probably not very well known outside of the UK.  The distillery is based in Catrine, Ayrshire, Scotland.  Glen’s are best known for there entry level vodka which competes somewhere in the void between supermarket vodka and Smirnoff, Russian Standard, Absolut etc.  The vodka is quite often bootlegged and a number of television programmes have warned consumers to be on the lookout for counterfeit Glen’s.  I have to say I hope the same problem hasn’t afflicted their Dark Rum as I bought this in a back street supermarket in Cyprus!

    The UK has a number of entry level price “Dark Rums” such as Skipper, OVD and numerous supermarket offerings.  As this rums retails at around £13 per 70cl bottle, I think I know what to expect from this rum.  Glen’s Dark Rum is 37.5% ABV.

    The rum comes in a standard 70cl bar bottle their are a few “pretend” medals on the front (they aren’t awards just pictures) and the label states “produce of the West Indies”.  The rear of the bottle reveals little more than the name of the rum again,the volume, bottle size and a bar code.

    In the bottle Glen’s is a dark reddish brown.  When poured the rum looks much the same as in the bottle maybe slightly darker, less red.  On   the nose the rum is very rough.  It smells more of alcohol than anything else.  It’s a little like a cheap vodka.  There is a trace of sweet molasses, treacle and coffee but not much its very boozy.  There is no oakiness or anything which would suggest a great deal of ageing (no surprise).

    Glen’s is not a sipper.  When sipped you can taste little of the rum as the senses are overpowered with strong alcohol and a pretty unpleasant but luckily short burn.  The tongue is left tingling/pulsating but other than a bitter astringency you are not left with anything which suggests the sip is worth repeating.  An ice cube cannot really rescue this rum as a sipper.  It just spreads the astringency and alcohol around in your mouth all the more.  It’s not pleasant, the burn is reduced a little but it just leaves you with a bitter after taste which you really want to get rid of.

    Glens Dark Rum ReviewWhen I picked up this bottle it was solely with the intention of mixing the rum.  Hopefully, it will be a rum which goes ok with cola or ginger beer.  When mixed with cola I get a drink which is much more recognisable.  A sweet, very rich, very “English” style of cheap rum.  It has a slight bitter astringency to the aftertaste but overall it really isn’t bad.  It’s not quite a sweet as Skipper (a Demerara) or as bitter and coffee-esque as OVD (another Demerara).  As far as Navy rum’s are concerned it is sweeter (and less potent) than Woods but not as sweet as Lambs.  I won’t even kid you with comparisons to Pussers.  I personally quite like its overall profile it reminds me of Old Hopkirk which is a rum Aldi stock (£9.79 per 70cl).  It’s a molasses, treacle heavy rum.  You wouldn’t confuse this for anything other than rum.

    I’ve mentioned in other reviews that these kind of rum’s are popular in the UK and probably suit the climate.  They are rich and warming.  This is a rum which is for getting drunk with.  It’s not for sipping or serving to guests to impress as a good rum.  This is the rum you drink to quickly at the end of a working week, when all you want to do it is go to some other place and put some music on REALLY LOUD!  You’ll wake up in the morning with a bit of a thick head and find most of the bottle is gone but you really won’t care.  It only cost you a fifth of the price of a bottle of Zacapa.

    I have a lot of good rum in my rum cabinet.  However, I make a rule of never having more than 3 or 4 drinks with the good stuff after that point I often turn to a bottle of supermarket rum.  Whilst I would never perform a review intoxicated I do get VERY drunk at least once a week.  I simply couldn’t afford to get drunk on premium sippers!

    The rum falls roughly into the same market as Glen’s Vodka a kind of halfway house between supermarket own brand rum’s and the Lambs, Captain Morgan (yuck) etc.

    This isn’t the greatest rum in the world by any stretch of the imagination but as a sweet, rich and warming rum which you can mix liberally with cola and just forget your shitty 9 to 5 job – it does the job!

