Habitation Velier Hampden Ex-Sherry Cask LROK 2019

This Habitation Velier release takes Hampden's LROK marque, a medium-high-ester profile, and matures it fully in sherry casks rather than the usual ex-bourbon, distilled in 2019 and bottled at five years old under Velier's Pure Single Rum line. Hampden's house style is intense and funky, and pairing it with a bold sherry cask makes for a deliberately divisive bottling.

Distilled on the double-retort pot stills from molasses and aged in sherry wood, the cask pushes dark fruit forward and lets the esters sit a little further back. The nose is fruity and woody with tropical fruit and ester; the palate turns to intense fruit, sour cherry and a sweet edge, closing on sour cherry, barrel and dried fruit. Unsweetened and bottled at a punchy 60.5%, it carries noticeable tannin and a fruity richness that some love and others find at odds with the Hampden core. One for experienced palates who enjoy cask-strength Hampden and want a sherried twist in the driver's seat.