Romdeluxe Hampden Wild Series Rum No. 49 2012

RomDeluxe's Wild Series is the Danish bottler's line of high-ester, high-strength single casks dressed in black and white animal labels, and this Hampden from the 2012 vintage fits the brief. Hampden of Trelawny is the reference point for Jamaican funk, a 100% pot still house whose pot character drives this bottling.

Distilled on the double-retort pot still from molasses and matured in ex-bourbon casks at full proof, it is bottled unsweetened at 61.9%. The nose runs ester, pineapple and fermented fruit, the palate brings banana, pineapple and mango over dry oak and esters, and the finish stays dry with vanilla, caramel and pineapple. This sits a notch drier and woodier than the loudest Hampden marks, the fruit clear and the funk firm without tipping into pure solvent. A powerful, fruit-driven single cask with a long finish, a strong pick for those who already enjoy Hampden and want extra punch.