Aroma visualization from community tastings
Taste
Pineapple, Ester, Tropical fruits
Most mentioned across 48 tasting notes
- Perfect for
- Hampden and high-ester funk devotees
- Less suitable for
- Beginners and anyone put off by glue-and-solvent funk
Hampden Rum Artesanal Jamaica High Ester Rum HGML 1983
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Grilled pineapple, glue and nail polish up front, then marzipan, honey and a spine of gentle oak — this 35-year-old Hampden HGML wears its age lightly. Tasters keep noting how round and creamy it is, the alcohol tucked away despite 58.9%. Full Hampden funk, but softened and balanced. Give it an hour; several say the fruit really unfolds with air.
The community says- Rounded, integrated alcohol
- Pineapple and ester funk
- Long, layered finish
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Buying advice
These ship to you
Yes, if you're after bold, tropical, funky rums for sipping neat.
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The look inside the bottle
How does Hampden Rum Artesanal Jamaica High Ester Rum HGML 1983 taste?
From community reviews · summarized with AI
Aged Hampden funk, rounded and creamy People deep into Hampden rate this among their favorites — funky, fruity, remarkably smooth for its age. A couple feel the sweet fruit fades a touch fast, but that's nitpicking a beloved bottle.
Aroma profileHampden and high-ester funk devotees
Beginners and anyone put off by glue-and-solvent funk
Style & occasion: Tropical & funkySipping neat
Full aroma profile Aroma families · nose & palate · top aromas
Relative to this rum's strongest aroma family
48 of 98 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
Which glass for which rum? The community guide ›
What does the community say?
98 community reviews
Rating scale & review checks
On RumX, 7 means “Good” and 8 means “Very good”.
See the full rating guideHow ratings are made and how we check them ›The website shows a selection of written reviews. The distribution also includes ratings without text. All published reviews are available in the RumX app.
44 selected written reviews
The distribution above includes all 98 ratings, including those without text.
Review by Thunderbird
RumX Day10: What a treat! This Hampden is once again absolutely top! It has a balanced maturity and is not as impetuous as many others, without denying its origin! All the expected flavors are represented, just a little more mature and subtle! Great Tasting evening with Dr. Django: Can only confirm my assessment of danals, first class bottling
Review by DomM
Extremely well balanced Hampden. Fruits, cask, spices, a faint sweetness and a hint of bacon. Outstanding stuff!
Review by zabo
One last edit from me. After I had this one side by side with the new 1983 from Rob in the glass, I had to raise its rating again. And put it on par with the Virtues at 9.5. Both are two exceptional Hampden rums. Edit Edit The more I try it, the better I like it. Raised it again. Edit: meanwhile I’ve also had other HGMLs in the glass, and it’s hard to say which is my favorite. They all hover around a very h Tried it again and the only thing I have to do now is simply raise it again. My new number 1!
Review by Galli33
#10th dec RumXCalendar Blind tasting: Nose: delicious, pineapple, ester, fruitbasket, glue Mouth: Pineapple, ester, barrel, oak Finish: long, pineapple, barrel, oak, dry, a bit astringent Amazing delicious High Ester Hampden 😍 Funk Extreme! A lot of fruits in the nose, the more time you’ll give it the more fruits you’ll get. Important: This rum needs time to fully open min. 1 hour. I think it’s a hampden… in the high ester section <>H ca.60% approx. 30 Years
Review by Jakob
Exquisite Hampden and the uncrowned king from 1983. Understand who can and why this bottling was available for so long - clearly, the price was not entirely negligible, but in parallel ran various single casks at absolutely comparable, if not significantly higher prices over the (secondary market) counter, which play in my eyes qualitatively in a completely different league.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
the more relaxed version of the 89 RA HGML. still very cool and simply mega sweet. here too we have a nice mixture of cookie dough, pineapple and bacon but not quite as much funk and esters as the new one. surprisingly little woodiness and tannins for such an old rum. very nice number. i like it a lot!
