Velier Hampden Pagos 2024

#4878 Whisky Live in Paris 27.09.2024-30.09.2024. Another great event meeting a lot of RumX new and old friends. This year three weren't as many new releases as in 2023, but I still had a great time. Nose Light wood, faint smoke, light nutts, light herbal, light sherry, fruits, pineapple, light dried fruit. Palate Round, fresh, light wood, light sherry, fruits, light pineapple, faint salt, dried fruit, faint nutts, faint coffee. Finish Medium to long, fresh, light wood, faint roasted, fruits, light nutts, cinnamon, light prunes. This is a really nice release and I love that the Olorosso cask hasn't taken over the profile. Well balanced and great ABV integration.

Whisky Live Paris 2024 (trade fair evaluation, only overall rating and personal recommendation to buy): From first impressions, I like it better than previous versions of the Pago. The sherry influence is clear on the nose but less intrusive on the palate. I would have to try it again in direct comparison, it was already late... I'm not sure yet whether I need a bottle.

The nose restrained roasted aromas slight nut influences. Slight spiciness on the palate. Well recognizable with sulphur and sherry. Strong finish. Lingers for a long time. A great rum that I will let compete against its two predecessors.

It has similar gunpwoder notes as batch 2 and I like it. This is slightly lighter tough.

#5131 01.03.2025 tasting at Whiskymessen.dk 2025. Nose Light, round, light wood, fruits, light honey, light citrus, faint floral, light sherry, pineapple. Palate Round, fresh, light wood, light floral, fruits, cinnamon, light berries, sherry, light dried fruit, spice. Finish Medium long, fresh, light wood, dried fruit, light citrus, sherry, spice, light banana.

So now I've tasted all three Velier Hampden Pagos from 2022, 2023 and 2024 in parallel. The differences are then rather negligible and for me the conclusion is that they are all very sherry-heavy, some more and some less. Basically solid, but also interchangeable.

Pagos is the only estery Jamaica with sherry finish that I can actually finish and quite enjoy it. Otherwise it is a terrible combination of rum and finish for me.

Wow, Sherry is really very recognizable here. Otherwise, it's just a typical Hampden. We have a lot of esters and tropical fruits like banana and pineapple. But it's easy to drink, like all Hampdens :-)

As with its predecessors, you can smell and taste the classic Hampden aromas. As with the 2022, the influence of the Olorosso cask is very dominant, but the flavors are generally weaker. My personal favorite is 2022

Sherry already clearly prominent, a little too much for me. But very drinkable!

Ve vůni sympatický mix tropického ovoce, červeného ovoce a jamajských esterů. Chuťově je exsherry dost znatelný, ale ve správném poměru, kdy to nepřebije rum. Mohl by mít méně tříslovin. Takhle působí drsněji a trpce.

Not as good as Batch 2, in my opinion. Aging in sherry casks is definitely not my thing, even if the result is not bad and must surely find its audience.

The nose is fruity. There is some solvent, it is creamy and there is also something deep that I cannot completely describe but it comes close to barrel spice. The fruits are pineapple, citrus, red fruits, sour grape and dense guava. There is also minerality. The 2024 and 2023 are equally good on the nose. First thing on the taste is grapes. It is also a but hot but not like the 2023. Then there is something sour, almost bitter. And dry. All well within limits but not necessarily what I want from a Hampden. Luckily it becomes sweeter on the finish. This is the best Pagos so far, with a more creamy character, barrel influence and more complexity than the first editions.

Balanced yet powerful, the typical Hampden aromas are well combined with the influences of the sherry casks. The combination of fruity, earthy and umami notes makes it a good, complex rum, but without lasting enthusiasm.

The new Pagos 2024, not quite as sweet as its predecessors but very sharp-edged in the mouth. A good rum but for me not very round and balanced overall. One sample is enough for me to test it.