I have been slow to board the rum boat. I’ve only reviewed three rums till now. In the meantime, Serge V.—who all but singlehandedly got whisky geeks around the world to start drinking rum—has already reviewed more rums than I have whiskies in the entire time that I’ve been reviewing whiskies. This is not an exaggeration.
One of the problems with being late to the party is that most of what first got people excited is already gone and prices have begun to rise. Still, they’ve got a long way to go to catch up with whisky. Hampden is a cult distillery, for instance, and this 18 yo, released last year, is still around and costs far less than the Highland Park 18. Of course, the bigger problem for those of us in the US is how little interesting rum is available here. K&L in California were the only ones committed to a rum program but the new limitations on inter-state shipping may have put paid to that: large numbers of bottles of a Hampden they brought in early in the year and expected to sell out in a day or two are still sitting on their shelves (well, it’s possible that asking $70 for a 9 yo rum may also have something to do with that). Anyway, there’s an opportunity here for independent bottlers who already have distribution channels across the US: if you make good rum available to us widely, we will buy it.
Hampden 18, 1998 (46%; Kill Devil; from my own bottle)
Nose: Over the top aromatic like all the (few) Hampdens I’ve had: bananas, bananas, bananas. And banana bread. And a rotting trash heap in the sun. Plus pineapple and an almost berry-like sweetness. Under and through it all: machine oil, diesel, recently oiled hinges, black olive tapenade. With a lot of time and air the bananas back off a bit and there’s more balance (if that’s the right word for a nose like this one). Water mellows the fruit further and pulls out more of the diesel. I’ve sat in buses that smelled like this and not enjoyed it but this I enjoy.
Palate: Yes, it’s all that stuff from the nose, except leading with the funk before the fruit comes through and with a lashing of peppery smoke. Perfect texture and bite at 46%. More diesel here too with water and also some bready notes.
Finish: Long. Nothing new: all that stuff slowly fades out with the banana bread (with a bit of diesel in the batter) coming out again at the end. Longer with water and yes, more diesel here as well.
Comments: This is crazy stuff. Completely in line with that insanely high proof Habitation Velier release but mellower and far more drinkable (and I liked it far better than K&L’s 24 yo as well). So much so, in fact, that after a couple of pours from this bottle I immediately bought a few more bottles. I recommend you give it a go too if you can.
Rating: 90 points.
My Annoying Opinions 
Hi MAO. Question unrelated to today’s piece: Does scotch change much (for better or worse) after bottling? I know there’s no more exchange with the barrel wood, but the chemicals in the scotch probably break down into simpler chemicals over time (even if cellar stored), so at least subtle changes seem likely. Just wondering your opinion. Thanks. -Mark
Mark Masselink
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There won’t be any noticeable change in a properly stored (i.e away from sunlight/uv light and heat sources; stored upright) closed bottle—at least not for a very, very long time (many, many decades). However, once a bottle is opened it will change with time depending on how tight the cork is, how much air is in contact with the whisky (which will depend largely on how empty/full the bottle is).
By the way, I removed the email address and cellphone number from your comment.
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Humidity is also a factor. Unless the top is re-sealed (with wax or, say, Parafilm), a super-dry climate will shrink the cork and suck out the whisky.
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Yeah, this was a very crushable dram. I have a hard time scoring it vs. scotch or bourbon but I thought the only thing is I wish it was bottled a few abv% higher.
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I think the strength is perfect myself—crazy drinkable with all the aroma and flavour right there.
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In your opinion, what holds this back from being a higher scoring pour? I liked this a lot as well but I felt the depth of flavor was slightly hindered by the proof.
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Well, 90 points is a very high score for me. I very rarely go higher. In my “system” to go higher than 90 points a whisky/whatever needs greater depth, complexity and development than this has. Those things are not necessarily correlated with higher proofs.
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I’ll have to look for this one. Which cask is this? The label may not have the cask # but it should state the date it was distilled and the number of bottles. I can’t quite make it out in the image. Thanks!
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381 bottles.
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This is a beautiful rum, with a lot going on. Much of it is not in your face – even the diesel that you may have mentioned in your review. The aromas in the almost-empty glass are terribly similar to what I found in St. George absinthe verte: anise, herbs, eau-de-vie (peach, apricot). It also reminds me of a marc, perhaps the gentle wood talking. It’s still not a 90p whisky for me, but very good indeed! I liked the bus experience image, I know what you’re talking about! (Diesel and various other organic smells emerging with close proximity to one’s ilk.) Thanks for the sample!
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You prompted me to also open my bottle of the 2007/2017 9yo Golden Devil Hampden. While most of the motor-centered notes are there, the fruitiness is much dampened down compared to the 18yo, which puts them not in the same class. Enjoyable, interesting, but I won’t rush to buy another (especially not at $70).
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