Review by Gunnar Böhme "Bauerngaumen" 🤓
There are already 68 at least very good reviews here. No further comment necessary, the old ester speaks for itself 😉 By the way: Tasted at tropical temperatures at the bottling site! Appropriate, isn't it? 😊
Review by Tschusikowsky
Rum X Advent 10.12.22 At first I thought of a rather younger version of a Hampden. But in the end it's not wild enough for that. It seems a little tamed by the years. In the mouth, this crisp dryness comes through for me, which brings me to a 92 HLCF. At the same time, it's creamy and smooth, with a slight cherry note, which doesn't quite fit. I also think it's below or close to 60%. The color is also quite bright. Wild guess: Blend of 92 and 90 (?) vintages. Definitely super tasty! Edit: Hampden adventure park. At the top end of the scale. Unbelievable how creamy and accessible the rum is after so many years of ageing. Liquid gold. Insanely delicious.
Review by Leo Krüper
Best Hampden. A clear winner in the triple comparison with CDI and Corman Collins.
Review by mto75
epic Hampden! On the nose, the full (fermented) fruit basket with pineapple, banana, kiwi, gooseberries, plus a subtle yogurt butter cookie note. And all brought together impressively, with no noticeable barrel influence. Also bacony, toasty rather than oak barrel on the palate. Creamy finish, and somehow between sour drops, smoky bacon, pineapple and marzipan.
Review by cigares
An explosion of fruit on the nose, with esters but also freshness. The power is there, no doubt about it. The entry is almost sweet, but immediately the power increases and the whole mouth cavity fills with fruit. The palate continues with a noble, persistent bitterness. Then the wood that was masked by the fruit appears, a rather young and elegant wood. A little parasitic acidity appears next, which is a pity! All in all, a very fine rum, expressive and powerful.
Review by TheRhumhoe
A beautiful unicorn from Jamaica that elegantly reveals phenolic and ripe tropical fruit flavors, citrus, a touch of smoke, brine and olive tapenade notes. A slight floral freshness and cherry also come through. On the palate, we have an extremely well-balanced rum that combines the high ester profile with nice woody, spicy notes, with a touch of marzipan and a meaty influence that sublimates the whole. It's funky, oily, intense and the alcohol is superbly well integrated. The finish, endless, mixes fruits, esters, spices, wood, leather, smoky notes and a touch of bitterness. A rum of the great days which sketches all the richness of Hampden.
Review by Christoph H.
I'm not really a fan of superimposed Hampden and certainly not of superimposed ester bombs. The first thing that went through my mind here was: it's so much better than the RA HD 89. Why is that?...you simply don't notice its age. NEVER, if I had thought it possible that we were dealing with 35 years of maturation here, my feeling would have told me 25. Full HD DNA, but simply round and smooth. If you put the Kill Devil next to it, you know what above the zenith means. Clearly one of the better Hampdens for me!
Review by HenryL
RumX Advent calendar December 10 My first Hampden with vintage 19xx. Very tasty and balanced! Nose still simply Hampden typical and not particularly unusual. But in the mouth it is a true feast! Despite the high age still beautifully fruity with sweet mango notes. It's hard to catch individual notes, but it's damn tasty. At first I thought I couldn't quite understand the admiration for the old Hampden vintages, but after this one was in the glass I can understand it!
Review by Frank
A little highlight for me. 35 yo HD. Probably an HGML. ❤️ Nose: wonderfully intense esters. The solid age makes them appear fuller and less pointed. Alongside the classic glue and sweetish nail polish. Now comes grilled pineapple and marzipan, underlaid with fine vinegar. There could also be grilled peppers. Palate: brilliant! Warm and sweet. And then they come, the esters and the intense pineapple. All wonderfully round and compact due to the age. Honey and umami, what opposites that go together. At the back, the wood is also pleasant with a little aniseed. For me, this is already one of the best Hampden rums. Even if there are now quite a few old and beautiful ones.
Review by Adrian Wahl
Happy E(a)ster Tasting 2023. Hampden 1983 HGML. Rum Artesnal Hampden 1983 HGML 58,9%. Absolute legend in a glass. Finally I have the chance to try it. Beautiful Hampden DNA despite its great age. Nose somewhat reserved. An outstanding rum. It's amazing that you could buy it for so long for the issue price. 91/100 for me.
Review by Serge
A real taste experience. Here, the flavors are not spilled. Very glad I was allowed to try it. Small update... after a long time back in the glass and still a bomb. Dreamlike.
Review by Basti
For me, this Hampden is also an absolute exception with a super cool nose. The absolute Hampden essence in the mouth. Super intense, slightly astringent and the Hampden fruit basket with a floral/perfumed attack. Clearly in my top 5!
