Kill Devil Jamaica 2001 Hampden <>H 17 Year – 58.8%
Stats: 100% pot still rum from Hampden Distillery in Jamaica that was distilled in November of 2001, aged for 17 years, and released at cask strength: 58.8% ABV. This single cask rum was released by independent bottler Kill Devil in an edition of 288 bottles and sold exclusively through thewhiskybarrel.com. 2001 distillate Hampden tends to be the <>H mark, indicating ester levels between 900-1000 gr/hL AA.
Background: I originally obtained a small sample of this rum in a trade a while back and wrote a favorable review that I never published, proclaiming “I Wish I had a bit more of this rum to explore its evolution.” Low and behold, a year or so later a friend of Austin Rum Society advertised he had purchased this bottle and didn’t connect with it so I was able to acquire it from him without the hassle and expense of international shipping.
Conditions: Consumed neat in a Glencairn over the course of several sessions.
Nose: Intense tropical fruit bathed in cinnamon, shoe polish, motor oil, wet forest, cherry cola, chalk, scented markers, pine, stale coffee, cooked corn
Mouth: Hubba Bubba, varnish, pineapple juice well past expiration, tropical fruit cocktail lathered in fermenting juice, cinnamon, black pepper, anise, brine, Fruit Loops, charred oak, Sharpie, motor oil.
Final Thoughts: Having had a few other <>H Hampden’s that were aged slightly longer than this and showcased a more balanced profile, I feel the intensity of the high ester distillate reveals itself a tad too harshly without as much barrel spice to augment it. It’s a very enjoyable pour but I get a lot of industrial notes that don’t make it quite as pleasurable an experience as I was hoping for.
Rating: 4/5
My Scale:
1 – I don’t want this in my mouth ever again
2 – Underwhelming
3 – Decent tipple
4 – Very enjoyable
5 – I always want a bottle of this on my shelf
Austin Rum Society 