Nobilis Hampden No. 32 LROK 2013

Nobilis Rum bottled this single cask Hampden, distilled in 2013 and aged nine years, carrying the LROK marque. Hampden is the high-ester benchmark, and LROK sits in its fuller fruity band of overripe tropical fruit and ester, here matured largely in cooler continental conditions.

Distilled from molasses on a double-retort pot still and matured in ex-bourbon wood, it shows ester, tropical fruit, pineapple and glue on the nose, then ester, pineapple and warm woody notes on the palate, finishing on dried fruit, wood and pineapple. Bottled at 64.4% and unsweetened, it delivers the classic LROK profile loud and dry, though the alcohol shows a punchier, less integrated edge that owes something to the young age and continental ageing. This is a neat-sipping Hampden for experienced funk drinkers who want grilled pineapple and nail polish at full power and don't mind a rougher alcohol bite.