Review by LukaŽiga
9:On the nose, the first impression we get is medicinal with esters, glue, nail polish, funky and fruity with overripe tropical fruits like banana and pineapple, as the wood is roasted with caramel, marzipan. On aeration, citrus fruits join the game, more roasted wood notes do come in, like chocolate, nuts, meaty tones...All very balanced. 9,2:On the palate, the attack is delicious, round and slightly funky, a bit sweet, full-bodied with esters, overripe tropical fruits and roasted wood notes, quite oaky, slightly smoky, like pastry, crème brûlée, spicy with anise, vanilla, as molasses is vegetal and dark with licorice. 9:The finish is round, full-bodied, dry and tannic with medicinal notes, a lot of roastedness and tropical fruits..
Review by RumTaTa
This is one of the oldest rum I had so far in the glass and the expectations are high...Nose: not at all appropriate to the age 😉 There is clearly less wood and barrel than in some younger rum from Guyana. I'm sure the storage in Europe plays a role in that. All the Hampden markers are there and show very balanced, none stands out. I like it very much!On the palate, an immense sweet-fruity wave with wonderful transition to barrel and wood notes in the long finish.At the very end, it even gets a little salty and smoky.A fascinating, intense rum with great flavor arc, unfortunately, the fruity sweetness fades relatively quickly. Actually crazy that you can buy the beginning 2023 still on the primary market!
Review by Vincent D
On the nose, a well funky Hampden that still seems rather calm. You find pineapple, esters, overripe fruits, etc. On the palate, a Hampden mellowed by the years, with perfectly integrated alcohol and woodiness that serves as the backbone to the sensations hinted at on the nose. It's superbly balanced. Magnificent. And what length!
Review by Martin Augustin
A really great Hampden. It's incredibly complex and creamy. With lots of esters, marzipan, nail polish remover and a tropical fruit basket on the nose. The flavor is so well rounded with pineapple. Alcohol is perfectly integrated. A rum that is simply fun and invites you to enjoy it.
Review by Jarek
Another tasting with the Franconian Tasting Gang (thanks to Dom who sacrificed his bottle for this): HGML is and remains my favorite profile from Hampden. The RA is also incredibly well balanced, juicy, sweet, gentle and powerful at the same time.
Review by Christian Rudt
Simply great High Ester Hampden with a set age. Wood is noticeable, of course, but not as much as one might have feared. On the contrary, it really does the rum good, tames it somewhat without it losing its character, it simply complements it with beautiful roasted notes. And there is only a slight bitterness to be felt, a pleasure from start to finish. You could spend a lot of time with it. So I'm going to travel back in time and buy myself two bottles okay 😉
Review by Mentalo
You simply don't notice the 35 years in the cask in this bottling. Alcohol is perfectly integrated. Very well balanced. Everything you like about Hampden fits harmoniously together. Plus a slightly creamy texture. A top bottling!
Review by Tom Buteneers
Compared with RX16153 & RX17936 Most delicate nose but somehow more similarities with the unaged version. Taste has a lot of layers, everything’s there (esters, spices, wood, sweet & sharp), but very well rounded.
Review by Oliver
The 35 years in the barrel have made this Jamaican something very special.
Review by Master P
Wanted to try it for a long time and now it's time 😍 A really great Hampden. It's incredibly complex and creamy. With lots of ester, marzipan, nail polish remover and a tropical fruit basket on the nose. Alcohol is perfectly integrated. A rum that's very pleasant to drink, really good and also has a great long finish.
Review by Mike H.
Incredible nose, there’s a lot going on there. In the mouth there’s an explosion of flavors, the ABV is perfectly integrated. Extremely well balanced and smooth. Outstanding, probably the best Hampden that I’ve rated on RumX so far.
Review by Alex1981
Fantastic HD that has it all. Fruits, esters, wood, spices, sweetness in a perfect harmony. Age really helped to carve out the best from the distillate!
Review by Alexander Rasch
A great Hampden. Definitely the oldest I've tasted so far. The funk is there but the esters are nicely integrated and no longer have so much punch, especially on the nose. The palate is powerful and spicier on the finish with more wood influence. A great rum and a very good Hampden. For me, however, it is not a bottling that puts everything else in its pocket. It lacks a little depth on the palate and the punch at the end. But that's complaining at the highest level. I like it very much and it's absolutely delicious.
