Habitation Velier Hampden Hampden OWH

 #4813 16.08.2024 Having a relaxing afternoon and evening with Joël from Switzerland. Nose Fresh, fruity, pineapple, light floral, faint honey, light wood. Palate Warm, fresh, light wood, fruity, overripe, light pineapple, lightly sweet, light ester, faint chocolate. Finish Long and warm, light wood, faint roasted, fruity, light banana, faint chocolate. The empty glass has a nice herbal touch as well as light mint.

 For me, the nose is a bit more Clarendon than Hampden. Relaxed sipper, but sportily priced. Not the glorious end to a fantastic series.

 mmh… i‘m a bit disapponited… This one takes the last place of the Hampden Velier series, for sure. Not for the low ester content, it just not knock my socks off. Also the price per value rating is horrible..

 Very good and actually almost exactly what I expected and hoped for. Medicinal with vanilla, a little marzipan, lots of semi-ripe banana and a few tropical fruits with varnish and phenol. Very great low ester Jamaican that scores with its tropical maturation

 The last in the series of HV Hampden-Marks and I have to say, not my favorite by far. I find the nose rather unpleasant. Sorrel/kumquat mix with wood, in between some marzipan, ester/phenol mix. However, this dull sour note predominates. On the palate, it is initially creamy and oily with a subtle sweetish note. Then a kind of medicinal aroma develops, paired with olive, allspice and tart vegetal notes. There is also a slight hint of young wood. The finish is medicinal and spicy. Too bad, I had hoped for a conclusion to the series.

 Spicy on the nose, overripe fruit, medicinal notes, marzipan. Also quite spicy on the palate, licorice, barrel. Good OWH!

 Very good Jamaican. Surprising for an OWH. I was expecting something more patissier and less fruity. But it's very good.

 Oh wow, it's also simply great. On the nose, it has tropical fruit and a hint of citrus. The palate also has tropical fruit, and I find it beautifully spicy. Alcohol perfectly integrated. Strong rum. And thanks to SaibotZtar for the sample :)

 Very good low-ester Hampden! A real surprise.

 In the glass something that is a very streamlined version of what we’re used to from Hampden. Perhaps good to (for once) enjoy an HD not in need of constant attention and -dare I say?- overanalysation. On the nose lavish aromas of oak, ripe banana, marzipan, vanilla cappuccino, and sugared ‘borrelnootjes’. It’s not boring whatsoever though. The classic Hampden complexity is ever-lurking with notes of herbal black tea, phenol, and clingwrap. The palate is equally accessible: elegantly fruity, slightly tangy, and with lots and lots of roasted nuts. It’s marginally more spicy and herbal than on the nose, but the plastic note remains an interesting constant. The finish is sweet and malty, with bananes flambées, vanillasugar, nougat, and with the interesting introduction of a touch of varnish. Christelle Harris proclaims that her favourite marks are the lower ester ones, in contradiction to European trends. I’ll atleast agree that the low end of the spectrum is underrespected. The quality of this OWH is impeccable, the pricing however questionable.

 In comparison today, the Velier OWH 2018 RX17319 and the OWH from Rum Runner RX15797. In terms of smell, the Velier is ahead for me. Much more intense than the Rum Runner. In terms of taste, the Velier is also ahead for me. In conclusion, both are good, but there are better ones.

 This Hampden, one of the lightest in esters, surprises with its relatively broad aromatic spectrum. The nose surprisingly shows quite a lot of phenolic, fermented aromas and moves towards camphor, even though it's a light OWH mark. Best of all, tropical fruit, citrus and a hint of marzipan make for a complete, aromatic and friendly rum, with sustained spice throughout. On the palate, the Jamaican funk operates with finesse and care. Pineapple, banana and lime dance with spices, vanilla wood and hints of pastry. The texture is oily, greasy and generous, but remains fairly smooth and balanced. The alcohol is fairly well integrated. The finish is of decent length, halfway between medicinal scents on varnish, tannins, tropical fruit and citrus, warm spices and pastry. There aren't really any flavors that predominate on the finish. This young Hampden light ester comes off better than it let on, with a good dose of funk, a fairly broad aromatic spectrum and good accessibility.

 The conclusion of the series. It's not a bad rum, although for me it's the weakest of the series. Marzipan, somewhat medicinal, mild fruity notes and some wood. Unfortunately, it also has a relatively high acidity.

 Solid OWH, certainly also suitable for beginners.

 Guter Low Ester Hampden, der für meinen Geschmack etwas zu adstringierend/sauer ist und fruchtiger sein könnte.