ralfy review 652 - Hampden Rum 16yo @ 46%vol (Kill Devil)

[@christophermorkel.1955]

I quite enjoy appleton estate 12yo, a great example of decent, intensely flavoured Jamaican rum.

[@plm203]

Ralfy, FYI honey has a different flavor _everywhere_, it depends on the flowers or other source of sugars the bees collect. Their body acts as a strainer but very many odorant and flavor molecules pass to the honey. You should go to a honey shop and taste honeys from different plants. They may be produced at the same place and taste completely different. And in the caribbean you can make honey from orange trees or acacia/mimosa (though it's not made because common flowers are different there), they will taste like that made in EU.

[@BeholdItKnits]

What a coincidence! I was just deliberating (like, literally five minutes before watching this video) on whether I should purchase a rather pricey Hampden Estate 14 yr raw cask bottling from Blackadder. Maybe this is a sign I should pick it up. I'm a big fan of that funky, estery Jamaican Rum. In fact, it's really the only rum style I really love. Peaty whisky and funky rum--that's my thing.

[@randomnewyorklawyer]

A friend is a promoter for Foursquare, and I see all sorts of Foursquare posts on his Facebook feed; looking forward to the review!

[@schlimmerdurst]

I really like your comments on habits. Every serious drinker (this sounds bad, but you know what I mean) should look to the left and right of the favorite tipple. Maybe even turn around sometime to look in a completely different direction.

[@ReadySetRum]

I have never tried any of these rums. Europe has the biggest rum market. I envy Europeans for this. I recently heard of Kill Devil being sold by one shop in California.

[@chriswitham8736]

Pardon me for saying so, but that hair colour looks remarkably good for a man of your age Ralfy. Is there some caramel E150 added or is it all natural colour?

[@mrvinyl-mrchili9583]

If you ask About the rum. ITS from Jamaica an Sugar an e150 is illegal to use . The same at Barbados

[@samuellindberg6932]

Been watching your videos since the beginning back in 2009 but just realized i wasn't subscribed... Fixed! I feel ashamed. And just became a Patron Aswell. Thank your for all these years of great content. Looking forward to many more years of content & thank you for all the guidance in my own experience.

[@thewhiskybothy]

. . . happy to help with the malt-moments !

[@Hogibaer]

Hey Ralfy, thanks for the review! How does the KillDevil fare against the Smith&Cross? Reg. the angels' share I wonder if your statement at 15:10 is generally true. Spirits certainly age faster in hotter climate, but there have been many proof older rums out there, e.g. Caroni 17 @55% abv, + single casks that suggest while total losses of alcohol and water combined are much higher than in Scotland, it comes down to roughly the same percentages with age. The notable difference being there's perhaps 80% angels' share of rum and much less of a malt of equal age. Malts also tend to vary a lot as you know, there are 20yo malts that are, e.g. 49% or 62% abv strong depending on distillation-/fill strength, cask tightness and warehousing for example. Meaning, Scotland may have a similar humidity in some of its places, the spirit just takes longer to mature (contrary to the US where the percentage tends to go up with age, b/c it's rather hot and dry).

[@thewhiskybothy]

. . . Smith&Cross is a good start with Jam-rums, this version of Hampden is for more experienced ester-rum fans !

[@Hogibaer]

Looking forward to a Haitian Clairin review...be it Casimir, Sajous, or Vaval...they are all pretty crazy and esthery, but in a different way than Jamaican rum.

[@wildturkeyuk3005]

Ralfy, I'm a big fan of Appleton rums. Would I enjoy this? Cheers.

[@thewhiskybothy]

. . . yes, different but identifiable to Appletons.

[@welshtoro3256]

Ralfy, I totally agree with your observations about rum. I've really gone off the low strength sweetened distillery rums and stick with the independents. Well worth tracking down but are hard to find outside Europe though. If that Velier is the Foursqure 2 year old then I'm looking forward to the review. Got one myself and it's absolute dynamite.

[@knarfzxc]

It's an excellent Rum, in fact I'm a fan of Bajan Rum's in general.

[@welshtoro3256]

It is an excellent rum and goddamn I was right.

[@Tsudoshi09]

Very well put Ralfy! comparing the tasting notes to rums I've tried I can almost taste your description. Hawaii is limited on selection but theres some Gems out there. Cheers my friend P.S I hope you have the chance to try Lemon Hart 151 full of burnt brown sugar and ripe spicy banana..

[@thewhiskybothy]

. . . I will look out for Lemon Hart !

[@ilikethingsfromjapan]

interesting blending the rums! have you ever blended poor mans pappy? ( w.l. weller antique and w.l. weller 12 year in a 40 and 60% ratio respectively)

[@knarfzxc]

It's a good hack, done it and quite enjoyable.

