The Whisky Jury The Ester Hunter (catch 2) 2024
Loved by Banana Joe, Schnubbi
For curious explorers into funky pot-still rum, this unsweetened Hampden/Savanna blend at 52% brings big esters, overripe tropical fruit, smoke and salty, almost whisky‑like notes. Polarizing but intriguing, often discussed as an experimental side‑step rather than a classic Hampden bottle, and priced as a fun “daily dram” for some RumX members.
- Big ester character
- Overripe tropical fruit
- Good value experiment
+9
Details about The Whisky Jury The Ester Hunter (catch 2) 2024
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How does The Whisky Jury The Ester Hunter (catch 2) 2024 taste?
Aggregated from 37 community reviews.
Polarizing high‑ester smoke‑and‑fruit experiment For curious explorers into funky pot-still rum, this unsweetened Hampden/Savanna blend at 52% brings big esters, overripe tropical fruit, smoke and salty, almost whisky‑like notes. Polarizing but intriguing, often discussed as an experimental side‑step rather than a classic Hampden bottle, and priced as a fun “daily dram” for some RumX members.
Seasoned ester and funk fans who enjoy experimental blends with overripe tropical fruit, olive, and smoky whisky-like notes, and who don’t mind a bit of roughness around the edges.
Beginners, anyone sensitive to bitterness or metallic notes, or drinkers expecting a clean, classic Hampden profile without smoky/meaty or whisky-style nuances.
How is The Whisky Jury The Ester Hunter (catch 2) 2024 rated?
RumX's 0–10 scale is strict — 7.7 lands squarely in the "Good" band. 70% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 2% 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 Banana Joe
This bottling confuses me. When I sampled it, I found it very inharmonious on the nose and I feared the worst. Then I forgot all about my sample and rediscovered it in the evening. The inharmoniousness was gone and I have esters and a very pleasant, slightly sour strawberry aroma on the nose. On the palate, it comes across as very floral and herbal, but without losing the strawberry aroma. I honestly like it very much up to this point, but then comes the finish. There's something metallic about it, which really bothers me. The finish is also very short. The alcohol is very nicely integrated. Without the finish, I would have given it a medium-high 80 rating, but unfortunately "only" an 80. In my opinion, it definitely needs time to breathe, I don't know if it really needs that long, but it does need its time.
Review by zabo
With all due respect, something has gone wrong. The whole thing reminds me slightly of something smoky and whisky-like. Of course there's a bit of Jamaica in there, but it's pushed into the background by a lack of tone. Unfortunately, it's not my cup of tea. The aftertaste is quite unpleasant.
Review by Schnubbi
Fruity on the nose, then rubber tires on the palate, which dissolve into a low-ester Hampden and a fairly young, probably Virgin Oak matured Savanna. Not necessarily bad, but not particularly impressive as an experiment.
Review by Chrischi78
Frische Esternoten in der Nase, fruchtig dazu, aber auch ordentlich torfig dadurch in der Kombination unangenehme Fehlnoten. Auf der Zunge wiederholt sich das holprige Spiel wobei es nie wirklich rund wird. Im Abgang eine leichte Schärfe und Bitterkeit. Da 6 Punkte „angenehm“ bedeuten, bleib ich darunter, denn das ist er wahrlich nicht.
Review by Mentalo
Release 2 of the Ester Hunter series from The Whisky Jury. This time a blend of relatively young Hampden and Savanna bottlings. Both come through well, although the Hampden already has the upper hand. Difficult to rate in the end. I like both styles, but together as a blend it doesn't really want to work. Even if it's not a bad blend in terms of quality.
Review by Stijn Zino
Salon Du Rhum 2024 Interesting combination but a shame of reducing the ABV. Nose is very nice but misses a flavorbom in the mouth especially if you going to label this as Ester Hunter. Still something you should try and comes at a good price.
Review by Johnny Rumcask
Ein Blend ist für mich dann gut, wenn er besser ist als Seine einzelnen Bestandteile. Dies ist hier nicht der Fall. In Nase und Mund dominiert zunächst klar der Savanna. Der Hampden ist im Hintergrund. Mit längerer Standzeit kommt der Hampden dann stärker raus. Für mich vereinigt sich das Ganze aber nie zu einem harmonischen Ganzen. Die einzelnen Bestandteile sind gut, aber der Blend ist eben nicht besser.
Review by alex
Je ne suis vraiment pas convaincu par ce blend de 2 rhums qu’habituellement j’affectionne, un Hampden trop léger, et un Savana peu perceptible à part la fraise et les notes végétales. L’alcool est bien intégrée, et il n’y a pas ou peu de longueur. Déception ce jus 😕
Review by Leo Krüper
Trade fair evaluation
Review by kondgab
Interesting experiment, however not for my taste.
Review by SaibotZtar
The merger of Hampden and Reunion was not a perfect economic fit here. It is very unbalanced and clearly lacking in quality. Of course you can taste Hampden with fruitiness and esters and also the GA somehow, but somehow it doesn't really fit, maybe the finish gives the blend the rest. Quite passable as a mixer 😁
Review by Julien Ries
Le nez de cette édition nous accueille sur des esters assez lourd et du citron confit. Il y a aussi de l'ananas rôti. Le second nez envoie des accents plus médicamenteux, du clou de girofle, du camphre, de l'eucalyptus. Le genre de truc qu'on respire pour de décongestionner le nez. En cherchant bien, on trouve aussi de la pomme au four. Je reviendrai en conclusion sur la sensation globale de ce nez, qui va suivre celle de la bouche. Cette dernière donne une claque avec des goûts totalement inédits. L'entrée en bouche est huileuse, grasse. J'ai mangé un poulet boucané en Martinique et c'était justement ce goût. Si, si. Il y a un fort côté viande fumée, mais de la fumée de canne à sucre. Il y a un peu de fruité, de végétal, mais c'est très discret. Que ce soit pour le nez, ce rhum est très mal équilibré. Le mariage entre les deux terroirs est mal foutu. Chaque rhum serait sans doute très bon séparément, mais l'alliance ne se fait pas. La finale est âpre, interminable, collante. Décevant de la part de cet embouteilleur.
Community purchases
48 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 4 members.
About the Hampden distillery
The Hampden distillery is located in Jamaica. Rums from Hampden have been reviewed 18,404 times with an average of 8.4/10.
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