Tasting

What does Hampden rum taste like? First ripe banana and pineapple, then solvent, glue, and a fine salinity follow. The flavour is huge and a little wild, and it lingers long on the palate. Anyone used only to mild rums will need a few sips to adjust.

Three examples show the range. Hampden Rum Fire is unaged, crystal clear, and very strong at 63 percent; the fruit shows itself behind a sharp edge. The standard Hampden Estate bottling at 46 percent feels milder all round. Many know Long Pond through independent bottlers' releases, though since 2021 there's also been a rum under the distillery's own name.

A nosing glass with a narrow chimney, or a tulip-shaped glass, concentrates the aromas better than a wide tumbler. Room temperature is fine; chilling mutes the nose. First just smell, then take a small sip and let the rum spread across the palate.

At high strength, the alcohol quickly overwhelms everything else. A few drops of still water, added gradually, open the rum up and let the esters emerge. How much water suits is a matter of taste; add it by the spoonful rather than pouring it in.

When tasting several rums side by side, start with the mildest and finish with the most ester-heavy, since little else will taste like much after that. Pauses with water and a bit of bread help the palate reset. Anyone taking notes should record nose, palate, and finish separately, since with high-ester rums these often diverge sharply: what seems sharp on the nose can turn out surprisingly fruity on the palate.