Background: my third C<>H. This is the only fully tropical-aged exemplar of the mark I have tried. This one isn’t as universally loved as the HGML; some say it is “too extreme”. For a funkhead like me, that is tantamount to a challenge, if not an endorsement. Learning from my previous encounters with the mark (and ultra-high-ester rums in general), I worked through half the bottle over several weeks, taking notes along the way, before typing this review.

Nose: white vinegar; that musty smell of sweat evaporating in a poorly ventilated room; body odour; sweat-drenched clothes left to dry; pineapples; stewed green apples; creamy alphonso mango; overripe pink guava; grape bubblegum; freshly cut grass; gan cao; baklava; baked alaska; charred toast; roasted pistachios; cured meats; smoke from a burning compost heap; agarwood incense; marzipan; vanilla cream; bergamot oil; fresh citrus fruits; umeboshi; smoked fish crusted in salt; lightly peppered white chocolate; salty liquorice; Hampden’s signature tapenade note appears at the base, this time heavily smoked; it is accompanied by notes of camphor and damp wood.

Palate: an unrivalled mouthfeel, so thick and chewy -- likely due to the combination of high proof and tropical ageing; Kickapoo; grilled pineapple; strawberry candy; lemon meringue tart; savoury fried pastries, like curry puff and samosa; teriyaki chicken; eucalyptus; liquorice; baklava; white chocolate hazelnut praline; roasted sesame; hong tang ci ba, a Chinese dessert of deep-fried sticky rice cake drizzled with brown sugar; lees from baijiu production; propolis.

Finish: medium-length; fresh alphonso mango; stewed pineapple; the obligatory sweet cream that comes with tropical fruits; over-roasted char siew; honey baked ham; gan cao; musty wooden attic; mossy undergrowth; almond pudding; churros; Christmas cake; gingerbread; an aftertaste of chocolate, liquorice, strawberries and cream, cherry cough syrup, and a mix of fish and vegetal brine.

Conclusion: this is a rum that gets a lot better with time. It was one-dimensional at first, but after a few weeks below half-fill, the remainder of the bottle took on new layers of complexity. More of the green notes I love, as well as some savoury notes of fried carbohydrates -- things I associate with the best Hampdens I have tried. If I were to have one complaint, it is that the complexity only comes through from the back-palate onwards; this rum is almost purely fruity and desserty up-front. Also, I am not quite getting the “overly sour” notes which bothered others; I chalk that to my high tolerance for tartness. In light of this caveat, obviously “your mileage may vary”, but this is a great rum by my standards.

Score (assuming a normal distribution with mean 50): 92/100

Image Courtesy of u/zoorado. 

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