For a long time, Jamaican rum was produced in the Caribbean, aged in barrels and added value by owners and importers in Europe. But Jamaican distilleries are gradually gaining self-confidence - and are taking the fate of their spirits into their own hands. One of them is the Hampden Distillery. The distillery from the Trelawny region released matured rum under its own name for the first time in 2018. Distilled exclusively in stills, aged for at least seven years under tropical conditions, completely uncolored and with no added sugar - for an authentic Jamaican experience.
Founded in 1753, Hampden Estate is one of the oldest sugar plantations in Jamaica. For the past 265 years, it has been owned by just two families. The distillery's top priority is to produce a genuine Jamaican rum sustainably. The Hampden Distillers therefore keep their rum as free from external influences as possible: they grow the ingredients they need to make rum themselves - on clean soil and without chemicals. They also produce their own yeast on site. They also completely avoid adding sugar for sweetening.
Hampden rums have - typically for Jamaica - a very high ester content of up to 1600 milligrams per liter. The higher the ester concentration, the fuller and more aromatic the rum. To ensure a strong flavor profile, Hampden's spirits are also 100 percent distilled in pot stills - instead of the usual column stills. In the past, Hampden rums were mostly used for blends around the world. In 2018, the distillery launched matured rum under its own name for the first time.