Hampden Great House (Distillery Edition 2023) 2023 57%

"Blind tasting 01.02.2024, 2nd rum of the evening Nose: But now Jamaica! Some kind of low ester, I would say. Palate: A little too sour for me, seems one-dimensional, but the alcohol is well integrated. But stick with Jamaica. An HGML? The Younger perhaps? Resolution: Wow, the latest GH, really? I would have expected more."

"A balanced yet lively nose. Fruit, fruit, solvents and a hint of fermentation. On the palate, mostly fruit, with the solvent/fermented side present but in the background. The finish is mostly fruit and long. The aromas fade very slowly and in a balanced way. A fine rum, not exciting but better, for my taste, than the 2020 and, above all, very different."

"It's almost a tradition to get the Great House and then compare across the board. So far, of course, they are all very similar, even if the blended marks and their proportions differ slightly. The classic Hampden aromas can of course also be found here: Ester, vinegar, ripe banana, pineapple, lemon, a slight caramel note, varnish... But now a direct comparison with all its predecessors: 2023 vs 2022: Nose: Fuller, deeper and more balanced, less fermented, more caramelly. Seems more mature and much better overall. +++ Palate: more caramel, slightly more bacon, less fermented esters, rounder and more mature, better. ++ 2023 vs 2021: Nose: less vinegar, less fruity, stronger, more intense and slightly woodier, I like it a little better, + Palate: very similar, if not the same. - 2023 vs 2020: Nose: less fruity-sweetish, more powerful, slightly woodier, more intense esters, but less fermented. Different, but the same on. - Palate: more mature, less astringent and less bitter, rounder. + 2023 vs 2019: Nose: less sweet fruit, less marzipan, stronger and woodier, coarser esters, also different, but same on - Palate: less marzipan, less freshness, slightly riper, less woody, slightly better. + What can I say, after the cross-comparison, the new 23 GH seems to be the same and slightly better than my previous favorite 2020. Therefore an 8.3 overall Afterwards, I honestly had to adjust all the GHs downwards by 0.4 points, as there are now much better Hampdens, especially single casks. Now the ratio is right again."

"Edit: Tasted it yesterday after the 1994 Crosstasting at DomM as a mixer with Coke as a nightcap. It can really do something and became a bottlekill. Franconian Tasting Gang For me, another beautiful Great Haus that fits seamlessly into the existing bottlings. A nice profile that I like at the moment."

"There's no doubt about the origin of this rum: this is Hampden. All the usual hallmarks are to be found in this rather successful Great House. It's hard to classify it against its predecessors from memory. I'd say it's right up there. I'd put it lower for its slightly higher alcohol content, which makes it less accessible for my tastes."

"Very well-rounded and harmonious Great House. Not quite as wild as the GH22."

"Relatively relaxed Great House. Few esters and more fruitiness than the predecessors. Very tasty."

"Very nicely balanced impression on the nose. It is noticeable that there are not only high esters in the blend. Quite restrained for Hampden. I also find ripe plums - unusual! Much more happens on the palate! Lots of fruit and spice, a slight bitterness from the cask, In the finish, the bitter note increases a little and is a little too much for me, because it overpowers the fruity sweetness. A very good Hampden blend with lots of tannin at the end."

"This is a relaxed way to start the day, with a nice Hampden. Great nose consisting of tropical fruits and some ester. The palate also has tropical fruits such as banana and pineapple as well as a light ester flavor."

"It seems relatively similar to the GH22, not quite as much ester, but the profile is very similar. A direct comparison will show whether my first impression is confirmed. I would be interested in the composition of the blend. In direct comparison with the GH22, the GH23 is a little too "vegetabley" for me and too bitter on the finish."

"Hampden Great House Crosstasting 2019-2023. The 2023 is definitely the weakest of the bunch. Nice and round but almost nothing at all from the cask. Great Dailey sipper but nothing that stands out from a lot of Hampdens. For me the following result: 1st place 2020 2nd place 2021 3rd place 2019 4th place 2022 5th place 2023"