Tastes

First smell of this when I opened the bottle was "tire shop". Industrial funk all over, but as it opens up, nutmeg and vanilla start to come out. The palate started out funky, with something I can only describe as "probably mango peel", but as it airs, I get some chocolate, cola, tiramasu, and more tire. Might be my favorite Great House, but I need to do a Round Robin tournament to be sure.

Aromas of banana, molasses, with a funk that leans a bit towards the industrial side. Rich fruity flavor with some funk, maple, slightly vegetal, with some iodine in there, maybe even a little bit of dark fruit. Close to the quality of Great House at a fraction of the price. Unfortunately, this recipe has been discontinued in favor of a 4 year age stated single-marque (labeled "HLCF Classic"), so I bought a backup. Get it while you can.

Nose is fruity with a little brown sugar. Decidedly less hogo than other Hampden offerings, on account of the lower ester marque, but it's still quite funky compared to most molasses rums. I get some brown sugar, banana, and a little cream on the palate. Solid standard bottling, and a good intro to Hampden.

A little light bodied, typical Hampden funk with a little bit of caramel coming through on the nose and the palate (presumably from the bourbon cask). Has sort of a damp/mildew thing going on in the finish (in a good way). Ultimately I think the proof works well here, would love to see a similar offering with one of the high ester marques.

Think it's time to review some Hampden offerings. This is the distillery that made me realize rum is exciting. This is hogo all over, fruity nose heavy with funk. Banana peel, burnt rubber, a little heat, and a slightly sour note I can't place. There's a little salinity on the finish. Overall, an excellent offering in the "white overproof" category

Brown sugar, cherry, very light sulfur, a little spice. Nice body, medium finish. Pretty good FS, the quality is there, but I've come to the realization that FS is just kinda boring to me.