Hampden 1753 is the newest core rum to be launched by Hampden Estate, one of the oldest rum distilleries in Jamaica, and is exclusively distributed by La Maison du Whisky Asia-Pacific (LMDW APAC) in this region.
For its premiere South East Asian launch taking place in Singapore, LMDW has implemented what it dubs ‘Hampden Week’ throughout the country, offering daily complimentary shots at selected locations to further boost its appeal with rum and non-rum drinkers alike.
“Hampden Estate has been around for over two centuries since 1753 mostly as a bulk distiller selling unaged rum to other distilleries, but the Hampden brand itself has been around for just around eight years and uses the same authentic, traditional Jamaican rum too,” LMDW venture company LM&V Rum brand Manager Daniele Biondi told us at the launch event.
“For the past few years, the Hampden brand has been focused more on spirit connoisseurs but now we want to do something new, to speak a different language that can get our rum to reach a wider audience, and we believe Hampden 1753 is the way for us to do this.”
Hampden 1753 is a 46% ABV expression that has been aged for three years in bourbon casks, boasting a profile with a mix of candied pineapple, green banana, and overripe mango as well as spice and fermenting sugarcane.
“The entire profile is targeted to be complex yet inclusive, to deliver funk with finesse, and is designed not only for rum geeks, but for everyone,” he added.
“It is distilled from molasses in copper double-retort pot stills with spring water unique to the region and naturally fermented with wild yeasts, and it is key to note that it has been aged for three tropical years – which is very different from whiskey ageing in colder climates as it is much, much faster here.”
As an estimate, Biondi puts eight years of tropical ageing is equivalent to 20 or 25 years of whiskey ageing, so all tropically-aged rum will also have the equivalent woody and smoky notes found in long-aged whiskeys.
Good rum, better drinking
Hampden’s eight-year expression is its best-known rum, but its strength and intensity can be off-putting to less-seasoned rum drinkers – hence the birth of the Hampden 1753 three-year expression.
“Jamaican rum is known for its bold, funky, cool flavours but some of these can be intense and mostly appeal to niche drinkers or ‘rum geeks’ – our goal with Hampden 1753 is to move beyond just this crowd to bring in even more new drinkers to the category,” LMDW APAC Managing Director Diego Araud told us.
“This is quite a shift in the Hampden Estate experience as all Hampden rums are bold and expressive, but Hampden 1753 has been especially crafted for flavour-led drinking, to open minds and palates to this category.”
Importantly, the firm believes a rum introduction that emphasises high quality over quantity is important to gain appeal among these newer drinkers.
“Being a flavour-first spirit means that it has to be able to inspire people to drink better and savour the experience, not necessarily drink more, and this will resonate with consumers today who are not keen on drinking too much alcohol, so we will be curating their choices,” Araud added.
“We want people to really connect with the drink and appreciate it for the enjoyable flavours and aromas, not so much just drink for the sake of it, and this is very much in line with current trends today.”
