The Hampden Great House Distillery Edition 2020 is a rum distilled from molasses at the Hampden Estate distillery in Jamaica, built around 1750 by Scotsman Archibald Sterling. The rum is aged in tropical conditions and produced in copper stills with long, natural fermentation.
This is a semi-rare 10 out of 10 for me. This was my first Great House rum, and will stand as the most ideal and perfect Hampden release that I have ever tried. The individual notes, the composition, and the presentation all work together perfectly, and sets the standard for what I expect Hampden's Great House releases to achieve.
This is hot stuff to be sure, and while I had a small 50ml sample to work with, it never even occurred to me once to try adding water to what is quite a glorious rum. Dilute this attack of flavor and dull this powerhouse expression of tiki in a glass? I think not.
