Hampden is basically the gold standard of Jamaican rums these days - some might even in their fervour venture as far as to place the estate synonymous with the category of modern rums - which is of course, a huge discount to the massive spectrum of terroir, producers, methods and styles rum has to offer.

Yet, you could easily fathom why. After all, Hampden produces an incredibly distinctive, memorable (unfavorably for some, but equally memorable) and distilled house style that tips the scales and pushes one into uncharted territory. It's just so over the top. It leaves no room for anything gentler (which is not difficult for anything else to fall under) to even be compared against. It's not apples and pears, it's Hampden and everything else.

That doesn't automatically mean that everything bearing the Hampden name is good, far from it, but it is simply a temperature check of the current state of affairs. There are of course other legendary rum producers that have come and gone but something has to be said about the ubiquitous popularity of Hampden's rums that is just that much more far reaching and of mainstream consciousness. 

Velier chief, Luca, at Hampden's debut. Man did a bang-up job, that's for sure. (Image Source: Rum Rock)

It is at this juncture that it might be interesting to remember that it was only in 2018 that Hampden was properly distributed globally by none other than the Italian distributor Velier. If there was ever any doubt as to Velier's marketing prowess it should be put to rest given how far the Jamaican estate has gone in just four years.

As I get to tasting Hampden's Great House Edition 2022, the fourth of its kind, I can't help but feel a sense of the surreal given that it felt not too long ago that I could fairly easily pick up the estate's inaugural Great House Edition 2019. Back then, the release was more an obscurity, simply something alittle more special to entice visitors and perhaps collectors to take notice of the 275 year old producer. Now, it's become something of a hotly anticipated drop that folks maniacally click their computer mouses to pick up as many as they possibly can. It's a thing now.

The Hampden Great House. (Image Source: TripAdvisor)

This prompted me to take a revisit as to how we got here. Today I'll delve into how Hampden came to be so popular today - we'll take a quick look at the timelines and the events that culminated in their rise to popularity, which ties in neatly to the Great House expression, a celebration of Hampden's heritage.

Hampden Estate says they've been continuously producing rum since 1753 - I'll just have to take their word for it, I wasn't there to check. Its founder Archibald Sterling had established the actual building pictured on the bottle label known as the Great House - a centerpiece of the Hampden Estate. Through the many hands its passed through, it never struck the success it currently enjoys until more recently, when the Hussey family took over in 2009. For context, the Hussey family owns a a whole bunch of businesses in Jamaica under the name Everglades Farms, and is involved in everything from operating hotels, drycleaners, casinos, horseracing stables, all the way to farming.

One half of Hampden's success can certainly be attributed to the Hussey family's takeover. (Image Source: Jaital)

In the early 2000s, the Jamaican government was said to be looking to privatise sugar companies and had put the Hampden Estate up for public sale. The Hampden Estate had been held by the Jamaica Sugar Company prior and was deemed to have operated it poorly. The Jamaican government hence decided it was best to divest from the national entity, which led to the Hampden Estate finding itself on the auction floor.

The Hussey family had put in a bid and won not only the Hampden Estate but also the Long Pond Sugar Factory as well (not to be confused with Long Pond Distillery). While the Long Pond Sugar Factory has not performed as well as expected, the investment nonetheless paid off handsomely as you would have guessed by now, made up for by Hampden's success.

When the Hussey family took over in 2009, the distillery apparently did not come with any aged stocks of rum, as it had up until that point predominantly engaged in bulk sales of unaged rum, primarily to European middlemen E&A Scheer. The family at which point made a decision that was probably the biggest contributor to Hampden's success - to begin barrel ageing the distillery's rum.

The decision to begin aging Hampden's rums on-estate was a pivotal one that laid the ground for its success. (Image Source: Loop Jamaica)

They began doing so in earnest in 2010 and hence prior to that vintage, aged Hampden rum would not have been matured by the distillery itself and would most likely be continentally aged, having been sold to bottlers in unaged bulk. The choice to age their own rum meant that the distillery could in earnest begin to create a brand for themselves through their own products. 

