Hampden Estate PAGOS Rum

Pagos is Hampden aged entirely in sherry casks — and Drinkhacker gave it an A-, finding that the sherry barely gets a word in over the esters. Hampden Estate in Trelawny Parish, Jamaica, has made rum since 1753 and only began bottling under its own name in 2018; the process is unchanged from the 18th century — wild fermentation lasting up to two weeks in vats that are a two-century-old bacterial micro-habitat, dunder and muck-pit additions, double-retort copper pot stills, and tropical aging in the Jamaican heat. Pagos — Spanish for a vineyard's finest plots — is a high-ester 100% pot-still rum aged solera-style in 100% ex-sherry casks with no formal age statement, bottled at 52% ABV (104 proof) with no sugar, color, or additives. Drinkhacker: never mind the sherry, the fruity esters are most prominent — bubblegum, spiced apple pie, overripe berry on a nose that keeps going with coconut, orange peel, and grapefruit — then a slightly tamer palate where the sherry drives a citrus focus, and coffee bean on a lengthy, refreshing finish. Expect the Hampden funk with a sherry-cask undertow of dried fruit, nut, and a faint saline tang, the solera lending consistency across releases. Honest note: it's a connoisseur's bottle at around $100, and one of the most distinctive things Hampden makes. Neat, with a drop of water, for the drinker who's had the 8 and wants the estate through a different wood. Jamaica, in Jerez oak.

Buy Hampden Estate PAGOS Rum online with fast shipping right to your door.