Review by Pavel Spacek
... Hampden, legendary Jamaican distillery, which besides rum also produces alcohol for perfumes. In all rums from this distillery, you can feel wild esters, after which your whole body soaks in the scent of yellow tropical fruit - mango, papaya, pineapple, peach. One of the rums you "must try before you die"
Review by Skyfly
A dream of a rum! I consider myself lucky to still be able to try this highlight! Super strong combination of esters, pineapple, mango, nail polish, and some wood and spices. On the palate delicious cookie dough. Alcohol perfectly integrated!
Review by Piotr Ignasiak
What a taste bomb, which lingers on the tounge for a long time. Initially I felt that there's a bit of too much of sulphuric undertones, but the rum just needed more time to soften and open up. Oak mostly shows up on the finish.
Review by Tropheus80
Day 10 Rum X Advent calendar. So far the highlight, exactly my taste.
Review by lars
Unbelievably good. Absolutely speechless.
Review by ccajerem
👃 after good airing of at least 10 minutes, the solvent and varnish give way to flambéed banana, roasted pineapple but also some green olive notes and also leather. We are definitely dealing with a Hampden high ester. (Hgml I think). 👄 very delicate, you feel the high alcohol degrees but they are very well integrated. There is chewiness on the palate and the aromas we had on the nose come back even stronger and are intensified in retro-olfaction. The length is superb, we are definitely in the presence of a very old Hampden and even if it is a full continental aging, it is top.
Review by Caroni.Martin
Ester Ester Ester - not for the faint of heart and needs a lot of time - you should plan at least 2 hours to give this great stuff enough room to breathe - mega experience 😍
Review by Buddudharma
For me, an absolute exceptional Hampden.
Review by Schnubbii
Yes, this is really a very cool HGML, even if I can't quite understand the big hype around this release. Nevertheless, and at the risk of repeating myself, great stuff!
Review by Arnaud Faverjon
An insane finesse, a tangy freshness, and a mouth that evolves magnificently, losing the brutal side of the HGML to arrive at a concentrate of lace. It evolves with saltier touches, and especially an incomparable richness. 36 years in casks and not a trace of wood, it's really remarkable, you never get bored, and above all you notice all the benefits of this aging, it's polished and rounded on all sides. The only downside is the empty glass which fades quickly with a sawdust side. A rum I absolutely wanted to taste, and I was not disappointed!
Review by Pavel Ungr, RumRock
Vintage 1983. With 9.1 out of 10 it is in the top five percent of everything I have tasted and rated.
Review by Henry Davies
Honestly the reviews are overly generous, great rum but people have been romanced by the age. Wood is front footed here which does not do justice to the juice. Nose is solid, glue, ester, bits warm cardboard reminiscent of old Navy issue runs. The mouth is restrained, some esters and tropical notes with mango but again a lot of wood. The finish is medium, iodine and some anise with marzipan and smoke. Not at the top of the pyramid for me in the Hampden troupe and certainly not all time Hampden
Review by Oleh
24-23-24-23. Managed to surpass in my TOP Mden from TWJ. June-July, 2021
This selection contains no written reviews in this rating range.
Expert reviews
5 critics scored it, averaging 9.2/10. Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum.
Expert review by Zucker und Zeste
It's amazing that this rum still exists. A very fine Hampdel that has not lost its DNA despite being stored for ages. Classic pineapple, moderate wood and very harmonious spices. Very tasty and relaxed to drink.
Expert review by The Dunder Hut
What 35 good years can do, unbelievable that this was available for so long. This was very pricey when It came out but the market came around. And now it is actually quite a steal. Hgml is very nice...
Expert review by Single Cask Rum
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Expert review by Barrel Aged Thoughts
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Expert review by Tasting Bro's
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Hampden Rum Artesanal Jamaica High Ester Rum HGML 1983 at live auctions
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101 bottles logged by 78 collectors.
Both drunk and collected.
19% opened, 8 emptied.
What did the community pay for Hampden Rum Artesanal Jamaica High Ester Rum HGML 1983?
Community paid 352–484 €.
Purchase prices reported by members, not a shop price. Avg. 391 €. Full price & collection history in RX+ ›
101 purchased · 101 tasted · 89 wishlist · as of
Details about Hampden Rum Artesanal Jamaica High Ester Rum HGML 1983
A Pot Still Rum from Jamaica, bottled by Heinz Eggert GmbH, at 58,9%.
Read on in the RumX Guide
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