    2 stars

  • Diplomatico Distillery Collection No1 Batch Kettle Rum

    Bythefatrumpirate

    DIplomatico Distillery Collection No1 Batch Kettle Rum Review by the fat rum pirateDiplomatico Distillery Collection No1 Batch Kettle Rum. Diplomatico were a few years ago synonymous with what was seen as good “sipping” rum. They are still highly regarded in some circles and their Reserva Exclusive still regularly features in top ten rum lists.

    Unfortunately much like Zacapa their over reliance on additives and the publicising of such tests has clipped the wings of the brand – but only very slightly. The brand to their credit are beginning to give details of added sugar on their bottles.

    In late 2017 Diplomatico announced two limited edition (5000 bottles of each) rums. The Distillery Collection which is a means of highlighting two of the stills used at DUSA. This is the first of the bottlings and highlights the brands Batch Kettle Pot Still.

    The Batch Kettle still was first brought to Venezuela in 1959 from Canada. It was previously used in the production of Canadian Whiskey. In their promotional material Diplomatico have suggested the use of such a still is unique in the rum world.

    In the UK a bottle of this rum will set you back around £60 it is encouragingly bottled at 47% ABV (a strange choice) and comes in your standard 70cl bottle. The stubby type bottle will be familiar with any Diplomatico fan. The colour scheme is clean and modern. The rum is topped with a synthetic cork stopper.

    Upon seeing the pricing of the two rums, I was a little surprised to learn that this rum was distilled in 2011 making it just 6 years old. Half the reputed average age of their flagship DRE. Interesting.

    As is the fact that the Hydrometer does not pick up any additives. They really are letting us see the rums as they are. Which is good.

    Diplomatico have spoken of “heavier” rums being in the blend of their rums such as DRE and Ambassador. So it will be interesting to see what a 100% Pot Still rum will taste like….DIplomatico Distillery Collection No1 Batch Kettle Rum Review by the fat rum pirate

    Despite Diplomatico’s ability to weave a nice story I’m not in the business of reciting press releases (I’ll leave that to others) so with little else to say we’ll move on to the tasting.

    In the glass the rum is a dark/golden brown with orange flashes. For its age it may well be coloured but that is usually the least of my worries when it comes to Diplomatico’s rums!

    Nosed the rum quite light but it does have a fair amount of “booze” on the nose. It’s flowerly – it has a bouquet. There’s a touch of sweetness – caramel and demerara sugar. The Kettle Batch Rum is quite biscuity – a bit like uncooked cookie dough.

    Overall the nose isn’t bad but its a little “soft”. I’m pleased to say it doesn’t smell confected or adultered in anyway. There is perhaps a faint hint of tobacco and smokiness which does throw it off a little – bit like Havana Club 7.

    Sipped it is much more interesting than the nose. It does taste a bit immature though. At 6 years old and all Pot Still this is perhaps not surprising. The youthful nature of the rum does seem to carry a heavy hit of sweet young (but fiery) alcohol.

    It’s pretty smoky – wafts of leather and tobacco rather than oak and spice. In fact there is very little by way of any real oak ageing. It was aged in ex-Bourbon but it definitely hasn’t taken on the usual vanilla and sweet/sour spices.

    The finish is fairly short and not very inspiring. It just kind of fades out till the smoke has completely gone.

    It’s all pretty one-dimensional. It starts off with a hit of caramel but its quickly gets taken over by the smokiness and tobacco. It doesn’t really go anywhere after that except into a fairly short finish. Rather than highlight the nuances of the individual still it actually tells you more about why the brand “sweeten” their rums. I can’t imagine it will appeal much to the DRE, Single Vitnage and Ambassador drinkers either.

    Which is a shame. Maybe more time in the barrel would have developed this rum. I personally find the Diplomatico Anejo and Mantuano to be more exciting than this offering.

    And you can pick the pair of them up for less than the price of this!

     

     

     

  • Savanna Grand Arome Lontan LMDW 60th Anniversary

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Lontan Savanna Arome Grand Rum Review by the fat rum pirateSavanna Grand Arome Lontan. Savanna or Rhum Savanna are a rum producer from the Reunion Island.  This particular Savanna bottling is a “Grand Arome”.

