The Whisky Jury Hampden Mden C<>H 1997
For seasoned enthusiasts: a rare 1997 Hampden C<>H that balances intense tropical fruit, funk and pastry notes with elegant oak. Cask-strength yet superbly integrated, this unsweetened 23‑year rum shines neat or in decadent cocktails, highly praised by 44 RumX reviewers.
- Rare 1997 vintage
- Intense tropical fruit
- Excellent balance
Details about The Whisky Jury Hampden Mden C<>H 1997
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How does The Whisky Jury Hampden Mden C<>H 1997 taste?
Aggregated from 44 community reviews.
Rare, fruit‑packed Hampden funk bomb For seasoned enthusiasts: a rare 1997 Hampden C<>H that balances intense tropical fruit, funk and pastry notes with elegant oak. Cask-strength yet superbly integrated, this unsweetened 23‑year rum shines neat or in decadent cocktails, highly praised by 44 RumX reviewers.
Fans of high-ester Jamaican funk who want a mature, fruit-forward Hampden with pastry depth and oak balance at cask strength, plus collectors hunting rare 1997 C<>H vintages.
Beginners or those sensitive to high ABV, anyone who dislikes funky esters, or drinkers who prefer sweet, easygoing rums without tannic, dry finishes.
How is The Whisky Jury Hampden Mden C<>H 1997 rated?
RumX's 0–10 scale is strict — 9.0 lands squarely in the "Excellent" 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 Dr.Django
A very special release, which makes this rum a real rarity in the world of Jamaican rum due to its special vintage. According to the database, there are only two Hampden bottles from 1997! Not many more are likely to follow. A very tasty, funky Hampden that stands out in particular due to its perfect balance of wood, fruit, funk and consistency on the palate. Unfortunately, it doesn't continue as intensely on the palate, otherwise it would have been a real positive hit. Many thanks for the sample @Saibot
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
#4695 07.04.2024 Relaxing with a few samples. Nose Intense, balanced, glue, fruity, pineapple, ester, earthy, faint chocolate, light wood. Palate Intense, balanced, light salt, fruity, light citrus, faint earthy, pineapple, ester, spicy, light roasted wood. Finish Very long and spicy, light roasted wood, vegetal, pineapple. The empty glass has stronger glue and also melon notes. Very good ABV integration and overall good balance.
Review by SaibotZtar
Very intense C<>H. Very fruity and proper ester. Very balanced and drinkable. No off-notes to smell or taste Great release. A real bomb in May Tai.
Review by Jakob
Wow, really nice Hampden! Balanced picture of tropical fruits, pastry notes, beautiful wood aromas, light spicy notes...absolutely coherent overall profile, which is really fun. Excellent!
Review by TheRhumhoe
The Whisky Jury has done a remarkable job with this hyper-intense, voluptuous Hampden, which exalts the senses. The nose is like a basket of tropical fruit: pineapple, banana, mango, passion fruit and papaya offer unspeakable indulgence, followed by the spicier notes of pepper and oak, before switching to a more pastry-like side. Medicinal notes are also present (normal for a C<>H), with their share of esters, glue and solvents. An exciting, mouth-watering nose. The attack on the palate is truly breathtaking. Fruit is omnipresent, opulent and extremely tasty: from ripe yellow fruit to yuzu lemon, via the exotic fruits evoked on the nose, this is a concentrated, exquisite fruit juice. Pastry, medicinal, roasted and woody flavors interweave on the palate to create a delicious, complete profile. The alcohol is perfectly integrated. The finish is perhaps a little less pronounced than the rest of the profile, with more tannic, drier, woody notes. There's a touch of spice on the vanilla, but also a little less fruit and phenolic notes. A spectacular, super-drinkable Hampden which, despite going out the back door, offers a veritable sensory voyage.
Review by Thunderbird
A relatively soft and restrained 97 C<>H. It has all the expected aromas, but remains on the smooth side. It does not achieve the funkiness and creaminess of other 97 bottlings. But that is not a devaluation, it is and remains a first-class bottling.
