Samaroli Hampden Jamaica Single Cask HLCF 2012

Hampden? I would say that a barrel was swapped.... Blind I would be for quasi-absent fruit and distinct astringent bitterness with Clarendon.

As is often the case with Samaroli, the bottle design is the strongest point of the rum. For an HD, there are very few aromas in the glass and it is somewhat weak. However, the rum is also flawless and easy to drink. Perhaps my expectations were wrong.

Wait what? Is this Hampden? More Clarendon like. It needs time to open but the funkyness is not like a Hampden. In taste more fruity then in the nose. Interesting profile. Not bad, lots of little things going on. Waxy/velvetty. Gets more low-ester Hampdenny along the way. Need to give this a few more retries.

#4233 03.09.2023 this was a nice blind tasting where I saw the black Glencairn tasting glasses for the first time. Not too bad a release but I think the alcohol could have been better integrated. Even when rested for a good while there is still a little bite from the ABV. Intense and fruity with nice esters. The palate is medium dry and warm. The wood and roasted notes are well balanced. The empty glass is really nice and I can pick up some light caramel and nuts.

That was a tasting of hlcf letdowns. Clearly this one did not like the cask, since it took away most of its flavours. I am uncertain of what's left. Acidic esters and barely any fruit. The lightly sweet and almonds finish was nice

Unfortunately, the expectations could not be met. With the framework data I thought it could be very exciting. 10 year old HLCF with over 60% and a little over 100€. Unfortunately, I miss the flavors so typical for Hampden very much. So blind for the some do not assign Hampden. Too bad, had expected much more

Has somehow what of a perfumed candle.... I will not really warm with sorry... Even after more than 2h breathing time is the here still very astringent and pungent. Aromatically, the thing has for me also nothing to do with a Hampden.... As already said by Johannes Brandl before, this could rather be a Clarendon instead of a Hampden... would not be the first samaroli with which the data stimmmen not... too bad!

Très bon HLCF super doux. Alcool remarquablement intégré. C'est fruité et pâtissier à la fois. Le truc c'est que c'est bon mais limite un peu trop lisse. Ça manque de caractère pour moi.

8,4:On the nose, esters, slightly coppery touch, tropical fruits like banana and pineapple, citrus fruits, roasted wood notes like pastry, roasted nuts, spicy vanilla, creamy, buttery, bump into our nosetrils. On aeration, the molasses is flowery and earthy with tobacco, spicier with cinnamon, salty, biscuits join the pastry. 8,3:On the palate, the attack is creamy with roasted wood notes like butterscotch, nuts and pastry, peppery and salty, oaky, as the fruits are tropical with banana and pineapple, mango and red fruits, the molasses is mineral and herbaceous. 8,4:The finish is long, dry&tannic, fruity with tropical, citrus fruits, the wood is roasted, smoky with pastry, yeast, crunchy bread, dark chocolate, nutty, peppery, the molasses is fresh with tea..

I wouldn't have recognized a Hampden in a blind tasting and certainly not with an HLCF Mark. Simply hardly any typical ester notes present. The profile is more like Clarendon. Has light fruity notes and quite a lot of wood. Alcohol could also be better integrated.

As usual with Samaroli, the label is probably the best thing about this rum. In my opinion, the barrel has robbed the aromas a little. It's a meaningless rum that you can drink once in a while, but unfortunately you're not really missing anything here. There are better HLFCs out there

Here again a really nice Jamaican from the Hampden distillery. The higher ester content is typical of the nose and palate. You can also smell and taste tropical fruits here. Alcoholic on the nose, but then disappears somewhat on the palate.

Uiuiui... Nose Fruity a touch of ester to feel some alcohol.... for me there already not Eindeutig Hampden to assign 😱😱 too much Florale notes disturbs me but very much .On the palate Hampden HLCF ??? Seriously?? I can't get my head around it ... much bitterness, woody notes .... Alcohol rather poorly integrated. Fruity is almost completely missing. I really had hope but that was nothing ... at least if you love Hampden and its typical fruit and funk.

The nose is great...an extreme sweet fruitiness paired with vanilla.The palate unfortunately can not keep up by far...wood and alcohol dominate too much. The finish is so-so...

74 points. Slight fruit flavour but rather bitter with badly integrated alcohol.