[@doran22]

If you want to move even further from whisky, try some clairin. Aged or imaged, it's really something else

[@ilandruet9386]

Good rums are indeed available, mainly due to the good work of independent bottlers. problem is, prices are already getting quite high (too high?) for many of them. The jamaicans in particular, which are deservedly appreciated, are becoming totem rums. Hope that won't go too far in terms of "speculation".

[@Hogibaer]

Rum speculation has unfortunately already begun and many new cs bottlings are pretty expensive for their age. If it weren't for Ralfy and Serge, it'd be way more tedious to separate the good from the great (e.g. worthy of my 70+ EUR). But there are still bargains around, e.g. many good Cadenhead rums are usually neglected by the average malt customer.

[@thewhiskybothy]

. . . well observed !

[@1awesomishjohnny]

Seen multiple bottlings of 70s rums going for >1000€ at the online retailers. That's the price of Brora. And with (presumably) demand going up, the indies have almost doubled their prices since last year. Rum might still be more "affordable" compared to whisky of similar quality/age, but I'm afraid in todays world nothing is a safe bang for your buck anymore.

[@ericgilbert8114]

I have been begging friends to pitch in for a case of this Kill Devil and the Foursquare Kill Devil. Damn places that won't just the bottles.

[@dimitriospanayiotopoulos8595]

Good morning Ralfy.I wonder,if it's the right time to re-review Laphroaig quarter cask?

[@shugaroony]

Its NAS so he won't. I love it personally.

[@dimitriospanayiotopoulos8595]

It's a big ''star'' NAS though!

[@arodriguez3681]

Just received a bottle of Kill Devil from the mom of my neighbor that is from Ja. Excellent! Nice hat Ralfy! Would you please review rum from Panama (Rum Abuelo) as well?

[@thewhiskybothy]

. . . I will look out for it !

[@johnmcmunn3827]

Enjoyable review, as always ... my perception is that you've improved the lighting in the bothy .. a visit from your "big-Wee" brother ? This video is sharper and colours better represented .. cheers .. john

[@TheYYellowmamba]

Ralfy or Raphael Hythloday?

[@ObserverOfFire]

what happen if your house guest drop a bottle of your favorite whiskey?

[@thewhiskybothy]

. . . OK if it's empty !

[@knarfzxc]

A malt-moment for Ralfy's wee cat !

[@sehrajsinghvirk5273]

helloo all can sm1 plz tell me which country in europe offers largest variety of singlemalts at most genuine prices? v been planning a trip 2 europe

[@1awesomishjohnny]

The real bargains are probably with dutch and german online retailers, but if you're looking to buy from shops, I'd say Britain has by far the biggest selection and best deals.

[@sehrajsinghvirk5273]

JoniK thanx a lot..can u plz tell me the names of online ret!iilers in germany n neither!nds?

[@1awesomishjohnny]

drankdozijn.nl, whiskysite.nl, dasgibtesnureinmal.de, whisky-fox.de, whic.de, whisky.de... There are a lot of them, but these are some of the ones I've bought at. You can find many more if you go searching the webs a little. Just might have to make your way through some foreign languages.

[@jeffthompson9178]

That's a really light colour for a rum (not that it means anything).

[@thewhiskybothy]

. . . it means it's not coloured with burnt caramel, that's good !

[@mrvinyl-mrchili9583]

If young rum is dark ITS e150 an Thats a no no

[@shadowr6348]

Hi Ralfy....I am hopeful that one day you may reverse your decision to review non age statement whiskies. Some of the most recent whiskies I have bought have been nas, and I believe them to be good, affordable and available. I had the opportunity at a festival to try kilchoman, Hibiki harmony, the pogues and Talisker storm. In a day when I also tried whiskies of age statement, these were the ones that stood out for me. Just saying.....just sharing. But seriously keep up the good work. Charlie of San Francisco

[@kaiserhog]

snotters = boogers in my neck of the woods.

[@DarkSalmonz]

nice hat

[@keithatkinson6141]

come on Ralfy Cachaca is nothing like rum the process of production is very different my wife is Brasilian I spend a lot of time there over the last 20 years

[@thewhiskybothy]

. . . it's different, but similar, both use sugar as the base ingredient.

[@Heavy_Distortion]

This comment was posted one second ago.

[@Danevv]

Malty Madara monument (whc.unesco.org/en/list/43)

[@thewhiskybothy]

. . . now on the M-mention list thanks !

[@HenricMadsen]

First?

[@thewhiskybothy]

. . . . verified as First! .