    The Savanna distillery has been established since 1992 on the sugar refinery site of Bois Rouge, located in the North-East of the island of Reunion. It is one of the only ones in the world to market a rum from a very long fermentation (15 days) called “Grand Arome”.

    Reading up about this rum on the La Maison du Whisky website it seems that this is a molasses based rum not an agricole.  Which I find a bit of a surprise. I do concede though I know little about the Savanna rums.  This is the first rum from the Reunion Island that I have reviewed.

    This “Grand Arome” Lontan was released earlier this year as part of LMDW 60th Anniversary celebrations.  Only 1000 bottles were produced I have bottle number 494.  I paid just under £40 for this rum which is bottled at a healthy 57% ABV.

    Presentation wise the bottle is sleek presentation whilst fairly minimalist does give you a lot of information on the rum. I do like Savanna’s clear modern branding.

    Plantation Rum have recently bottled a rum from the Reunion Island and there has been some talk about Savanna’s distinctive offerings, amongst some rum enthusiasts.  They are still fairly low key though in the greater scheme of things.  As far as I am aware this is an unaged Pot Still produced molasses rum.  If anyone has any further information please let me know.  A lot of this is just guess work at this stage.

    Anyway lets move onto the fun part and get down to nosing and tasting this particular rum.

    In the glass the rum is crystal clear.  In the bottle it might have had a slight yellow tinge but when poured that disappears so must have been the label/bottle.

    Savanna Lontan Grand Arome is a punchy rum at 57% ABV and it hasn’t been aged for very long. No need for any fancy glassware to nose this!Lontan Savanna Arome Grand Rum Review by the fat rum pirate

    I’m immediately put in mind of funky white unaged Jamaican Pot Still Rum – Wray and Nephew and RumBar Overproof, especially.  The nose is big and quite funky.  Burnt black bananas and fermenting Pineapples.  Throughout the nose is a strong menthol/minty note and a big hit of floor polish and varnish.  It has a slight vegetal edge to it but it is not like unaged agricole or the Clairin’s of Haiti.

    Whilst drawing on some elements of Jamaican Overproof and to a lesser extent white Rhum Agricole the Savanna Lontan Grand Arome has its own identity.  It has a minty almost absinthe like aroma that runs right through the nose alongside a slight spiciness and a richness – maybe a touch of clove.

    Sipped the Lontan is initially very spicy and quite herbal.  This fades and you get a very medicinal minty rum.  It’s quite unique in many respects.  Despite the big nose when sipped it is actually quite refined and really pretty smooth.

    Further sips reveal a slight soapiness and a sweetness – melon and some sweeter grape add some nice complexity to it.  It’s still pretty spicy though which is to be expected really.

    I presume this rum is unaged (or aged briefly) so it has little interaction with a wood cask.  As a result there isn’t a great deal of oak spiciness.  The spiciness is more of a minty alcohol burn with a hit of curry powder.  It’s very different.

    Like the Clairin’s from Haiti this isn’t really a “beginners” rum.  You would probably have to come from a spirit background to really appreciate this initially.  A tequila or mezcal drinker may appreciate this.

    Lontan Savanna Arome Grand Rum Review by the fat rum pirateIt works nicely sipped even at the full ABV it doesn’t come across too aggressively. Mixed it works really nicely in a Ti Punch and with fruit drinks – a Tingwray made with this is very good.

    With cola it doesn’t work so well – I don’t really enjoy any of the funkier/more medicinal white rums with cola to be honest.

    This is a rum I would say is for the enthusiast or someone who is really far gone on their Rum Journey.  I wouldn’t for instance serve this at a Rum Tasting unless it was very specialist.

    If you aren’t familiar with “funkier” white rums this will terrify you.  I was in a bar a couple of weeks back and the bartender was complaining that people were ordering Ting Wray Cocktails and then returning them as they “didn’t like them” even after he had warned them about the rum used in them.

    This won’t be for everyone but if you have looked into buying this then I would recommend you do.  It certainly has some unique facets to it and whilst similar to other high ABV whites it has enough going on to be different.

    I enjoyed this more than the Clairin’s I must say I think it’s much more refined. Though its still a bit of a beast.

