Velier Hampden Maverick 2024

Edit Edit: RumX Calendar Day 18 Today, shortly after pouring the sample, I had the smell of glue in my nose. This thing is really good. Unfortunately the day was too stressful, but when I briefly smelled my open bottle of Maverick there was a very strong similarity. Unfortunately, I missed tasting it. All in all, corrected upwards again. Edit: tore open a second bottle. This thing is already a better Great House, the price is higher, but it's worth going on the hunt again. Adjusted upwards a little. Really nice piece, for the fact that the blend consists of relatively young marks, it can do quite well. Thought again that this was an overpriced Great House. But I was pleasantly surprised.

Update: now tried again in the advent calendar. In the meantime, I've already had the GH24 for comparison. It's no match for the Maverick. Still top. Good Hampden, delicious. I can taste a (ripe) HGML banana component. It pairs nicely with a good proportion of low ester components. Uncomplicated to drink. Great for the release price.

RumX Calendar 2024 Day 18: Fruity nose of rotting pineapple, but not too sour. Hampden low ester. On the palate it becomes more intense, drier. Still lots of fruit, but more esters. Intense but alcohol super integrated. Medium-long finish, astringent. I like it very much! Blend of high and low ester Hampden. Suspect a Great House, possibly 2020?

Nice thing. Much better than the GH24, but not top class

While I‘m not 100% sold on the nose, I very much enjoy the intense showing on the palate. The nose is less lively than I would expect given the blended marks, yet it is well balanced showing classic Hampden markers. Much more intensity on the palate with HGML (and C<>H) taking center stage. Very nice blend and my favorite out of the latest OG Hampden blends.

#4903 Whisky Live in Paris 27.09.2024-30.09.2024. Another great event meeting a lot of RumX new and old friends. This year three weren't as many new releases as in 2023, but I still had a great time. Nose Fresh, balanced, light alcohol, fruits, light honey, light pineapple, faint olive, light wood, faint smoke. Palate Medium intense, light wood, fruits, light pineapple, light banana, light alcohol, light olive, faint salt, faint nutts. Finish Medium to long, light wood, fruits, light banana, faint citrus, light olive, faint rubber. This one har more punch in the profile than the Great House 2024 and it needs to rest for the ABV to really settle.

The nose immediately makes it clear: this must be a Hampden rum! Lots of sweet grilled pineapple, nice and intense but not brute. Palate: Like the nose + olives and brine. Seems very mature! The rum has a very dry finish. Alcohol content estimated at 58%. The rum looks like a good representative of the 2013 or even 1992/90 vintage. I guessed RX15404. At least the alcohol content is very well estimated 😉 Amazing how mature tropically aged Hampden can be!

A positive surprise! In contrast to the great house series, which has hardly convinced me so far. It has everything a good Hampden needs: salty, toasty, sweet, fruity and sour. Roasted almonds, olive brine, tart overripe pineapple, buttery esters and generally quite balanced and very drinkable! Delicious 😁🙏🏼

RunX Advent calendar, day 18. A nose of esters, glue and tropical fruit that seems to mark its provenance. Discreet wood. I don't think we're into very high esters, but it's moving all the same. The palate, too, is powerful, with the same aromas as on the nose. The wood, however, is much more pronounced and dominates the finish. A rather long finish, marked by the bitterness of the wood. A well-made rum, but lacking a little complexity and depth.

RX Calendar 24: I was admittedly a little skeptical about the many praises, but I have to say I really like it. From the framework data (50% HGML 2018, 40% LFCH 2020 and 10% C<>H 2021) I would have expected it to be 'lighter', but it looks really complex and solid.

Good blend. Tastes good to me. In contrast to all the Great Houses, it seems much more mature and older.

A Hampden as it is written in the book. Tropical fruits, esters, astringent and yet relatively accessible. A great Hampden, we can only hope that bottlings of this quality will end up on the market in more readily available bottles. thanks @zabo

8,6:On the nose, the first impression we get are esters, solvents, tropical fruits like pineapple, banana are overripe, there is citrus, a molasses is vegetal, as a wood is spicy and roasted with vanilla, nuts, marzipan. On aeration, the rum becomes floral, darker with chocolate, baking spices and meat notes. 8,6:On the palate, the esters are strong, solvents more underneath, as the tropical fruits overripe with banana, pineapple, the molasses is vegetal with an olive, the wood sweet with roasted notes like caramel, maple spicy with vanilla and after resting, there are yellow, dried fruits, salty and meaty notes. 8,6:The finish is long, dry, fruity with tropical overripe and citrus fruits, the wood is roasted, smoky and spicy, the molasses still vegetal.There is also some rubber. Very consistent, tasty, but no ovations..

Day #18. In any case, a nice piece but it didn't completely knock my socks off.

RumX Advent Calendar 2024 Day 18: Here we have a very, very good Hampden. The typical tropical fruits and esters on the nose. On the palate also a lot of esters, I can recognize pineapple and banana.