Hampden 2023 Wealth Solutions - Colours of Rum Single Cask Oloroso & Pedro Ximenez - b. 2024 - 700ml - 2 bottles

Jamaica 2023 - Hampden 1500-1600 GR/HLPA Pedro Ximénez - This Hampden 2023 release was aged for 9 months in Europe in a 1st fill Pedro Ximénez Sherry Hogshead cask. Distilled in April 2023, with the highest possible esters' content (DOK mark), it was bottled in May 2024 at 62.9% ABV.

Tasting Notes:

“This might well be something illegal—1500 to 1600 gr ester/HLPA, they say. Ah, that would be DOK. ‘Aged in Europe’, they add, but I doubt that makes the slightest difference after just one year. Right then, let’s hold tight and dive in quickly… Colour: amber. Nose: if all ex-PX casks were like this… Crayola crayons, tar, incense, cedarwood, black olives, and brake pads. That said, it’s possible the PX has slightly tamed this little monster, but we’ll need water to really judge. With water: hmm, not sure it’s helped much—still those classic Hampden markers of tar, tarmac, carbon, green olives, smoked fish, and sauna oils. Mouth (neat): carbon, tar, pepper, and rubber dissolved in turpentine. You get the picture. With water: ah, there it is, a tiny bit of sweetness creeping in… But no, we’re joking, it’s still wonderfully brutal. Perhaps that hint of dried apricot and the two little raisins duelling in the background do come from the PX. Who knows. Finish: very long, yet somehow not that long (?). Lovely smoky brine. Comments: between us, if there’s one distillery that’s magnificent both in its youth and in its aged versions, it’s this blessed Hampden, which we still can’t seem to fault.”

Note: SGP:563 - 89 points.
Source: whiskyfun.com

Jamaica 2023 - Hampden 1500-1600 GR/HLPA Oloroso - This Hampden 2023 release was aged for 9 months in Europe in a 1st fill Oloroso Sherry Hogshead cask. Distilled in April 2023, with the highest possible esters' content (DOK mark), it was bottled in May 2024 at 63.4% ABV.

Tasting Notes:

An ultra-young DOK, not even a year old. Let’s see if the oloroso has anything to tell us in this extreme context. Colour: deep gold. Nose: I get it. If you're going to go for a 'paille' or 'reposado' style, you might as well use ultra-active casks, as long as you don't end up with too much wood influence. That's not the case here, the DOK shines through, but the green walnuts of the oloroso seem to mingle and even... invite it to dance a tango. It’s quite amusing but, to be honest, it remains an extreme Hampden. The Hell’s Angels of rum. With water: seawater, clams, barnacles, anchovies, and boat varnish. Mouth (neat): sublimely salty, giving the impression they’ve distilled salty liquorice steeped in ultra-dry oloroso. You’d have to be mad. The fruits are jostling in the background, but this ultimate liquorice paired with fresh walnut is holding them back for now. With water: hyper-salty, hyper-tarry, full-on rubber and brine... It’s perfect. Finish: very long but extremely salty. Could the oloroso have come from the seaside? Sanlúcar? Comments: almost impossible to score, it’s totally love it or hate it, one again. Not easy following the magnificent Velier, but it does stand proudly.

Note: SGP:463 - 89 points.
Source: whiskyfun.com