Yet, Hampden's success was really a tale of two hands coming together. The Hussey family's ownership explains one part, while the other would come from none other than Velier.

In the other half of the picture, Velier with Luca Gargano at the helm was steadily cementing its reputation as a bonafide force in the rum world. He had built a reputation unmatched by any other, having led the success of the Demerara's of Guyana and the Caroni's of Trinidad. Yet Velier's campaigns had up until its involvement with Hampden, largely left out Jamaica. This was as Worthy Park was at the time closed, while Long Pond, Monymusk and Hampden were only in the business of selling bulk and not cask-aged rums. Only Appleton at the time had aged casks of rums for pickings, however it was already being marketed in Italy by Soffiantino, a fellow Genoan importer that was on friendly terms with Velier.

Eventually, Worthy Park had resumed production in 2005, which marked Velier's foray into Jamaican rums, yet it was only in 2010 that the importer's helmsman began to seriously look into Jamaican rums. 

The word on the street is that Velier had eventually purchased all of Hampden's aged stocks and subsequent production capacity dedicated to rums that were marked for aging. This unequivocally secured Velier (or rather La Maison & Velier - the joint company between Velier and La Maison du Whisky) as Hampden's global distributor, which obviously saw the Jamaican distillery's rums come decked in the iconic Velier black bottles.

When Hampden's OBs was first presented in those broad shouldered muscular black bottles universally known to be Velier's, it was as if the heavens parted and the angels trumpeted Velier's triumph - that a distinguished rum house would formally appoint a foreign entity as its emissary was probably the highest known accreditation.

Even prior to the official announcement that most in the know had already thought of as only a matter of time, there were already several telltale teasers - Habitation Velier had already released several on-estate aged Hampden's. This only served to light the fire and stoke the enthusiasm of the community for what was about to happen.

When these first came out - you best believe the fervour was real. (Image Source: LM&V)

This eventually culminated in a 2018 launch of two Hampden OBs - the first of its sort in the distillery's over 250 year history - a 46% ABV 8 Year Old expression and a 60% ABV Overproof expression.

The launch itself was no small event - the first fully tropically on-estate aged OB expressions from Hampden in over 250 years was certainly something to celebrate.

The first OB on-estate aged Hampden's in over 250 years demanded a commensurate launch that involved what was the tasting of the century. (Image Source: Rum Diaries)

To kickoff the launch, La Maison & Velier organised what was called the tasting of the century - a lineup that would include the oldest dated rum in existence, a Harewood 1780 Barbados rum; a Saint James 1885, which ranks as one of the oldest rums ever sold; along with a Martiniquais Bally 1924, a Guyanese Skeldon 1978 and then of course the two newly released aged Hampden's.

The two Hampden expressions that was the centerpiece of the tasting of the century are now widely available (and very affordably so) from most spirits specialist stores - something which I've always found myself remarkably thankful for and utterly surreal.

To be part of a flight that included the oldest dated rum amongst many incredible vintage bottlings, tells you something about Velier's belief of the Hampden OB's significance. (Image Source: Rum Diaries)

And therein laid the groundwork for Hampden's popularity - that such a remarkably distinctive, totally memorable rum, would made so accessible to the average drinker. 

The irony about popularity is that the thing itself must necessarily penetrate the mainstream consciousness - which is to say that those who know it best, the cognoscenti, must necessarily be disenfranchised by its widespread embrace. It can't be a little secret kept within the whispers of those in the know. It has to be butchered by the man on the street, with its lid bust wide open, sometimes recklessly poured into a glass of cola. To be an insider's secret is to be the outsider's nobody. Everyone has to know about it, even if most know nothing about it.

