Category: single cask

The limited edition single cask rum series from Mike Streeter’s Down Island Spirits company includes this ten year aged Jamaican HD 2012 expression, a classic pot still distillate made from fermented molasses at the legendary Hampden Estate distillery in Trelawny.

One of the lightest rums produced at the facility, the OWH marque (named for Outram W. Hussey) is considered a common clean style with ester levels in the range of 40-80 grams per hectoliter, far below the pungent venerable DOK marque at more than 1500.

Down Island Spirits Jamaican HD 2012

This Spirits Jamaican HD 2012 rum rested in toasted American oak in Jamaica for three years before transfer to Liverpool for an additional seven years.

It was bottled in Florida at the cask strength of 60% ABV.

Jamaican HD 2012 Rum Tasting Notes

Aromas of ripe fruit and cigar box lead to leather with hints of cacao, vanilla and caramel. On the palate, big warm bread pudding, ripe banana, treacle and baking spices precede toasted oak and a lingering musk. The finish is long, warm and dry, with echoes of fruit and bitter wood tannins lasting quite a while.

Hampden Estate

A visit to the distillery is an opportunity to go back in time, with legacy methods in place that deliver the endearing signature hogo style of yesteryear. The cedar fermentation tanks are alive with slow fermentation, emitting rich aromas of ripe fruit. The nearby muck pits contain past wash, rich in bacteria and acids that will enliven the next batch run through the legacy pot stills.

Unlike Appleton and Clarendon, there is no column still here; all the rum at Hampden Estate is made in batches, the old fashioned way.

Limited Availability

Only 238 bottles of this Jamaican HD 2012 rum were produced, so rum enthusiasts will want to keep an eye open for it, most likely at retailers known for their fine collections; and also directly from the Down Island Spirts web site. The 750ml package, bottled at a hefty 60% ABV, sells for $95.

https://www.downislandspirits.com/rums/