Hampden Pagos 100% Ex-Sherry Cask 52% 2005

Professionele reviews

BOW (89)

Founded in 1753, Hampden Estate has been distilling rum for over three centuries in the Trelawny Parish, historically the grand cru of Jamaican rum.
This bottling is the first in the history of the distillery to mature exclusively in sherry casks. The Jamaican rum from Hampden blends perfectly with the notes of the Sherry and shows a completely new profile of aromas.

It's the perfect bottle to appeal to rum aficionados and fans of sherry cask Single Malts alike.
Hampden Estate Pagos was born from a collaboration between Luca Gargano and Bodegas Lustau in Jerez with the idea of aging a Hampden rum fully in prestigious Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez 500-litre Sherry Butts.
After three years, the barrels were emptied and shipped to Jamaica, where they were filled with Hampden Rum.

Tasting Notes:
Nose: Refined and typical. Notes of wax, chocolate, apricot, sugar cane, mango and passion fruit.

Taste: Fine and spicy. Gasoline, star anise, cloves, chocolate, eclair and rum baba.

Finish: Balanced and persistent. Cocoa, citrus fruit, ripe apricot, quince, wood and spicy notes.

Serge Valentin (88)

Pot stills, NAS, butts, PX and oloroso, where else did we spot that already? Doesn't the world of 'aged' (sometimes barely) spirits get globalised? And what's the proper price for NAS? Colour: deep gold. Nose: Hampden, at least this one, is much more acetic (not ascetic) and varnishy than WP. Huge brine, glues, nail polish remover, olives and capers. I wouldn't swear poor PX does come through, but that's good news in my book. With water: new magazines and books, touch of juniper and caraway, green walnuts, nocino… Mouth (neat): high and heavy, with a lot of acetone, even a feeling of ammonia, liquorice, grass extract (more and more chefs are using that), salty cough syrup, eucalyptus… Frankly, I'd have said Yarmouth. With water: superb salty and varnishy development, all with green walnuts that keep it really tight and dry. Finish: very long, salty, with sardines, anchovies and olives. Comments: I find it absolutely excellent, but the WPs were rather more complex (especially the Picnic). Now, there isn't only complexity in life, naturally. Very good Hampden.