     

     

     

     

  • Rum of the Month September 2015

    Bythefatrumpirate

    2015 Rum of the MonthAs the British Summertime fades (we got the usual 4 genuinely Sunny Days) attention turns to our Autumn season.

    To be honest up here in the North of England we only really get two Seasons Autumn and Winter.  It’s either a bit cold or very cold.  We might get the odd few days of sunshine but they are few and far between.  We get our two weeks of sunshine when we go on our holidays……

    So with it being cold and dark on a morning when you go to work and cold and dark on a night when you come home it can be quite a depressing time of year!

    However help I believe is at hand with one of the best Winter Warmers available in the Rum Market.  The only Spiced or Flavoured Rum to have received the full 5 star treatment on our site.  Bristol Black Spiced Rum is slightly more expensive than the majority of Spiced Rum but it more than justifies the price tag.

    If you are looking to give yourself a little cheer on a cold dark night this works brilliantly in a nice rum and cola or even on its own, warmed slightly in the microwave it gives a lovely warming treat.

    More excellent stuff from Bristol and perfect for British Winters/Autumns!

    Bristol Black Spiced rum reviiew by the fat rum pirate

  • Raising Glasses The Yowie Strikes Back 17 Year Single Cask Rum Australia

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Raising Glasses The Yowie Strikes Back 17 Year Single Cask Rum Australia review by the fat rum pirateRaising Glasses The Yowie Strikes Back 17 Year Single Cask Rum Australia. Star Wars themed….urgh.

    I’m not much of a Sci-Fi nut if I am being honest. Which seems quite uncommon amongst my fellow Rum Enthusiasts. Many of whom appear to be a lot more “geeky” with regard Sci-Fi/Marvel/DC and all that carry on. Well actually a lot of them are a lot more geeky than me about rum as well.

    When I was at growing up you got bullied for being a “geek”. Watching Star Wars was okay, as that was pretty mainstream. Bit Knight Rider as well on a Saturday night. If you were reading Spiderman comics or talking Klingon or painting miniature Orcs a kicking wouldn’t be far off for you though.

    That said I was never a great fan of Science Fiction even as a kid. I had a few Star Wars toys but only so I wouldn’t be left out.. I do remember getting some pretty rare figure from some bizarre discount shop in Holiday in Blackpool or Scarborough one time. It was the talk of the playground and I managed to swap it for some Goalkeeper gloves and about 500 football stickers. Don’t ask me what the figure was I have no clue. It was no interest to me then and of even less interest now! Nearly filled my sticker book though……I also avoided having the figure pinched from me. Which was happened to the person I swapped it with!

    Anyway, I get the Star Wars reference even though the only Star Wars related film I have any re-collection of seeing was the the Ewok Spin Off “Caravan of Courage”. We rented it from the shop at the end of the street and the selection wasn’t that hot. I recall we once rented a film and it had been taped off the telly complete with commercials. I’ve seen bits and bobs of the first three Star Wars movies at Christmas but never actually sat down and deliberately set about watching a full film.

    Raising Glasses The Yowie Strikes Back 17 Year Single Cask Rum Australia hails from the oldest and probably the second most famous distillery in Australia Beenleigh. As much as it pains me to say, I think Bundaberg is the more famous distillery – especially worldwide. How Bundaberg has obtained this fame perhaps makes it more infamous but as they say all publicity is good publicity.

    The Yowie, if it isn’t obvious from the bottle shot is Australia’s “Bigfoot”. Quite exactly how that links to the rum in this bottle is anyone’s guess but it makes for an interesting label and naming convention. This is the 1st of 2 “Yowie” themed Star Wars related rums. In total Raising Glasses have released 3 Yowie related rums the first being a “Heavy Metal Edition”. I have no idea…….

    So the rum is noted as being Pot Still. However having spoke with Steve Magarry (Who worked at Beenleigh for many years) Beenleigh do run some of their wash through a column before it is pot distilled (at least I think that is what he was telling me!) so it isn’t truly 100% Pot Still rum, in the true sense. Still more of a Pot/Column blend. I may have not quite understood this process to be honest so any further info greatly appreciated. Further evidence of my lack of geeky credentials.

