Hampden Pure Single Jamaican Rum Classic HLCF

"Nice rum, but a little under compared to batch1. The presence of a slight solvent note I liked less and it is less intense. However, we are talking about finesse and personal taste. We are dealing with a rum that I would drink all the time! I do not understand all these new versions of Hampden Velier that I find little different from each other and especially pòco justified in terms of value for money. Velier lately is focusing too much on collectors with the result of making the bottles unobtainable already upon release and overpriced."

"This is a retaste and I stick to my initial score 😊 A pretty good HLCF release and I have ordered a bottle after testing the sple I got. Leave to rest for a good while in order to release all the flavours. You can also add a few drops of water if you think it bites too much. The nose is intense and fruity with wood, clove and varnish and a hint of mint. The palate is also intense and fruity with smoky wood and nice spiciness to it. The finish is long and fruity with smoky wood, sugarcane and light herbal notes."

"Solid Hampden with good PLV."

"I’m a bit confused about this rum replacing the Overproof, as they are so different from each other. I may recalibrate this another day. - Now another day, but still no recalibration 🤪 however this is really good and I’m bumping it a few points. - Coming back to this rum again and I still consider it’s a completely different but better rum than the original. - Almost a year later from the above tasting. This bottle is better than the original, but less complex and lacks some of the asphalt notes that I like however is more potent in esters and more funky."

"What I was looking forward to this tasting. Its predecessor was my introduction to Hampden and it still tastes great to me. Unfortunately, my fears with the HLCF Classic have come true. Old and with are difficult to compare here, because yet something clearly different, nevertheless, this comparison must be allowed in my eyes, because one finally replaces the other. The "new" is for me flatter, more one-dimensional. Less fruit, less barrel, less depth, but a little more varnish and perhaps even more alcoholic.For a standard bottling still a good rum, which stands out far against the usual standards, but for me personally unfortunately somewhat disappointing..."

"Clearly more fruity on the nose like the 8y old predecessor. Taste then slightly acidic, buttery fruity and somewhat smoky and umami. Definitely a very nice HLCF and surprisingly sweet and tasty! Overall, however, I like the predecessor a little more and does better in the Mai Tai due to the longer maturation, which comes through in the Mai Tai with much more glue and butyric acid and fermented pineapple, but with too little wood. Pure I like the better here, in the Mai Tai the "standard" overproof. Both but absolutely top!"

"Very cool release from Hampden. Great extension of the range with this HLCF single mark. Pure a really solid and beautiful HLCF, a little young and wild. Really cool, but he will be in May Tai. There he delivers brutally and convinces at full length 5/5. In these times a really great release at a fair price. 4 years tropically stored, single mark and bottled by Hampden with 60%....all that for just under 70€ is ne cool story.🇯🇲🔥"

"clearly he can not hold a candle to the 92s HLCFs of Nobilis and RumClub etc. (have the RumClub Ed. 18 in the other glass for comparison), but the HD HLCF Classic can score for it with a lot of power💥 💪 and a successful mix of Marque / maturity / ABV. For me, clear thumbs up 👍"

"Once again a great Hampden, where the PLV is right!In the nose funky Jamaica, on the palate rather young, slightly smoky wood, perfectly integrated alcohol and gentle esters!The finish nice soft woody fruity!Class"

"The HLCF Classic joins the original bottlings seamlessly.nose: very pleasant and soft come the esters therefore me neat solvent. Fresh and sweet, lemon with ripe, tart pineapple and candied orange peel. Behind that, subtle honey sweetness, with a doughy, buttery texture. None of it overbearing at all. Just my kind of thing. Hampden, that's what it is! Palate: here the 60% is a statement. Already comes across bitter with tannins. Even a bit salty-metallic with a slight umami impact. Fruit is present more in the direction of lemon zest. Also seems slightly toasty.In the finish it remains bitter, but becomes more fruity in the direction of melon.Overall a decent drop. Nose I like really well, on the palate I like the 8yo Overproof better."

"Didn’t try this neat for quite a while. I have to say, this is actually better than I remembered 😅 Nose is a little bit uninspired, Performance on the palate however quite good."

"Nice fruity-fresh nose. On the palate, the floral note overpowers the fruity a bit too much for my taste. Hammer finish with a great sweet fruity, slightly floral note."

"A lovely Hampden with plenty of power, tropical fruit and candied lemon."

"A rum of a remarkable aromatic intensity for its positioning. The nose takes shape with solvent, honey and very fruity and fermented notes. The palate follows the fruity framework and continues on smoky and floral notes that give a real complexity to the product. The finish leaves a spicy, honeyed, fruity and woody impression. The alcohol is perfectly integrated. A balanced and controlled Hampden."

"Very decent Hampden but lacks something special. A great daily Hampden, though. I personally like the predecessor better, though, as it's a little too biting overall. Nevertheless, all the Hampden-specific markers are present and very tasty in the drink."