(Image Source: Hampden)

Since that 2018 launch, as mentioned, Hampden's core range has become incredibly accessible, and its portfolio has expanded to include special limited edition releases (as one does when it is sufficiently popular) and single cask releases. Of the original offerings, the white Rum Fire was kept, and the estate has continued to sell bulk unaged rums to brokers. Unsurprisingly, LM&V has its dibs on all estate-aged Hampden's, which only LM&V is entitled to access to.

And so it was in 2018 that a decade of refurbishing paid off and the Jamaican distillery was finally ready to ascend its throne. Every dislocation was realigned, the portfolio was rationalised, the aged stocks were now ready, its branding was on point, with as enviable a brand ambassador as one could hope for. 

Hampden's bottlings have hit mainstream consciousness - they're a thing now. (Image Source: Hampden)

To welcome the community to the modern Hampden, the distillery decided to put out what I believe is their first special release - the Great House Distillery Edition. Sort of like a party favor or door gift of sorts, a very handsome one of course that you had to purchase obviously. No one's handing out free rums. The Great House Distillery Edition was supposed to reflect the classic house style of Hampden, and has since become an annual thing. People mark their calendars and rush down to their local specialty shops for it, well, I did at least.

It has thus far featured a blend of various marks and ages, with the 2022 Edition being a blend of 74% of the 2019 3 Year Old mid-ester HGML mark and 26% of the 2011 11 Year Old low-ester LFCH mark.

And so we've chronicled in brief Hampden's meteoric rise to fame, something that many would be forgiven for forgetting was actually quite a recent phenomenon. All that's left to do is get down to business and drink. 

Hampden Great House 2022, 55% ABV - Review

Color: Canola Oil Light Gold

Aroma: Quite bright and alot more wispy than previous editions, still very vibrant and punchy though, unfolding with everything Hampden is known for - banana bread and banana flambe, in particular, sweet and estery. There's next to no harshness. It opens up in plumes with more on vanilla, cream, and then more orchard and tropical fruits, with pear compote, lemon meringue, jackfruits and custard apples taking the fore.

And then a noticeable twist - there's a diesel squeakiness that tells us the first act is over. More rubbery playdoh, somewhat oily, coupled with a touch of cola syrup and sarsaparilla. This here gave a nice balance to the otherwise more confectionary start, but doesn't get too dirty with it.

Taste: Again quite punchy and jumps right at you with grilled bananas - confectionary sweet still, but with a touch of bitterness and umami. The same fruits continue to deliver in spades but here the briny greasiness is much more vocal. Here you'll find fleshy tropical fruits - dragonfruit, mangosteen, jackfruit, custard apples, langsat. All dunked in diesel giving them a solvent-y twang. Think burnt ends also. There's also caramel, vanilla and some cracked black pepper for good measure.

The umami notes here are reminiscent of mackerel - in a rich, oily, meaty manner. There's a more vegetal base of cane juice, dashi stock and bouillon cubes. 

Finish: Fairly long with a syrupy sweet brown sugar washed retreat. Here it's buttery, with more caramel, cinnamon and tobacco leaf. Just a touch of varnish.

My Thoughts

This was pretty straightforward - you don't have to dig too hard, well, at all, for the flavors. They're all laid on a silver platter for you, and perhaps what will please folks most is that this one's much more fruit-foward, the umami/briny funk is quite restrained for the most part (it's accretive in its job here), with the acidity and medicinal bits very much held back this time - I think this will be a crowdpleaser. 

The fruitiness had some complexity to it, with that touch of solvent squeak. It also balanced a really nice bright, vibrant nose, with a much richer taste on the palate and a thoroughly enjoyable long, sweet aromatic finish.

That said, you could still tell this was fairly young and while it didn't spot any harshness, it could stand to mellow out alittle bit more and develop deeper flavors. Overall, very enjoyable but could use more complexity. It's a good straightforward daily drinker but don't expect to be working on this for hours. Which is fine! It's well-rounded, it does the job, it tastes good. Don't be a Karen.

Kanpai!

@111hotpot