Review by: The Auditor

For this review we are sitting down with what are to me two really fun rum bottlings. The first on the left is a single cask bottling of rum from Hampden Estate for PM Spirits. This single cask of DOK, their highest marque, was aged for 5 years in Jamaica before being bottled at cask strength.

The sample on the right is 2oz of the Habitation Velier 5 year release which was not a single barrel but a large vatting of 5 year old DOK that was also bottled at cask strength once blended together. Neither has additives as well.

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Distillery: Hampden Estate

Bottler: La Masion & Velier / PM Spirits

Region: Jamaica

Still: Pot Still

Marque: DOK – 1600 gr/hLAA (Dermot Owen Kelly-Lawson)

Age: 5 years. Distilled in 2017. Bottled in 2022.

Cask type: Ex-Bourbon, 5 years in Jamaica

Price: $200.00

Color: Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

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PM Spirits Single Cask

ABV: 64.6%. Cask strength.

Nose: Incredibly pungent, over-ripe pineapple, cement glue, vanilla chai, lemon peel, lime juice, black tea, butterscotch, mushroom

Palate: Thick oily mouthfeel, pineapple, cement glue, lemon peel, lime juice, kitchen cleanser, butterscotch, mushroom, black tea, passionfruit

Finish: Long finish, pineapple, cement glue, black tea, lemon peel, mushroom, passion fruit, lime peel

Final Score: 96

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Habitation Velier

ABV: 60.5 %. Cask strength.

Nose: Over-ripe pineapple, lemon peel, anti-sceptic, lime juice, allspice, butterscotch

Palate: Thick oily mouthfeel, butterscotch, lemon peel, lime juice, allspice, black pepper, guava, juicy fruit gum

Finish: Long finish, pineapple, juicy fruit, lime juice, allspice, guava, black pepper

Final Score: 91

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Conclusion: Both of these are well crafted high ester rums that are packed full of flavor and particularly pungent. However, the PM spirits single cask edges out the batched version for me but both are what my High ester obsessed broken brain love and want to drink.

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.