Habitation Velier Hampden Spirits in the sky HGML 2017
For seasoned enthusiasts, this cask-strength HGML Hampden is a wild, unsweetened funk bomb. Expect overripe pineapple, citrus, marzipan, salty olives, BBQ/meaty notes and light smoke. Best enjoyed slowly, with plenty of air and maybe a few drops of water. Backed by 47 strong RumX ratings, it’s a highly praised, modern high-ester reference for Hampden fans.
- Explosive esters
- Complex fruit & smoke
- Great alcohol integration
Details about Habitation Velier Hampden Spirits in the sky HGML 2017
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How does Habitation Velier Hampden Spirits in the sky HGML 2017 taste?
Aggregated from 47 community reviews.
Wild, salty-smoky Hampden funk For seasoned enthusiasts, this cask-strength HGML Hampden is a wild, unsweetened funk bomb. Expect overripe pineapple, citrus, marzipan, salty olives, BBQ/meaty notes and light smoke. Best enjoyed slowly, with plenty of air and maybe a few drops of water. Backed by 47 strong RumX ratings, it’s a highly praised, modern high-ester reference for Hampden fans.
Fans of high-ester Jamaican funk who enjoy intense, salty-fruity Hampden profiles with smoky, meaty and BBQ nuances at full cask strength.
Beginners, those sensitive to high ABV, or drinkers who dislike funky, acetic or savory/olive notes in their rum.
How is Habitation Velier Hampden Spirits in the sky HGML 2017 rated?
RumX's 0–10 scale is strict — 8.7 lands squarely in the "Very good" band. 100% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 0% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
Rum reviews
A selection of the most popular reviews from our community. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by alex
What can I say, except that for its age it is excellent, with all the usual markers of the great Hampden ! Butter, fruit and esters are all there !!! What a treat, I love this Mark 😍😍 Let it rest and breathe in the glass so that it matures ♥️ Big favorite ❤️
Review by Tom Buteneers
First impression: chemicals and solvents, a bit rough around the edges. Improves as it sits in the glass. Alcohol integration not that bad, but delivers quite a punch. Edit: compared to RX328 & RX16253 Most remarkable nose with some smokiness (is that bacon?). Esters are far more present on the palate and a little burn. Very nice. Bottlekill 15/04/24 The oxidation made it a bit more mellow. Very lovely fruity esters. Alcohol still present, but much less compared to the first tasting. Bumped it up with 0,3 points, because I find it excellent at this moment.
Review by Thunderbird
Another excellent HGML bottling... I like this Mark... buttery sour on the nose with marzipan and esters. The palate is funky intense and full of power... this is how a Hampden should be. The finish is just as intense and long
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
#4765 07.07.2024 Relaxing at home with a few samples. Nose Light wood, pineapple, orange, overripe, light floral, spice, light herbs, light anise. Palate Round, balanced, light wood, pineapple, banana, overripe, light olive, faint salt, light tar, faint licorice. Finish Long and warm, light wood, fruity, light pineapple, light orange, spice. The empty glass has light chocolate, roasted and light vegetal notes.
Review by RumTaTa
Two attributes stand out on the nose: overripe pineapple and a smell like rancid butter. Behind that I find lemon balm, barrel influence and a little iodine. It's already off to a great start! The palate is then really wild: the barrel is clearly noticeable, overripe pineapple anyway, sweet notes of marzipan, yoghurt towards the finish, then slightly bitter and slightly salty, iodine and a medicinal note also reappears. In my opinion, the alcohol provides just the right boost. The salty note accompanies me far into the long finish and evokes an association with green olives. Unfortunately, I have nothing more of the Hampden Great House 2020 to compare. I remember the GH 2020 as being very similar, but this one is much more intense and multi-faceted. This Hampden is not for beginners and delivers a youthful, wild ride through the distillery's wide spectrum of flavors, excellent!
Review by DomM
Intense and fibrant on the nose. Rather young and rough until it sits for quite some time in the glas. Does not hide its ester content at all , but develops a nice rich HGML fruitiness over time. I also get a rich sensation of BBQ/Chipotle spices on the nose, which is surprising but gives an interesting twist in my mind. Very nice and fruity on the palate. Some roasted notes and quite a bit sweetness. Very good. Not quite on par with the HV 2010 HGML, but not too far off. Also ahead of the 2010 12y single cask imo.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Really intense and spicy. Candy bacon, taggiasche olives, brioche with salted cucumber butter. Very thick, heavy, intense. Not too extreme or too demanding but still challenging and exciting. Surprisingly great bottling!
Review by ilRummista
An excellent Hampden HGML. Great nose, just as you would expect from a rum with such a high ester content. Really outstanding palate, one of the most interesting Hampden released in 2023. I regret not buying a bottle....
Review by Benoit Mahe
Hampden very well mastered. The nose is classic of the distillery and brings a lot of pleasure and greed. The palate is a little less acidic than I expected, but still extremely pleasant.
Review by Serge
Tasted against the top dog HV 2010 HGML On the nose, the Spirits is clearly more acidic and the HV has a great pineapple-marzipan sweetness. On the other hand, the Spirits in the Sky scores with a meaty/grilled note that comes out of the background after a while, which you would otherwise expect from an LP. Great bottling, but doesn't quite match the feel good factor of the HV ...
Review by Rum man
Great Hampden. It gives a big strawberry yoghurt aroma to the nose. Fruity, pastries and even some cheese and a sour note. Overall it smells mainly sweet though, amazing nose. The taste starts with a sweet pineapple that develops into a more sour one. There is also papaya and other fruits. Chewing brings out a BBQ note but you have to look for it. The finish is more on the sour side with a bitter note. But later on that sweet comes back into play. A wonderful Hampden that mellows out nicely in the glass. For as far a Hampden does that of course.
Review by Basti
In direct comparison with the much younger HGML from TWJ for TastToe, the nose here is much fruitier, riper, with more barrel influence. On the palate, too, it is simply more mature, rounder, with more spicy aromas and fruity notes.
Review by Banana Joe
Wow, was ein ungewöhnlicher Hampden. Zwar kann man auch hier die typischen Aromen wahrnehmeny es gesellt sich aber auch ein rauchig fleischiges Aroma dazu. Das habe ich bei einem Hampden so noch nie gehabt. Klasse Fassauswahl von The Nectar
Review by Johannes
Richtig guter Hampden! Etwas adstringierend, aber richtig gut!
Review by Schnubbi
Mmhh overripe pineapple and something floral on the nose. Then again overripe pineapple on the palate, plus something buttery and a pleasant saltiness that lingers medium-long on the finish. It opens up a little more with a few drops of water. The esters here are actually a little too over the top for me, but I still find this HGML to be really cool. The only downside for me is the price, I would buy it for around €150, but it's not worth more to me.
Expert reviews
Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by The Secret Rum Bar
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Community purchases
68 bottles logged by 52,000+ RumX members. The ratio of closed / opened / emptied, indicates whether this rum is meant to be drunk or is a collector's item.
Also on the wishlist of 12 members.
About the Hampden distillery
The Hampden distillery is located in Jamaica. Rums from Hampden have been reviewed 18,347 times with an average of 8.4/10.
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