Kintra Hampden Jamaica 8 Year Old. Kintra are a relatively new European Independent bottler. They began as so many do by bottling whiskies before moving, more recently onto rums.

Kintra hail from the Netherlands (which will be handy for the huge rum broker E.A Scheer). Most of their sales are racked up there. They also export to most of mainland Europe, Hong Kong and Japan.

Kintra began bottling Whisky around 8 years ago and began bottling rum in 2017. They bottle their rums at Cask Strength, with no additives such as sugar or any colouring. They do lightly filter their rums using only some cloth to remove the more obvious pieces of the barrel.

This Kintra Hampden Jamaica was distilled in June 2009 and aged in an ex-bourbon cask in Europe until being bottled on the 28 September 2017.  It was bottled at 56.5% ABV cask strength. It retailed at around 45 Euros. No bottles made it to the UK. Of which there were 367 in total.

A number of Hampdens have been bottled recently by numerous Independent bottlers. It should be noted that the Hampden Distillery currently do not release any aged rum. Their own releases – Rum Fire (and Rum Fire Velvet) are White Unaged Overproofs and the Hampden Gold, is much the same rum only coloured and bottled at 40% ABV. They do not keep aged rum on site and any rum you find bottled by European Independents will be entirely European aged.

There is also a bit of debate as to whether 2009 bottlings of Hampden are from Hampden or Long Pond.

When poured in the glass Hampden Kintra is a straw colour. Its pretty pale almost ihite wine wine.

The nose is quite fiery. Lots of medicinal notes, pine cones, mint and a generous hit of spicy oak. It has a sweet note of younger alcohol and bananas. Foam banana sweets, some spicy sweet/sour woodiness. There is a blanacing note of brown sugar enveloping this rums nose and adding a balance.

It is very much like a Long Pond rum – very fruity and sweet but with a real funk and high ester note. Despite the 56.5% ABV it is very welcoming and not overly boozy.

Sipped it transfer everything over from the nose. Initial sweetness is followed by a very strong hit of oak and spiciness. Sweet/sour Bourbon mash. Bananas and tropical fruits follow. There is a slight soapiness in the finish.

The finish and mid palate have a little bit of astringency – maybe a touch too much. Having said that the finish is long and satisfying with a lot of oak and spice.

The nose is better than the sip. The nose suggested a five star rum. Whilst all the flavours the nose suggested are present there are a couple of off notes in the sip.

It is a touch soapy/mouldy on the mid palate and a bit overly oaked on the finish. Slight imperfections on what is otherwise a very good rum.