Slow distillations that last approximately seven hours give birth to a rich and powerful new make that reaches 82% ABV as it exits the still. Absolutely magnificent in its complexity, this version falls within the LROK mark with an ester count between 200 and 400 grams per hectolitre of pure alcohol.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Old gold.

Nose: Heady, expressive. Very complex, the first nose is marked by notes of burnt rubber, warm cane sugar, heady flowers (iris, tuberose) and ripe fruit (apple, quince). This introduction is typical of Hampden and continues with the appearance of sweet spices (cinnamon, cumin) and divinely honeyed perfumes (geranium, lime blossom).

Plate: Both lively and subtle. As soon as the attack in the mouth begins, the same burnt rubber note as on the nose serves as the backbone of an aromatic palette that transports us in an instant to the middle of a sugar cane field. Particularly sunny, the mid palate Particularly sunny, the mid-palate enhances the quality of a juicy distillate to perfection, deliciously sweet (coconut) and also shows beautiful notes of vanilla. Noble spices (cinnamon, ginger) gradually make their appearance.

Finish: Long, dense. Deliciously lemony and roasted (coffee, tobacco), the beginning of the finish accentuates the lactic character of a distillate that has kept all the power and purity of its youth. More candied fruit, vanilla and liquorice (ginger, pear, cane sugar) appear, gearing the aftertaste towards an increasingly exotic (pineapple, banana) and vegetal (sugar cane) register.