Back to our German friends from Rum Artesanal, with 3 new bottlings 87% Jamaican … 87%? Yes, besides the fact that it is indeed 3 rums distilled in Jamaica, they will all have been aged on our good continent and in addition, two of them will have been finished in other non-Jamaican barrels 🙂
A Hampden which will have completed its last two weeks of aging in a barrel of Enmore 1994 and a Worthy Park which will have been transformed in a barrel of Bowmore … There remains the New Yarmouth which will have remained (very) wisely in its barrel of bourbon.
So on paper, this note is not really to please me, as the juices seem extreme with a Hampden and a New Yarmouth each grading more than 65% but in the end, a lot of surprises … go!
Hampden 1998
This Hampden distilled in 1998 will have been finished in Enmore barrels and has a title of 65.9%.
Color: Slightly darker than usual, the 2 weeks in Enmore barrels played I imagine.
We’re more on an old gold.
Nose: A rather lively nose where we find directly the High Esters side of rums from Hampden. Almost the alcool is present.
It is very fruity, on ripe bananas, roasted pineapple, lemon, granny apple and all that surrounded by a kind of anchoïade and olives. Of course, the glue / solvent side is there as often in this type of rums.
Butter, vanilla and some more floral notes then appear, as well as pink pepper berries.
A very fragrant nose, pleasant although a little too alcoholic. I am definitely a small nature, I admit it to you 🙂
Palate: Argh, it’s raw as rum! the 66 watts are still present anyway …
Following this, there is a relatively buttered rum, on anchovies, olives, dried fruits and of course tropical fruits.
The banana and pineapple that we had in our nose are still there, as well as the vanilla and the pink pepper.
I have more tertiary traces than usual, the bitter walnut and a fine smoky oak are more marked than on other Hampden. I imagine that the finish of two weeks in the barrel of the Enmore 1994 is not unrelated to this.
Besides that, we can’t really say that the enmore finishing is very marked … we would not have been told, no one would have noticed it I think.
The finish is of course well placed under the sign of the fairly classic smoke from Hampden.
Price: 90€ (50 cl)
Conclusion: An old Hampden is often an opportunity to have something less wild, but here, savagery is still the order even after 22 years in barrels.
So,it is less acidic or marked by the olive than some others, but alcohol is still quite harsh to tame I find.
It’s good, but it won’t remain a big Hampden for me.
Score: 86/100
Worthy Park 2007
Attention, this Worthy Park 2007 benefited from an Islay-Bowmore finish … good to know before buying! It titles 57.3%.
Color: gold
Nose: pastry and fruity … there is a nice brioche side, creamy border, vanilla with lots of fruit including a light banana but especially green apple, lemon and pear.
The spices with pepper and nutmeg, some dried fruit, smokiness and a nice woodiness probably come from the finish in Islay … it clearly changes the profile of this Worthy Park.
The creamy peat is still felt, it really brings a nice layer of complexity to the whole.
Palate: haaaa there, clearly you have to love the peat because we are right in it.
This impression of ashes from cold cigarettes, smoked, peppery comes directly over the rum.
The finish, sweeter, fatty, on the candle in particular and a slight fruity reminds us that we actually drink something other than a whisky, but blindly it will not be easy to determine what’s on the glass.
The alcohol is very well integrated, it brings the peps it needs without being too present.
Price: 90€
Conclusion: yeah …. special, far from bad but I admit I don’t understand the interest of the thing.
In facts, if I want peat I use to drink a Ledaig or a Caol Ila.
Without being negative, I understand better why Worthy Park doesn’t want us to use its name. If someone discover this distillery with this juice, it won’t be something good for them.
Note: 79/100 … yes it’s a bit harsh but, even if it’s far from bad, it’s no longer rum. I am not a fan of finish in general, here even less because the Worthy Park is too distorted.
New Yarmouth 2009
This New Yarmouth from 2009 titles a big 66.9% and seems, on paper, to be something really tooo crazy for me… 🙂
Color: gold
Nose: there no worries, we are back in Jamaica without a doubt …. it smells very strong solvent and ripe tropical fruit.
So we find a mixture of bananas, pineapple, marzipan, a light caramel, pink pepper, toasted / smoked, vanilla and some citrus fruits … clearly, if I have drunk this in blind challenge, it’s Hampden my answer.
The thing is that solvents are present but do not overwrite everything, it is a fairly fragrant and balanced nose in fact.
Almost 67% are really « erased », and that’s pretty crazy. For an 11 year old rum which seemed so extreme, the nose is really very round.
Palate: very brioche, on vanilla, butter, a fine woody / toasted note and a lot of exotic fruit as on the nose.
It is very oily, very present in the mouth without it loosening the back teeth … it is really impressive balanced even if the aromas are rather marked.
Again, the 67% are strangely quite well-rounded overall.
The rather long finish offers us aniseed, brined and smoky scents.
Price: 50€
Conclusion: amazed …. where I expected something monstrous, I’m literally on the ass actually.
When I saw that it was a New Yarmouth of 11 years at 67%, I would never have bet on it … impressive even if it remains of course marked.
Note: 89/100
