Velier Hampden Alex Webb Edition LROK 2010

Velier of Genoa, the foremost name in collectible rum, bottled this Hampden LROK from the 2010 vintage at a full 60%, tropically aged and additive free in the house style. LROK sits below the wildest Hampden marques, and at thirteen years this is a comparatively elegant, fruit forward expression rather than a pure ester bomb, suited to drinkers who want the estate refined.

Distilled on double retort pot stills from molasses and matured in ex-bourbon oak, it shows ripe strawberry, banana and tropical fruit with the estate's fresh ester lift, threaded with mint and a light touch of smoke. The palate stays fruity and woody with pineapple, and the wood is well balanced rather than heavy. The finish carries dried fruit and a gluey trace of funk. Dry, elegant and best enjoyed neat in small pours, it shows the more polished face of Hampden.