    The rum has been aged for 12 Years in Tropical Queensland in ex-Bourbon casks before being transferred to the UK for a further 5 years of ageing. The rear label of this release notes that the rum is produced from the S Pombe pre-2010 yeast strain. I have seen references to S Pombe before in rum circles but I’ll be honest I haven’t really looked into it that much. Have I ever mentioned that I’m not a very geeky rum geek?Raising Glasses The Yowie Strikes Back 17 Year Single Cask Rum Australia review by the fat rum pirate

    Raising Glasses The Yowie Strikes Back 17 Year Single Cask Rum Australia comes in a 375ml bottle – which is a sort of feature for Raising Glasses and is priced at $65. It is bottled at 69.1% ABV. The size and price go hand in hand to try and get more people to try “better” rums. To be fair the price of an Independent 70cl bottling can be pretty daunting for those not so experienced in the world of rum.

    5% of the profits from this bottle go towards North Queensland Animal Rescue centre.

    It is, alas only available in the US. We do however have plenty Beenleigh distilled Independently bottled rum available in the UK. So this will give a good indication of what you will find if you do splash the cash on a Beenleigh. I will note at this point that unlike Beenleigh’s “official” bottlings – you won’t find any additives in the Indie bottlings. Sadly the official output can have a little special sauce added……..not all but some.

    For such a well travelled rum, Raising Glasses the Yowie Strikes Back 17 Year Single Cask Rum Australia, presents itself quite “normally” in the glass. It is classic golden/dark brown rum. It looks a little dull/cloudy. Not something which anyone should associate in a negative manner. Its just an observation. This is common in higher ABV spirits.

    For those unfamiliar with Beenleigh they produce a style of rum which has several similarities with “British” inspired Caribbean Islands such as Barbados, Antigua and Saint Lucia.

    So on the nose we are immediately met with oak spices from those ex-bourbon casks. You also get some rich tofffee and butterscotch notes. It’s a welcoming kind of rum and its familiar style will appeal to Bajan and Saint Lucian rum lovers.

    Further nosing reveals some custard and some light banana notes. Maybe a hint of shoe leather and a touch of soot.

    The Saint Lucian influence comes across especially in the more herbal notes. Pot Pourri and some Eucalyptus or some kind of herbal plant.

    It’s all very nicely balanced and well integrated with every working well in tandom.

    On the sip even at the full ABV (and you have plenty leeway to add some h2o it is a very nice sipper. Though I feel a few drops of water do help it open up a little.

    The initial sip is quite fiery with plenty of oak spice and some herbal notes becoming apparent. Further sips reveal more of the softer toffee and butterscotch notes and the banana and custard also put in appearance.

    Raising Glasses The Yowie Strikes Back 17 Year Single Cask Rum Australia review by the fat rum pirateAs we move into the mid palate you notice a leathery note and a good development of smoky aromas. The flavour certainly builds up nicely on this one.

    It’s a rum worth spending time with and savouring. Don’t rush it with this one. It has a surprisingly amount of complexity to it. It’s very much a Foursquare/1931 kind of hybrid rum. Which lets be honest would not be a bad thing?

    The finish even when you “down proof” this is very long and very enjoyable – old leather arm chairs, freshly swept chimneys and tobacco. All are all held in line by the lovely sweet balance of the toffee, banana and butterscotch.

    I didn’t mix this rum and I don’t think anyone picking up a bottle should either.

    Excellent stuff.

     

     

     

  • Habitation Velier Hampden 2010 HLCF

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Habitation Velier Hampden 2010 HLCF Rum Review by the fat rum pirateHabitation Velier have bottled a Pure Single Rum from the Hampden Estate in Jamaica. In actual fact they’ve now actually bottled three different expressions from the Hampden Estate.  I’m a little behind the times I’m afraid.

    Released in 2016 this particular release is now particularly difficult to find.  It comes in the increasingly familiar Habitation Velier presentation box.  Which shows a drawing of each still the rum was distilled on.  It is also chock a block with detailed information on what the rum actually is.  No fairy stories here just cold hard facts.

