Hampden - Great House Distillery - 2021 Edition - 55%
Hampden Estate, one of the oldest and most prestigious sugar plantations in Jamaica, has a rich history dating back to 1753, when the estate was owned by Mr. Archibald Stirling from Scotland. In 1779, Mr. Stirling built the famous Hampden Great House, whose ground floor served as a rum warehouse until the early 20th century. The Farquarson family operated this iconic estate producing sugar and rum until 2003, before the property was transferred to the Jamaica Sugar Company. Known for having some of the most fertile lands ideal for sugarcane cultivation in Jamaica, the estate produces the highest quantity of sugar from milled cane. Historically, Hampden rums were exclusively exported to Europe, especially England and Scotland. In 2009, Everglades Farms Ltd, owned by the Hussey family, purchased the estate as part of a divestment of assets from the Jamaica Sugar Company, which was government-owned. Since this acquisition, Everglades Farms has heavily invested in the local rum tradition, creating sustainable jobs in the Trelawny region and providing essential infrastructure to more than 17 local communities and schools.
The production of Hampden rums relies on an ecological and sustainable process: the water used does not come from underground aquifers but from an exclusive mountain water collection system. After use, this water is fully returned clean to the earth, highlighting the estate's environmental commitment. The production also features an extended fermentation using natural yeasts, ensuring the unique aromatic richness of the rums. Hampden Estate is also one of the last distilleries to use traditional batch distillation with four stills in operation, the oldest being a John Dore from 1960, with an impressive capacity of 7,560 liters. Aging takes place in the Jamaican tropical climate for over 7 years, a process equivalent to about 25 years of maturation in a European climate, which gives the rums exceptional complexity and depth. All Hampden rums are bottled without any additives: no added sugar, tannins, caramel, or glycerin, thus respecting the purity of their authentic expression.
Hampden Great House Distillery 2021 Edition pays tribute to the historic Jamaican distillery estate, used in the early 1900s as a warehouse for barrel storage, embodying the ancestral know-how and heritage richness of the exceptional rums produced by Clos des Spiritueux.
