Hampden RA Jamaica Rum HDHE DOK

 Very intense and yet accessible. Balanced with a great barrel influence. A highlight of the 13th German Rum Festival Berlin for me.

 Blind tasting in the RumX calendar 2024-12-06 Fruits. Pineapple, mango and lots of ester funk. Just as much ester on the palate, tropical fruits, solvent. Green olives on the finish, dry and slightly salty. Almost no barrel notes and quite pale in color. All this makes me think Hampden, approx. 10yo 60% alcohol. The mark is more difficult: possibly DOK? Score 9.0 Actually DOK! Score +0.2 I think this bottling is clearly undervalued. This is a really good DOK that has already shaken off its rough edges and is therefore very accessible for this brand. --------- It's amazing how practically all Hampden rums manage to remain "pale faces" and take on little color even after a long time in the barrel. The rum can be perceived from a great distance: fruity-sweet wafts waft through the room, and someone hasn't closed the tube with the glue 😁 However, there is not only intensity but also different aromas to discover when you pass the glue. A very similar picture on the palate: lots of fruit and sweetness, dryness at the same time, the dryness increases towards the finish and the barrel influence becomes more present. The alcohol is well integrated. I like it a lot, better than the Nobilis GRF 13 I just tasted, and at the same price, this seems to be the better choice.

 Edit: had another look at the RumX 2024 -6 calendar today. Definitely not recognized as a doc. Much too tame. It should have been out of the barrel much earlier Corrected downwards I liked the DOK from Rum Artesanal a little better than the one from Colours of Rum. But in my opinion, it has been in the barrel too long and I miss a little of the wildness that I like so much about the Mark. It's good, but more on the smooth, round side without any big rough edges. A little too good for the Mark. I personally wouldn't buy a bottle here either. But the price is fair in this day and age.

 GRF13: Another 2009 Hampden DOK that fits seamlessly into the series of these vintage bottlings. It has all the aromas of this mark and also contains a minimal smokiness on the palate. If you are a fan of DOK, you can enjoy this one without hesitation.

 Very accessible Hampden, probably from the DOK marque, for which the release is surprisingly accessible. Lots of drop fruit, but also pleasantly sweet and balanced. Great release, a highlight in the current Hampden releases.

 Blind DOK Tasting - 6th and penultimate place. It’s quite a good rum, also looking on the price tag and the wonderful marzipan/caramel notes. It’s like a “beginners” DOK, with a well integrated alcohol contend..

 First impression on the nose: surprisingly round and sweet (those tinned fruits for the fruit base come to mind), underpinned by a slight note of glue and sour cream. Also quite 'smooth' on the palate. The 15 years in the barrel have done a great job here. I found the 12yr TRC DOK a little more exciting, but the RA certainly has nothing to hide!

 Very good DOK. A little too much on the dry side for me, but still extremely good! Good PLV!

 Very very enjoyable. In DOK terms this is almost smooth.

 RuX Advent Calendar Day 6: Here we have another unmistakable Jamaican. Typical DOK, lots of esters on the nose and palate, plus tropical fruits such as pineapple and glue. In any case, a very good rum.

 Tasted at the 13th GRF. A very balanced, almost mild DOK. And also a DOK with an unusual herbal note. This is especially confirmed on the palate where even some aniseed is recognizable. Otherwise a nice DOK with a very good P/L. You can't go wrong here. I like it very much. Becomes more and more complex with time in the glass. Beautiful piece

 #5149 16.03.2025 Running through some samples at home. Nose Fresh, medium intense, light wood, faint smoke, fruity, ester, light pineapple, faint floral. Palate Round, fresh, oily, medium intense, light pineapple, banana, ester, light wood, faint glue, spice. Finish Long, balanced, light oily, fruits, banana, faint glue, spice. Empty glass Chocolate, vanilla, light pineapple, faint floral. Needs to rest for a while to really open up. ABV integration is very good.

 RumX Advent calendar 2024, door 6 I'm guessing an LP but in the higher ester range STCE upwards ... something like that. The meaty note is there. The sweet bacon. Continental matured, abv in the low 50s Well, totally off the mark again 😂

 Tasted at the German Rumfestival and tasted again today. A typical DOK, lots of vinegar at the beginning. A little less brute overall. I also noticed the floral, herbal notes, but they quickly disappeared again. Anyone who likes DOK will also like this one.

 RumX Advent Calendar Day 6 Nose... Fruity... Marzipan pineapple banana... a Jamaica profile with a medium ester level so my impression. Palate... Hampden, fruity pineapple banana marzipan but also woody notes. Alcohol a little bitchy at least on the palate. Finish relatively bitter. Edit: I would not have expected a DOK, very restrained and zam for it. Nevertheless not bad.