The Rum Mercenary & Kintra Hampden Sample X Sample Seventeen (Aged to Perfection) 2025

Review by LukaŽiga

Most helpful positive review

LukaŽiga

May 2026799 reviewsGermany

8.3/10

8,4:On the nose, esters and glue, rubber, fermented, overripe tropical fruits like banana and pineapple, pears, berries/red fruits, briny olive, grassy touch, roasted wood notes like dark chocolate, roasted nuts, smoky, meaty, spicy, bump into our nosetrils. On aeration, the molasses is fresh with tea, herbaceous, kiwi and citrus fruits arise, caramel, cookie dough and hints of yeast. 8,4:On the palate, the attack is intense, slightly dirty, astringent, quite dry, medicinal with esters, glue, rubber, fruity with fermented, overripe tropical fruits like banana and pineapple, kiwi, green and red fruits, the molasses is candied, fresh with tea, grassy, vegetal with briny olive, chilli, dark with licorice, as the wood is roasted, oily with roasted nuts, marzipan, smoky, slightly resinous, spicy with allspice, peppery, 8,1:The finish is medium long, dry&tannic, dirtier, mineral, medicinal, with notes from palate lingering on. Edit:2.5.26, as an ingredient for Mai Tai

Review by Thunderbird

Most helpful mixed review

Thunderbird

Mar 20261,261 reviewsGermany

7.9/10

A Hampden that I can't really decide between good and meh.. I find the nose very pleasant and promising… The palate is quite complex with fruit, sweetness, and esters at first, but then it quickly turns into peppery spice and bitterness.. the finish continues like that… and that's not really my thing

Review by SaibotZtar

SaibotZtar

Jun 2026528 reviewsGermany

8.0/10

Young funky with character. A bit too many bitter notes for me, otherwise very decent. Ester pineapple, marzipan, banana, papaya, a bit of red pepper. Totally fine... I'm curious to test the Mai Tai.

Review by Skyfly

Skyfly

Apr 2026556 reviewsGermany

8.3/10

A very nicely balanced low ester Hampden that, thanks to its "smoothness," is perfect as an easy sipper. Various tropical fruits, pleasant spices, light esters, and subtle roasted notes define the aroma profile here.

Review by Jussi Piirainen

Jussi Piirainen

Jun 2026166 reviewsFinland

7.8/10

This rum is a blend of HGML, DOK and HLCF marks and its been aged for 5 years. On the nose: Esters, glue and overripe fruits with fresh herbal note in the background. Roasted notes. Little bit of citrus notes in the background. Taste: Glue and esters. Marzipan or pastry note that gives sweetness to the palate. Overripe pineapple. Woody notes in the background. Little bit of peppery notes in the background at the end. Finish: Dry. Warm. Peppery and spicy notes. Light woody notes. Little bit of fruity notes in the background. Maybe too peppery forward for me, especially on the finish and i feel like a lot of the notes got lost in this blend.

Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰

Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰

Mar 20265,618 reviewsDenmark

8.2/10

#6412 28.02.2026 Tasting at the "Nordlichter Treffen 2026". This is also a pretty good rum with a nice price tag at release. Medium intense nose with lots of fruit and esters and good ABV integration. The palate is warm and naturally sweet and round.

Review by Schnubbii

Schnubbii

Feb 2026345 reviewsGermany

8.4/10

The nose is very pleasant, with a nice balance of fruit and wood. The palate also has a nice balance of fruit and wood, with nothing disturbing or harsh. I already liked the 18-month-old Work in Progress, and the barrel has nicely polished the rum and made it rounder, with the dilution to 52.2% doing the rest, which is very suitable for me personally. The finish is not particularly long, and in terms of complexity, it cannot compete with older bottlings, but for what it is, I find it to be a very harmonious overall package. In my opinion, the rum can't quite keep up with the big names – something to do with a big house ;) – but at the retail price (60 euros!), I think the price/pleasure ratio is fantastic. I bought three bottles straight away. The conclusion remains what another reviewer already wrote: if you liked the Work in Progress, you'll also like this bottling. In any case, I had been waiting a long time for this finale and am very happy with how this rum has developed and was ultimately bottled.

Review by zabo

zabo

Apr 20261,530 reviewsGermany

7.9/10

The big plus for me here is the price in today's times. For me, this rum is a good low ester that brings the typical markers. The only downside is that the finish is quite short, which lowers the rating.