The Duchess Hampden 13 (Great House) CH 2007

Hampden of Trelawny is the high-ester benchmark, and this Great House single cask from the 2007 vintage, the C and H selection, was bottled by the Dutch label The Duchess. It sits among the distillery's loud, cask-strength expressions, the kind that funk hunters set side by side with the famous Kill Devil and other C and H picks.

Distilled on the double-retort pot still from molasses and matured in ex-bourbon casks, it is bottled unsweetened at 66.9%. The nose brings glue, ester, pineapple and overripe fruit, the palate stays funky and fruity with pineapple, ester and glue, and the finish runs dry with ester, pineapple and vanilla. For all its ester blast it holds together with real balance, the alcohol well integrated and the heat warming rather than biting, and the finish is huge and long. A full-broadside Hampden that delivers intensity without losing composure, squarely for seasoned funk lovers.