    Hampden HLCF retailed at around the £70-80 mark here in the UK for a 70cl bottle. The rum was bottled at Cask strength – 68.5% ABV.  I’m not totally sure what the HLCF actually stands for but I do have the following information to share.

    Hampden HLCF identifies that the spirit has an ester count of between 550 one of the highest in Hampden’s rum.  Esters contribute a lot to a rums aroma and flavour. A typical Jamaican rum Wray and Nephew Overproof for example has a ester count of between 100-200.

    The rum has been aged for six years from 2010 to 2016.  It is 100% Pot Still distillate.  It is also the first Cask Strength bottling to be released by Hampden (in partnership with Velier).  The rum has been also been entirely aged at Hampden Estate.  It has an Angels Share of 40%.  Also re-assuringly on the bottle we are advised the rum is “Sugar Free” meaning on additional sugar has been added to the rum.

    This rum sold out fairly quickly once it got a score of 91 from Serge at WhiskyFun.  Having tried this rum I am not at al surprised it suited Serge’s palate.  Anyway enough of other peoples opinions…lets see how I found this Jamaican rum.

    Habitation Velier Hampden HLCF Rum Review by the fat rum pirateIn the glass the Hampden HLCF is a golden brown colour – an almost classic “young-ish” rum colour if you like.  It has a very slight “murkiness” to it.

    The nose is undoubtedly Jamaican and unrefutably Hampden.  Hampden Gold turned up to eleven.  The ABV (almost 70%) is big so you would expect a lot of alcohol – boozy the nose is definitely all the way there.

    But there is no mistaking the distinct aromas which eminate from this Pot Still Jamaican rum.  They are huge.  Funkier than George Clinton.  It has everything you might expect – black bananas, pineapple, stewed fruits, juicy raisins and some really sweet almost minty refreshing notes.  I might well have mistaken this for a Long Pond.

    It is intense.  Think Foursquare 2013 compared to Rum Sixty Six.  Yes it is that much different to Hampden Gold or even say Appleton Signature-V/X.

    This is the highest ester filled rum Hampden have ever bottled.  It is as Velier have noted a “world premiere”.

    Sipped even at full strength it is without doubt one of the most flavourful spirits you will likely ever encounter.  Whilst the alcohol burn is high at full strength you can still taste enough of the spirit to know this is something quite awesome and ground breaking.

    Dialling it down with a little water is called for unless you want to take very tiny and infrequent sips.  This is so good and I’m so greedy that just wasn’t going to happen.

    All the flavours promised on the nose come shining through onto the inital entry.  The rum is very intense, very “heavy” but also sweet.  This is what you get from Tropical ageing.  A more intense, more dense and more flavourful spirit.Habitation Velier Hampden HLCF Rum Review by the fat rum pirate

    It is bursting with sweet fruits, heavy notes of tangy bourbon ageing and despite being only 6 years old – it has the most mellow of finishes.  Its almost as if you get all the burn up front along with the intense flavour bomb, so by the time it comes to the finish your taste buds have taken in so much they just want to fall asleep and nod off.  They just want to enjoy that fuzzy, warming mouthfeel of the lemon zests and the tangy freshness of the sweet herbal/grassy notes.  Which never seems to leave your mouth.  The finish is super long.

    These Habiation Velier releases are firmly aimed at the rum geek or aficionado.  If you think Zacapa and DRE are the bench marks of truly great rum this Hampdden will offend you in the extreme.

    Yorkie chocolate bars in the UK were once marketed with the slogan “not for girls” – I wouldn’t be quite so offensive and say women won’t enjoy this rum.  However your more casual or sweetened rum drinker will struggle with a rum such as this.

    At times the Habiation Velier releases have been more educational than actually enjoyable.  The unaged Port Mourant wasn’t the greatest rum I’ve ever had and the WP 502 was no real extension on the distilleries own Rum Bar Overproof.

    However, it would be stupid to complain about such rums being made available.  It seems that Luca Gargano is convincing producers such as Richard Seale to release rum so far out of their usual comfort zone, it is almost akin to him being forced to add sugar.

    Funkier than George Clinton.