Aroma visualization from community tastings
Habitation Velier Hampden Spirits in the sky HGML 2017
Most tasters land in the high 8s here, with a small camp knocked back by the sharp acidity and youth. Rough and chemical straight from the bottle, then it opens into overripe pineapple, rancid butter, marzipan and a genuinely surprising smoky BBQ-bacon note several people flag. Give it real time in the glass — the funk settles and the fruit takes over. Big, cask-strength Hampden at 64.5%.
The community says- Overripe pineapple
- Smoky BBQ note
- Sharp acidity
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The look inside the bottle
How does Habitation Velier Hampden Spirits in the sky HGML 2017 taste?
Aggregated from 51 community reviews.
Wild, funky Hampden with smoky BBQ twist Loved as a wild, fruity HGML with a rare meaty-smoky twist. A few find the acidity dominant and the youth showing, and most agree it trails the 2010 HV benchmark.
Hampden fans who want high-ester funk at cask strength
Beginners and anyone put off by sour, chemical notes
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
31 of 51 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
How is Habitation Velier Hampden Spirits in the sky HGML 2017 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 8.7 sits in the “Very good” band. 100% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 0% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
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Community voices
What does the community say?
8% rate it between 6 and 8. 19 selected write-ups from 51 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by alex
What can I say, except that for its age it is excellent, with all the usual markers of the great Hampden ! Butter, fruit and esters are all there !!! What a treat, I love this Mark 😍😍 Let it rest and breathe in the glass so that it matures ♥️ Big favorite ❤️
Review by Tom Buteneers
First impression: chemicals and solvents, a bit rough around the edges. Improves as it sits in the glass. Alcohol integration not that bad, but delivers quite a punch. Edit: compared to RX328 & RX16253 Most remarkable nose with some smokiness (is that bacon?). Esters are far more present on the palate and a little burn. Very nice. Bottlekill 15/04/24 The oxidation made it a bit more mellow. Very lovely fruity esters. Alcohol still present, but much less compared to the first tasting. Bumped it up with 0,3 points, because I find it excellent at this moment.
Review by Thunderbird
Another excellent HGML bottling... I like this Mark... buttery sour on the nose with marzipan and esters. The palate is funky intense and full of power... this is how a Hampden should be. The finish is just as intense and long
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
#4765 07.07.2024 Relaxing at home with a few samples. Nose Light wood, pineapple, orange, overripe, light floral, spice, light herbs, light anise. Palate Round, balanced, light wood, pineapple, banana, overripe, light olive, faint salt, light tar, faint licorice. Finish Long and warm, light wood, fruity, light pineapple, light orange, spice. The empty glass has light chocolate, roasted and light vegetal notes.
Review by RumTaTa
Two attributes stand out on the nose: overripe pineapple and a smell like rancid butter. Behind that I find lemon balm, barrel influence and a little iodine. It's already off to a great start! The palate is then really wild: the barrel is clearly noticeable, overripe pineapple anyway, sweet notes of marzipan, yoghurt towards the finish, then slightly bitter and slightly salty, iodine and a medicinal note also reappears. In my opinion, the alcohol provides just the right boost. The salty note accompanies me far into the long finish and evokes an association with green olives. Unfortunately, I have nothing more of the Hampden Great House 2020 to compare. I remember the GH 2020 as being very similar, but this one is much more intense and multi-faceted. This Hampden is not for beginners and delivers a youthful, wild ride through the distillery's wide spectrum of flavors, excellent!
Review by DomM
Intense and fibrant on the nose. Rather young and rough until it sits for quite some time in the glas. Does not hide its ester content at all , but develops a nice rich HGML fruitiness over time. I also get a rich sensation of BBQ/Chipotle spices on the nose, which is surprising but gives an interesting twist in my mind. Very nice and fruity on the palate. Some roasted notes and quite a bit sweetness. Very good. Not quite on par with the HV 2010 HGML, but not too far off. Also ahead of the 2010 12y single cask imo.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Really intense and spicy. Candy bacon, taggiasche olives, brioche with salted cucumber butter. Very thick, heavy, intense. Not too extreme or too demanding but still challenging and exciting. Surprisingly great bottling!
