Habitation Velier Hampden Celebrating LM&V 5th Anniversary (Magnum) HES

Doing a quick tasting, during cooking 😜 Lovely hampden with a very cool nose, but lacks in complexity/body and finish. In my opinion the ppv rating of this one is really bad… I‘m curious, if we‘ll see some older bottling in the future.

Meine geringen Erwartungen wurden komplett erfüllt: belangloser Low Ester Hampden, dem es an allem fehlt: kaum Komplexität, kaum Körper, kurzer Abgang. In der ersten Nase eine künstliche Zimtnote, die später verfliegt und dann der typischen Hampden-Nase Platz macht. Alkohol nicht gut eingebunden. Im Meer der Hampden Abfüllungen eine weitere Belanglosigkeit.

Did not have high expectations... but I am positively surprised. Nice young (though not wild) Hampden. Comes across very mild... Similarity to the LROK to recognize. Fruit basket and some glue everything very restrained but somehow coherent .finish it becomes slightly bitter .

Solider Hampden, aber nichts dolles. Habe wenig von der sonst so brachialen Power im Glas. In der Zweitverkostung ungewohnt kräutrige Noten für einen Hampden. Erinnert mich an günstige Guyana Rums (die Ich nicht mag), daher Abwertung um weitere 4 Punkte.

While I like the nose very much - more vibrant and fruity vs. HV LROK - the mouthfeel is just a bit too harsh for my liking in this one. Very curious to see older bottlings of the HES. With more age, I imagine this to be a very easy going sipper.

I expected more from it. Sour, slightly unripe pineapple, slightly medicinal and floral perfumed. Overall, not particularly round and somewhat exhausting. I find him especially much too acidic, astringent and too alcoholic...

I am surprised! Nice tropical low Ester Hampden with good complexity, abundant fruit, light marzipan notes, rather on the astringent side.

Funky, Ester, Ananas, Banane, wenig Holz, etwas vergoren

Ein guter leckerer Hampden, mir allerdings etwas zu zahm, obwohl er eigentlich alle wichtigen Marker eines Hampden enthält. Aber wie anfangs erwähnt, fehlt mir persönlich etwas, um ihm höhere Noten zukommen zu lassen.

Durchaus gelungen für gerade mal 3 Jahre Lagerung. Mir aber dann doch ein bisschen zu ungestüm. Der Alkohol ist außerdem etwas zu prägnant imo.

Edit: tasted again individually at leisure and corrected a little upwards Also tasted at the Kirsch Cruise 2024. A Hampden that delivers the typical markers you would expect. All in all a great rum, but it lacks that certain kick. But in the CubaLibre it proves to be very drinkable.

Wow, they really crammed a lot of flavours into this very young rum. Very fruity with nice herbal and floral notes. The flavours just creeped across the table from opening the sample and pouring it into the glass. The empty glass has flavours even the day after sampling.

A little young, but still nice. Alcohol not perfectly integrated. Very LROK-like

A Hampden with a light and subtle profile. The nose is funky, fruity, phenolic and slightly spicy, but it's relatively soft and understated. The fruity flavors return on the palate, with a touch of floral and a hint of vanilla, but it remains very subtle. Although the alcohol is fairly well integrated, the whole lacks expression, complexity and probably aging. The finish is light but persistent in the mouth with fruity and phenolic notes mainly. A rum that changes from the very heavy and funky Jamaican profiles, but that lacks depth to play in the big league.

War schon gespannt auf das neue Marque, HES = Hampden Estate Sugars, mit 253,5 gr/hlpa Esters also zwischen LFCH und LROK. An der Nase zunächst verhalten vergoren, Marzipan-Süße, Backwaren. Nach längerer Standzeit dann mehr säuerlich, Richtung Stachelbeeren und etwas leicht herbes, wie unreife (noch grüne) Bananen. Am Gaumen Zitrusfrüchte, kandiert, junges Holz. Ein mE durchaus gelungenes Experiment!