Hampden Plantation Jamaica HJF 2002

Great bottling - both wonderful fruit notes and wood, spice and a heavy caramel sweetness come together here. The alcohol is excellently integrated, the over 70% are not really tasty - except in the aromatic complexity. If Plantation can maintain this level, one can look forward to the coming releases.

Impressive alcohol integration! An aromatic bomb, an explosion of flavor. A top-quality Hampden!

Extraordinary Hampden with perfectly integrated alcohol. This one is really fun!

A superb bottling! Jamaica funk, esters, wood, spice. The nose hints at the potential of this rum, perhaps a little spicy with its 70% abv. The palate is oily, creamy and at the same time astringent, with an outstanding interplay of aromas of tropical fruits, glue, wood... Very well integrated alcohol. A long finish rounds off this outstanding rum.

...probably the best I've ever tasted from Plantation.... Alcohol well integrated (at incredible 70.3%)... beautiful fruit and ester notes for me balanced and very very tasty !!Please more of it 🇯🇲❤️

A first-class Hampden with the full power of Jamaica! On the nose it is powerfully funky with a good portion of ester, fruit and also woodiness. This continues on the palate, oily and creamy, it spreads over the palate and is initially quite wild and it takes a while to tame it. But then the full hampdenktaft blossoms. A pleasure, as is the long finish, a clear recommendation. Nothing more needs to be said

Absolutely epic Hampden in my opinion. The 70.3% are incredibly well integrated, there are other Hampdens that scratch much more at 58%. This one is simply unbelievably deliciously oily, intense, balanced and concentrated. The note of Provolone/Pecorino cheese, which is present both on the nose and in the taste, is somewhat irritating. However, the whole is wonderfully rounded off by baked banana, acacia honey, Virginia tobacco, a little mint or eucalyptus, overripe pineapple, a little lime and olive brine at the end. The finish is a little woodier, more medicinal and slightly acidic, bacony, but incredibly tasty and never too much wood or too much ester. Simply perfectly balanced! I have to try this one in May Tai! 🤤🇯🇲🤙 But be careful: it needs 1.5 hours to breathe!⚠️ PS: 1 year after opening, it has become much rounder and tamer!

Was für ein brutales Gerät. Eine DER Abfüllungen in 2021 für einen sehr fairen Preis. Plantation hat da wohl doch ein paar Schätze im Keller liegen. Gerne mehr davon.

A few months later tasted again and must correct me significantly upwards. Cool part and necessarily try times in peace, if you have the opportunity for it.

#4448 03.11.2023 first off thanks to Thomas Wille for supplying this nice sample. A very nice Hampden indeed. Fruity and fresh with nice esters and light glue notes. The palate is oily and fruity with nice roasted wood notes. The finish is very long, oily and warm with a nice smoky touch and light mint. Love the caramel in the profile. Would have loved a bottle on my shelves 😊

Probably the best Plantation bottling for me (although it's more of an LMDW selection). A Hampden high esters as we like them, in the line of an excellent <H>. In addition to the roasted tropical fruits (banana, pineapple...), there are some empyreumatic notes. The strawberry tagada and Haribot banana candy side is just exquisite. A perfectly integrated alcohol that allows an interminable finish. A must !

The nose starts on a nice greediness: it smells good molasses. With a little time, notes of cheese (ewe?) and olive appear. The profile is more closed and less fruity than on other Hampden, but it is pleasant. The mouth is powerful but the alcohol is well integrated. The balance of the mouth is perfect: we have greed and fruit. A nice selection.

Clearly one of Plantation's best releases to date. The nose is highly concentrated, with overripe pineapple, banana and mango, esters, solvents, glue and varnish blending perfectly with the woody, spicy and pastry notes, and the hint of tar adding a terpene influence that's quite singular for Hampden. There are also hints of olive, which are added after aeration. A profile as complete as it is exuberant on the nose. On the palate, this is a true dragon: powerful, majestic, but beware of its fire breath. The 70 degrees are extremely well integrated, but remind the palate that it's still hot. Extremely fruity and phenolic, the funk is clearly there. Tannins, olive and citrus leave their mark on the rum, along with some nice spicy, woody, empyreumatic notes and a hint of caramel. The rum is oily, intense and complex on the palate, a real success. The very long finish blows like a warm, fruity wind, with some phenols, spices and rubbery notes. It is, however, more docile than the attack on the palate. A truly indomitable beast, this Hampden is heavy, full-bodied, aromatic, complex and very tasty. A wonderful experience that deserves its price.

Hampden nose at its best! Buttery notes, pastry / baking spice, pineapple, solvent, caramel. Even though the 70% ABV is brute, and you can only sip here, it fits together well for me here. Fermented fruit, spice, olive and wood on the palate. The finish is toasty and meaty. Plantation has really hit it big here! Again, quite a bit better than the Old Brothers HJF 2002. Plantation's courage to keep the barrel strength has clearly paid off. I wonder, however, how the Old Brothers would have been at cask strength 🤔 (unfortunately, it was diluted from 76.6% to 53.6%).

I would not have expected that from Plantation. A real board with 70%