Tag: Jamaicarum

Distilleries often have different production methods to produce disparate types of spirit expressions. Each recipe and production method that produces a different final distillate is called a mark and distilleries often have several of these. Hampden Estate in Jamaica produces eight distinct marks – most of which go back decades.

The 8 Marks Collection produced in conjunction with La Maison & Velier USA lets consumers be able to directly compare Hampden’s eight marks side by side by side. The large box contains 200ml bottles of each mark, plus a handy reference sheet for the distillery and for each mark. Noteworthy are all the precise details about wash components, fermentation time and type, chemical compounds, and more. Each is presented at 60% ABV, so needless to say flavor won’t be lacking, and with all of these being unaged you can taste them without the variability that aging in barrels can provide.

I obtained mine at a tasting event where we received the kits and were led through the details. Most of Hamdpden’s expressions are high on the ester scale, up to DOK at 1600gr/hLPA and the highest the Jamaican government allows. But all of these are funk bombs to a greater or lesser degree. Even after going through seven of these I really did feel that DOK was a different beast.

The variability of these expressions is noticeable and interesting. HLCF (the basis for Rum Fire) is probably the most complex and rich, despite being in the middle of the ester scale. More esters does not necessarily mean better, that’s for sure. In my tasting, I liked rare C<>H mark the best.

The 8 Marks collection is available in some retail locations already, with more to come soon. Price varies from around $150 and up. This isn’t a super limited release, but Hampden says this won’t be an annual release – though a version of this tasting kit with the marks aged for one year is coming in 2024.

For a more in-depth look at this collection, I encourage you watch this video from our friend Arminder.

Myers’s Rum was part of a spirits portfolio sale a couple years ago, resulting in the iconic Jamaican rum now being part of the Sazerac conglomerate. The previous vintage was bottled in Canada where untold things were added to the bottle, the less said the better (and it’s all kind of unverifiable anyway). These were recently offered in 750ml *plastic bottles* (urgh!) and in a nice 1 liter round glass bottle ideal for use at bars.

One of the tidbits dropped at the Myers’s Rum seminar with Martin Cate earlier this month is that Myers’s is now bottled in Kentucky and those unmentionables are no longer part of the “blend.” Indeed the new bottle has a mention of Sazerac and also Kentucky on the back label, so we know this is the new blend. Plus, the iconic Myers’s flared glass bottle is back!

I wouldn’t say these strike me as wildly different, though the new blend tastes a bit heavier and there’s just a hint more of the traditional Jamaican funk in this blend. Perhaps there’s more pot still distillate now? Myers’s is still very mild and perfect for mainstream bars, but a 40% dark Jamaica rum without a bunch of sugar or additives means that it might be the best rum you’ll find at many bars worldwide. Better than those tasteless, coconut, or pirate rums, that’s for sure.

If it’s been a while, you might want to give the new Myers’s a fresh taste.

It is nice to see newish brand owners Sazerac trying to do something different with the Myers’s Rum brand. This slightly upscale version of the Jamaica rum stalwart is finished in Sazerac Rye Casks and bottled in Kentucky. The bottle has hints of the flared front of the classic Myers’s bottle, though with clear glass, and the design including the cork expresses an indication that this should be considered for sipping. There’s no age statement.

At 43% ABV, Single Barrel Select is a little more suitable for tasting outside of cocktails but won’t kill novices who aren’t used to cask-strength spirits. The Rye finish is very subtle. As with Myers’s Original Dark, the rum doesn’t have the high ester and congener count you see with some Jamaican rums, and it compares fairly well to Appleton’s releases at the high $20s price point it seems to be widely available at.

I wouldn’t call Single Barrel Select an all-star for sipping rums, but for rum newbies it might be well-received. Certainly it is a welcome addition to the Myers’s line and we hope to see other interesting expressions in the future. Love me some Jamaica rum in all forms.

This bottle was available for sale at craft cocktail bar California Gold in San Rafael, who’s logo appears on the medallion. You can also find this at other bars and at retail.