Review #: 396
Description: Hampden Great House 2020
Spirit: Rum
Background: Hampden has previously put out their Great House blend as a distillery exclusive. 2020 brough the bottling out to retailers around the world including the US. The blend consists of about 80% OWH marque (a lower ester marque) from 2013 and 20% <>H (pretty high ester) from 2017. Let’s see how the two get along.
Distillery – Hampden
Bottler – Hampden
Brand – Hampden
Selection – N/A
ABV – 59%
Age – NAS
Nose – Brown sugar, overripe banana, apple pie, pine needles and sap, earthy oak
Taste – Gooey caramel, maple syrup, cherry, red apple
Finish – A blast of fresh and raw green apple cuts the sweetness from the palate, burnt caramel, pine needles, a warm lingering earthy funk (not really industrial or overly fruity)
Score: 7
Would I buy a bottle? Yes
Thoughts: A really great rum here. Well balanced both in terms of sweetness and funk. It has a mouth feel that reminds me of XXX/Three (which if you know me, is a huge compliment). I could see some who love the savory Jamaicans be a little overwhelmed with the taste, but the finish really helps rein it in. Plenty of complexity, distinct flavors, this is a great release from the famed distillery.