Hampden 8 Year and Hampden Pagos LM&V

Review by: Raygun

A quick note before anything else for the sake of transparency. This review was done with industry samples provided free of charge, with no expectations beyond drinking them. As always, I do my best to provide my unbiased opinion, and readers can decide how they want to take these reviews . For more, check out the ethics statement we use on Maltrunners.com.

Couple more rums from La Maison & Velier, this time Jamaican rum from Hampden. Both fermented with wild yeast, distilled on double retort pot stills and aged in Jamaica. Reviewed from samples.

8 Year

Distillery: Hampden

Bottler: La Maison & Velier 

Region/style: Jamaican pot still rum

ABV: 46%

Age: 8 years

Cask type: Presumably ex-bourbon

Color: 1.4 auburn. Natural color.

Price: Around $60

Nose: Orange zest, banana, and a touch of glue. Banana leaves as well as the fruit. 

Palate: Orange zest again. Some kind of vegetation. Caramel and a touch of vanilla. It’s pretty flat compared with the Pagos. 

Finish: Orange, caramel, and some chocolate. Banana leaf. Pretty tannic, which is not a surprise.

Pagos

Distillery: Hampden 

Bottler: La Maison & Velier

Region/style: Jamaican pot still rum 

ABV: 52%

Age: No age stated

Cask type: Oloroso sherry solera butts from Bodegas Fundador

Color: 1.5 tawny. Natural color.

Price: Around $100

Nose: Considerably more funk. An herbal fragrance, in a way that brings to mind soap. Some nuttiness from the oloroso. Something like hairspray. 

Palate: That’s nice. Had plenty of sherry cask Scotch, but wasn’t sure how it would work with rum. Pretty well. Sweeter than I’d thought. Get some dates and almonds from the sherry, but also grilled pineapple, brown sugar, and fried artichoke. Has a pleasant savory aspect. 

Finish: Almonds, dates, and a handful of spices. Allspice, nutmeg, and clove, I’d say. Fried squash blossoms. A hint of mocha. 

Conclusion: Easy choice. The 8 Year was relatively flat: tasted like rum, but not that much going on. Pagos stood out by comparison. Pretty sweet for me, but the sherry casks worked well and brought some interesting flavors. 

Buy a bottle? Pagos would be the call 

Score:
8 year: 73
Pagos: 81

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent rum 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.

Published by Raygun

Unknown's avatar

I drank Scotch occasionally (mostly at family gatherings) for years, but started getting more interested after an introduction and tasting from a Scottish acquaintance. That led to buying my first bottle (Highland Park 12). Now 600+ spirits later, Scotch is still my first love, but I drink other whisky and dabble in brandy as well.

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