Hampden HGML - the greatest mark
Inspired by our recent trip to Jamaica (overview & insights here) I'm revisiting my favourite Hampden mark with a side-by-side of these three beauties.
Right up there on the funk-o-meter, HGML or Hampden George MacFarquhar Lawson is not a character from Shrek, its a style of rum recognised as having between 1000-1100 grams of ester per hectolitre of pure alcohol. This chemistry waffle is basically a way of measuring how much of the funky flavour compounds (or esters) are in your bottle.
Esters are seriously intense. To make some sense of this, a hectolitre is 100 litres, with a rough weight of 100kg. So the esters in a bottle of 60% abv HGML will be under 5 grams - or just 0.6% of the contents. Yet they and similarly meagre scatterings of a few other flavour compounds (or congeners) account for 100% of the funky flavour. Important little buggers.
My last HGML tasting review was almost 3 years ago and only featured the Habitation Velier vs the Rum Artisanal (here). Both were amazing but the HV just edged it for me. Today I'm adding a recent single cask release by Velier for the Belgian market, and will be reviewing the rums completely blind.
Photo taken prior to Mrs SecretRumBar mixing and tagging them, left to right as per lead image HV, Spirits in Sky, RA
15ml of each, left covered to open up for an hour as I got distracted by some of the endless Madeira.Life admin. Nosed first, then tasted, in the random order Mrs SRB set them up. Assisted today by some classics from the Highwaymen. Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings - what a lineup!
Blind taste...
Nose: All three are utterly amazing. I love Hampden! Oozing fruit, vinegar and glue. Sample 'A' is the most aggressive, 'C' the most integrated and refined. 'A' is also less complex than the other two with a pronounced dry salted-meat edge.
'B' is the most fruit-forward, a really fun nose, and naturally sweet with lashings of fresh cherry and overripe banana. 'C' has an incredible richness and depth.
My preference - 'B' very marginally ahead of 'C', both outstanding. 'A' is a step behind them.
Mouth: 'B' follows the nose with a spicy punch. Delicious but wild too. It really is the full package for me. Layers of gluey fruit and sweet esters. Bold, engrossing and super decadent. 'C' is that bit more refined. The wild, sweet, funky flavours are rich, deep and perfectly integrated. Picking between them is the most fun this reviewer could have on a Sunday afternoon. Today, 'B' takes the win by a hair for me (94pts & 93+pts respectively)
Sample 'A' is no slouch but when sat beside the behemoths of 'B' & 'C', its rawness and lack of finesse stand out. [87pts]
Reveal:
Rum A - Velier 'Spirits in the sky' Single Cask HGML 2017, 6yrs, 64.5%, 240 bottles
Cask no. 147, ex-bourbon. A younger release but as it's 100% tropically aged, these 6 years will have had a pronounced impact on the evolution and maturity of the rum (and an angel's share of around 50%!) [87pts]
Rum B - Habitation Velier Hampden HGML 2010, 9yrs, 64%, 800 bottles
A revered release from the collectable and highly regarded Habitation Velier range. The outstanding level of information on the label includes an angel's share of over 64% which equates to an average of almost 11% per year!! [94pts]
Rum C - Rum Artisanal HD HGML 1989, 31yrs, 67.6%, 179 bottles (500ml)
Cask no. 211 didn't have much left when it was bottled. Just 179 of rum artisanal's signature half-litre flasks were released. A super rare rum that was aged in Europe for over 31 years. [93+pts]
Conclusion - Still my favourite Hampden mark! What incredible rums. If you ever get a chance to try these, grab it with both hands. And allow yourself a lot of time to explore the layers of flavour and complexity.
Coming soon ... Rum aged in Calvados casks, and Calvados aged in rum casks!
