Hampden Rum Fire

The name says it all. Tasted neat, the rum fully met my expectations. One sip is fruity and fermented, the next is subtly sweet. The smell of freshly mown grass makes you long for next summer. The price-performance ratio is absolutely okay. The high alcohol content doesn't come through as much as you might think, which brings with it a certain risk in terms of the amount drunk. My next tasting will be the Ti- Punch!!!!

It’s a triple distilled pure pot stills HLCF rum which gives an ester level of 500-600. The finish is rather long and tastes about the same as on the palate. I think it’s the best of the three big white Overproof’s from Jamaica, it’s funky, potent, complex and powerful without being too pungent.

Nase: Ester in Form tropischer Früchte (selbst wenn nur die Flasche geöffnet wird) mit Mango, Passionsfrucht, Banane, Maracuja und einer cremigen Süße. Dazu gesellt sich dann noch eine säuerliche Essignote. Das Ganze wirkt rund und der ABV gut eingebunden. Gaumen: Ester mit denselben Früchten und einer cremigen Süße wie in der Nase. Dazu dann Gummi, Lack und Teer. Abgang: langanhaltende Kombination aus Süße, Frucht und Teer. Fazit: Sehr leckerer Unaged Rum mit ordentlich Power.

8,4:On the nose, esters, glue and overripe, fermented tropical fruits like pineapple, banana bump into our nosetrils, funky, as a molasses is vegetal with an olive, mushrooms and sometimes we might think of a yoghurt. On aeration, spices like cinnamon and pepper arise, some confectionery, pastry, smoke and nuts, red fruits join the play, citrus and perhaps pear, as molasses is herbaceous. 8,4:On the palate, there is an esters bomb, the attack is intense, sweet, very fruity with overripe, fermented, smoky tropical and red fruits, perhaps raisins, so we think of a marmelade.There is a variety of confectionery notes like pastry, fruitcake, crunchy bread, marzipan, we have some spices, salt, flowery, herbaceous, vegetal molasses, slightly mineral. 8,2:The finish is long, dry, a bit bitter and very fermented, overripe fruity, smoky and peppery, salty, confectionery with crunchy bread, yeast also continue their presence..

What to say... A rum of this quality for this price is just incredible! All the markers of the hampden distillery are present here, this bottle has nothing to envy to bottles worth 2 or 3 times its price. A must for the Jamaican amateurs.

A daiquiri of the dirty kind from the bottle.

Rotten fruits, olives, chemical glue like stuff… and it gets you drunk like a m*therf*cker, what’s not to like? 😅

Rum Fire is produced at the Hampden Estate distillery, established in 1753 in Treelawny, Jamaica. In Hampden tradition, the molasses undergoes a long fermentation with indigenous yeasts and with the addition of dunder (residual liquid from previous distillations). The still used is a copper Pot Still. The mark of this Rum is the HLCF which boasts an ester level above 400 g/hlpa. It should go without saying, but for the avoidance of doubt: no additives or sugars added. Prominent on the label are the blue and orange flames that recall an old Jamaican tradition of testing the strength of a distillate by setting it on fire. The flame that changes from blue to orange indicates a particularly high alcohol content. Crystal clear color, very clear and bright. The nose is super funky: esters, tropical fruit, molasses, acetone, light varnish, gasoline. Alcohol is well present but does not cover the aromatics. On the palate everything is confirmed, we find the ripe fruit (lots of fruit), acetone, spices. The finish is long and dry with a pleasant fruity, slightly smoky taste.

A rum that shows the full potential of an unaged Jamaican rum. The Jamaican funk oscillates between exotic fruits, floral aromas and phenolic notes, with a touch of iodine. On the palate, the rum is slightly spicier and saltier, while keeping the typical funky frame. There are also notes of pear and brine. The finish extends the taste experience with metallic and dry notes. A powerful and aromatic rum that would be wonderful in a supercharged cocktail.

Bester white Overproof für mich.

A real Jamaican funky load of overripe fruit, bananas, pineapple, etc. In the body, the pear with citrus is the most filling. Molasses and liquorice play a major role in the rather bitter finish. If I had to call something a slasher, it would be Rum Fire😃.

A very pleasant surprise on the palate, with all the elements of an aged Hampden, the alcohol is very well integrated, and the finish is extremely long for a white rum. The only negative point, but not the least, hence the note, is that it doesn't go at all well with a ti-punch, where a West Indian rum is preferable.

A bomb in cocktail. In a grogue it's really not bad either.

A good example to discover what ester molecules can produce for flavors. Hampden's medium ester skins are the most complex in terms of ester diversity and therefore the most interesting for me, even if they sometimes produce a musty and furry taste in the mouth.

This is a bottling you just have to know: Hampden power hidden behind a strange label, which now scjon stands for itself. As a Hampden fan, you should have tried the Fire in any case, he delivers puristic Hampden character, without the wood was allowed to have a say. Pure drinkable, it develops its full potential in drinks, especially the Daiquiri. For me, the undefeated number one for this, provides an incredibly drinkable overall result. Only pure it has to admit defeat to the Rivers and thus its strongest competitor!