Review by LukaŽiga
8,8:On the nose, intense roasted wood notes with pastry and bacon, medicinal with esters and glue, slightly rotten, pungent overripe tropical fruits like banana and pineapple, vegetal molasses, are the first impression we get. On aeration, citrus fruits and mango arise, spicy vanilla and cinnamon, smokiness, nuts, chocolate and caramel, herbaceous and flowery molasses, some rubber. 8,5:On the palate, the attack is weird, imbalanced with esters and fermented, slightly rotten vegetal notes like olive, a lot of brine and spiciness, faint overripe tropical fruits like banana and pineapple, roasted wood notes and some herbal, peated molasses.On oxidation, luckily the balance arrives, with various fruits like citrus, maracuja and red fruits, slightly on sour side, pairing roasted wood notes with crunchy bread, marzipan, cookie dough, butterscotch and smoky bacon, spicy with baking spices, flowery molasses, vegetal with thyme, metallic patina and some rubber. 8,4:The finish is long, dry&tannic, with strong oak, so slightly furry, needs additional resting, less fruity, variety of roasted, slightly smoky and spicy wood notes pair flowery and vegetal(slightly rotten) tones, esters and glue, metallic patina..
Review by Alex1981
Another solid Hampden, love the interplay between tropical fruits, rotten esters, strong doughy/malty notes and spicy wood. Love the complexity! Alcohol is well integrated and brings the other components together. Super drinkable and yet powerful, great release.
Review by Tom Buteneers
Bottle 9/241. Just lovely in every way 😍 SDR23
Review by Mentalo
1997s Hampden are probably a rarity. Too bad, because this is a strong Hampden bottling for me. The flavor profile at least shows characteristics of other tropical aged Hampdens, so I would assume at least partly tropical aging. Great bottling, of which I would have liked to have had more than a 1cl sample.
Review by kondgab
A hyper-intense, fruit-forward Jamaican rum with layers of tropical pineapple, funky esters, and pastry-like sweetness. Despite its assertive profile, the alcohol is excellently integrated, and the finish delivers a balanced fusion of spice, wood, and Hampden funk. Ideal for lovers of bold, estery rums with refined gourmand depth at cask strength
Review by Boletus
Nach einer sehr einladenden Nase mit vielen tropenfruchtigen Akzenten, die von einer dezenten Holzigkeit und ein paar Gewürznoten begleitet werden, erfolgt im Mund ein Antritt mit konzentrierte Paradiescreme, der mich wirklich begeistert. Vom Alkohol ist kaum etwas zu merken und die intensiven Ester sind für die Mundschleimhaut ebenfalls erfreulich verträglich. Im weiteren Verlauf entwickelt sich noch eine feine Röstnote, welche den fulminanten und langen Abgang prägt, ohne dass die Fruchtigkeit vernachlässigt wird. Ganz großes Hampden-Kino!
Review by Double Barrel
At first nosing i thought ok it's just another very good high-ester Hampden (boring!) but then the pastry note (marzipan) delivered in the middle of the palate makes this one outstanding for me. This extra-layer of gourmandise that is so clear, so focused, so vibrant gives this rum an exceptional relief!
Review by Yundi
Solid hampden for sure, but too sweet and too hot without the balance from funkiness or body
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Eine unfassbar schöne und elegante Nase nach dunkler Schokolade, Keksgebäck, Maracuja und Estern. Leider hält der Geschmack nicht ganz das Niveau was die Nase verspricht. Geschmacklich immer noch extrem lecker aber auch recht bitter und adstringierend, daher leichte Abzüge. Der Abgang ist schier ewig würzig, süß, sauer und bitter zugleich. Tolle Abfüllung für mich aber nicht ganz überzeugend genug für ein 9+!
Expert reviews
Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by Barrel Aged Thoughts
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Community purchases
59 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 35 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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