Hampden 2023 Great House, Pagos, & Monymusks Jamaican Rums!!!

Описание: You can skip ahead, but you’ll miss a lot of great information along the way!
Shortcuts/Timecodes:
0:00 – Intros
3:50 – Pagos Nosing
5:07 – Pagos Tasting
8:39 – '23 GH Nosing
9:47 – '23 GH Tasting
12:08 – 8 Year Nosing
13:09 – 8 Year Tasting
15:30 – 7 Year Nosing
16:32 – 7 Year Tasting

Today we’re going to look at 4 Jamaican rums that should be on most rum enthusiast’s wish list. While they’re “limited releases,” I’m still seeing these around me so hopefully you can find them near you or buy them online. Let’s introduce the players!

Hampden “Pagos” ($80-$90) is a high ester rum that was aged 3-4 years in 100% Ex-Sherry Casks from the Lustau Bodega in Spain. Their 500 liter butts previously held either Pedro Ximenez “PX” or Oloroso sherries. It utilized lengthy wild yeast fermentations, copper pot distillation, and natural spring water to bring the ester count toward the top end of LROK’s 200-400 ester level. It’s bottled at 104 proof and doesn’t contain any coloring or additives.

Hampden “The Great House” 2023 Vintage ($125) is the latest release of an annual line that showcases the versatility of Hampden’s various marques with differing ages. The Great House line began in 2019, but this 2023 is a blend of 60% 2-year-old LROK (200-400 gr/HLPA) and 40% 7-year-old HLCF (400-600 gr/HLPA) marques. All of which were copper pot distilled, aged in ex-bourbon barrels, and bottled without coloring or additives. To complete the full-flavor experience, it was bottled at a hefty 114 proof.

The Habitation Velier’s “Monymusk” Single Cask Rums ($140-$170) is the result of an experiment between the Italian bottler Velier, led by the passionate rum pioneer Luca Gargano, and a well-known Dutch broker EA Scheer, in whose 300-year history this is the first collaboration. Monymusk rums come from Jamaica's Clarendon Distillery, which was built in 1949. Today it houses two pot stills, one of which is possibly the largest pot still in the Caribbean, known to produce two distinct styles - a light/low ester and a heavy/high-ester style. The distillery is known for its unique flavors of butyric acid that is most comparable to ghee (a type of clarified butter). With these specific single cask rums, fans have the chance to make a direct comparison between EMB’s light/lower ester marque (125-175 Esters gr/hL) and MMW’s heavy/higher ester marque (290-300 Esters gr/hL) – Both of which were purely tropical aged rums (meaning aged on the island). Today we’re only looking at the red labels Tropically Aged rums, but the series consists of a total of four Jamaican Monymusk rums. The other two (that I’m not reviewing) were aged continentally (meaning in Europe) and those have blue labels.

The first expression is the heavy/higher 7-year-old (2015 vintage) single cask from the MMW marque (290-300 Esters gr/hl). It was bottled at 59% abv and was 1 of 283 bottles.

The second expression is the lighter/lower ester 8-year-old (2014 vintage) single cask from the EMB marque (125-175 Esters gr/hl). It was bottled at 60% abv in 2022 and was 1 of 233 bottles.

Monymusk’s Full Marques List (for reference)
MBS/MLT/MLL 10 or 60 Esters gr/hL Light Fermentation - Column - High demand unaged or 2-3 years
CRV-M - 10 - Light Fermentation - Column - Blends unaged and aged
MSR - 10 - Light Fermentation - Column - Blends characteristic banana aroma
MSP - 60-70 - Light Fermentation - Pot - Formerly made at Sevens Estate
MBK/AH - 70-80 or 60-90 - Light Fermentation - Pot
MTR - 95-100 - Light Fermentation - Pot
MPG/CHP - 110-125 or 90-125 - Light Fermentation - Pot - Formerly made at Sugar Estates
MDR - 145-150 - Light Fermentation - Pot
EMB - 240-250 or 125-175 - Light + Heavy (no dunder) - Medium Pot - Blends Formerly made at Bog Estate
MMW - 290-300 - Light + Heavy (no dunder) - Medium Pot - Monymusk Wedderburn
MLC - 450-550 or 500-600 - Heavy (no dunder) - Heavy Pot - Monymusk Light Continental

As of October 2024, my current bottle count is over 2,900. I am a Certified Specialist of Spirits and have also been accredited by the Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT). I've been actively collecting for three decades and what started as a small basic home bar has transformed (with the help and understanding of my wonderful wife) into this collection and career. Speaking of my career, I’m super proud to announce that my “Saints Alley “Nobleman” Rye Whiskey was named “Best American Rye” at the 2024 World Whisky Awards (Batch 4 should arrive in Total Wines in October)! But until then, don’t forget that our other Bourbons have also won multiple big awards and are on Total Wine shelves now! Our Flagship Port & Cognac just got a Double Platinum at Fred Minnick's 2024 Ascot Awards, and "The Herald” our Armagnac finished Bourbon took a Double Gold at the Whiskies of the World competition! Given my decades of consumer/reviewer experience, you know I’m working hard to continue bringing you great whiskeys! Thanks for watching & please remember to drink responsibly. Cheers!