Review by ilRummista
An excellent Hampden HGML. Great nose, just as you would expect from a rum with such a high ester content. Really outstanding palate, one of the most interesting Hampden released in 2023. I regret not buying a bottle....
Review by Benoit Mahe
Hampden very well mastered. The nose is classic of the distillery and brings a lot of pleasure and greed. The palate is a little less acidic than I expected, but still extremely pleasant.
Review by Serge
Tasted against the top dog HV 2010 HGML On the nose, the Spirits is clearly more acidic and the HV has a great pineapple-marzipan sweetness. On the other hand, the Spirits in the Sky scores with a meaty/grilled note that comes out of the background after a while, which you would otherwise expect from an LP. Great bottling, but doesn't quite match the feel good factor of the HV ...
Review by Rum man
Great Hampden. It gives a big strawberry yoghurt aroma to the nose. Fruity, pastries and even some cheese and a sour note. Overall it smells mainly sweet though, amazing nose. The taste starts with a sweet pineapple that develops into a more sour one. There is also papaya and other fruits. Chewing brings out a BBQ note but you have to look for it. The finish is more on the sour side with a bitter note. But later on that sweet comes back into play. A wonderful Hampden that mellows out nicely in the glass. For as far a Hampden does that of course.
Review by Basti
In direct comparison with the much younger HGML from TWJ for TastToe, the nose here is much fruitier, riper, with more barrel influence. On the palate, too, it is simply more mature, rounder, with more spicy aromas and fruity notes.
Review by Banana Joe
Wow, was ein ungewöhnlicher Hampden. Zwar kann man auch hier die typischen Aromen wahrnehmeny es gesellt sich aber auch ein rauchig fleischiges Aroma dazu. Das habe ich bei einem Hampden so noch nie gehabt. Klasse Fassauswahl von The Nectar
Review by Johannes
Richtig guter Hampden! Etwas adstringierend, aber richtig gut!
Review by Schnubbi
Mmhh overripe pineapple and something floral on the nose. Then again overripe pineapple on the palate, plus something buttery and a pleasant saltiness that lingers medium-long on the finish. It opens up a little more with a few drops of water. The esters here are actually a little too over the top for me, but I still find this HGML to be really cool. The only downside for me is the price, I would buy it for around €150, but it's not worth more to me.
Review by Michal S
Velmi zajímavý Hampden, příjemná vůně (přezrálý ananas, estery) a delikátní chuť (ovoce, marcipán). Doporučuju vyzkoušet.
Review by cigares
An explosive yet balanced nose. Buttery, fermented fruit, burnt caramel and a slight acetic bite. Not much funk, except on the very first nose, which is quite explosive. Aesthetics are very volatile here, and this rum mellows out considerably if you wait before drinking your glass. The palate is complex but not quite clean. In addition to the acetic bite felt on the nose, the fermented sides detract a little from the attractiveness of this rum, which is nonetheless very interesting and pleasant. The finish is long and balanced.
Review by Leo Krüper
Great young single cask that shows why Hampden is at the top of the list. Alcohol perfectly integrated.
Review by Barnagricole
Citrus bitterness, grapefruit. UFO
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Expert reviews
Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by The Secret Rum Bar
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Details about Habitation Velier Hampden Spirits in the sky HGML 2017
A Pot Still Rum from Jamaica, bottled by Habitation Velier, at 64,5%.
Community purchases
46 bottles logged by 34 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
10% opened, 2 emptied and repurchased.
What does Habitation Velier Hampden Spirits in the sky HGML 2017 cost?
Community paid 181–249 €.
Current best price: 296.90 € – above the typical community range.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
46 purchased · 53 tasted · 17 wishlist · as of
About the Hampden distillery
The Hampden distillery is located in Jamaica. Rums from Hampden have been reviewed 19,877 times with an average of 8.4/10.
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