Habitation Velier Hampden LFCH 2011

Bottled in Velier's Habitation line as a Pure Single Rum, this is Hampden, the Trelawny estate that is the reference point for high ester Jamaican funk, here in the LFCH marque. LFCH sits low on Hampden's ester ladder, so rather than the explosive solvent attack of its top marques this is a more approachable expression, still unmistakably Hampden but easier to read.

Hampden ferments wild over long periods and distils on double retort pot stills, and even at this end of its range the esters bring ripe pineapple, banana and a light glue and varnish funk. Seven years of tropical ageing in ex-bourbon wood adds young oak, herbal notes and warm spice, the climate concentrating the spirit quickly. Bottled unsweetened at cask strength with a long, evolving finish, it offers a way into Hampden's character without going to the extreme of DOK or LROK.