Few, if any, greater forces exist in the rum world than Italian distributor and co-bottler (working with distilleries to create its bottlings) Velier's chief Luca Gargano. 

He is the man behind the re-discovery of demolished Trinidadian distillery Caroni, popularised cask strength full proof rums, demonstrated the might of Guyana's Demerara rums, as well as brought to the world Haiti's native Clairin's - these are but quick highlights of a storied career that continues on strong.

Much of Velier and Gargano's work has revolved around finding and creating pioneering rum expressions that have brought a level of enthusiasm to rums that has never been seen before.

Hampden Distillery in Jamaica.

One such piece of his work has been that of helping to usher in a new era for Jamaica's now funky poster child, the Hampden Distillery, best known for this distinctive funky rums that are intensely filled with overripe tropical fruit, green olives and industrial tones. Since 1753, Hampden has always made rums, yet much of that has been the form of bulk rums that were produced and then sold for a variety of purposes - up until 2018, any aged Hampden rums you could find had to be independently bottled, and most certainly aged outside of Jamaica. Yet, when the Hussey family had come to own Hampden Distillery in 2009, the knew exactly who to call - one Luca Gargano.

It is said that under Gargano's advice, Hampden Distillery would shift its focus to now ageing and bottling its own rums, all entirely done in Jamaica, in what is called tropical ageing (versus continental ageing where the rums are ageing in cooler European climate). This of course took time for the rums to mature in barrels, and it was finally in 2018 when Gargano had hosted what was called the Tasting Of The Century, where two distillery aged and bottled Hampden's, the 8 Year Old and the Overproof, would make their world debut - the first time in over 250 years of Hampden history.

Since then Hampden has become amongst the most popular and collected rums globally - more recently even being the center of a new project by Gargano called the Pagos series, where Hampden rums are aged in specially selected Sherry casks.

And now Gargano is about to make history again - this time a Hampden rum said to be distilled in 1959, and only recently discovered in demijohns (where ageing is halted as the rums are held in inert glass instead of wood) and thus bottled in 2025. Gargano claims that the rums are in fact older, and places them at around 69 years old.

The late Cees Van Wees had helmed the historic De Ooievaar distillery in Netherlands.

The now bottled 1959 Hampden for Cees Van Wees (the patriarch and distiller at the historic Dutch Van Wees genever and liqueur distillery known by the name De Ooievaar, which is also one of the oldest distilleries in Amsterdam) was said to be aged in Bourbon barrels at Hampden until 1962, before it was sent to the Netherlands to be further aged in Bourbon barrels until 1988, where finally it was then transferred into a demijohn until its bottling 2025.

Only 218 bottles have been achieved, and at a staggering 71.9% ABV.

Kanpai!

88 Bamboo Editorial Team