Hampden Estate Great House Distillery Edition 2024
Hampden Estate Great House Distillery Edition 2024 is a 57% ABV (114 proof), 750mL Jamaican pure single rum from Trelawny — the sixth annual Great House edition, blending the LFCH, HGML and DOK marks from the 2018, 2020 and 2021 vintages, all tropically aged in ex-bourbon casks. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 57% (114 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Style: Pure single Jamaican rum — pot still, high ester
- Blend: 50% LFCH 2021, 20% LFCH 2020, 15% HGML 2018, 15% DOK 2021
- Ageing: Tropical ageing in ex-bourbon casks — components 3 to 6 years old
- Production: Molasses, prolonged fermentation with wild yeasts, copper double retort pot stills, no added sugar
- Series: Sixth annual Great House Distillery Edition (series began 2019)
- Distillery: Hampden Estate, Wakefield, Trelawny Parish, Jamaica — est. 1753
A Tribute to the House That Stored the Rum
Hampden Estate has made rum in Trelawny Parish since 1753, by methods that have barely changed since the 18th century: molasses fermented long and slow with wild yeasts, distillation in copper double retort pot stills, and tropical ageing that builds the intense, high-ester funk Hampden is revered for. The Great House series, renewed every year since 2019, is the distillery's annual showcase blend — and a tribute to the estate's Great House itself, built in 1779 by the Stirling family and still standing in its original form, its ground floor once used to store barrels awaiting transfer to port. For 2024, the blenders ranged across the ester spectrum: half the blend is the relatively gentle LFCH mark, lifted by the much wilder HGML and the maximum-ester DOK. Browse the Hampden Estate collection, more rum, and the full spirits shelves at Del Mesa.
Tasting Notes
Highly aromatic, with overripe tropical fruit — banana, pineapple and mango — over the signature Hampden funk, spice and earthy undertones. The palate is bold and complex: layers of tropical fruit, caramel, molasses and spice over smoky oak, and a long finish of vanilla, cocoa and deep, lingering ester character.
How to Enjoy
Sip it neat in a tulip glass and give the esters time to unfold — at 57% ABV a few drops of water open the pineapple and banana without dulling the funk. This is a connoisseur's sipping rum, not a mixer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Hampden Great House series? An annual limited-edition blend of aged Hampden marks, released every year since 2019 and named for the estate's Great House, built in 1779. The 2024 bottling is the sixth edition, and each year's blend is composed differently.
What marks are in the Great House 2024 blend? Three marks across three vintages: LFCH from 2021 (50%) and 2020 (20%), HGML from 2018 (15%) and DOK from 2021 (15%) — spanning Hampden's ester range from the lighter LFCH to the intensely funky DOK, all aged in ex-bourbon casks.
What proof is Hampden Great House 2024? 57% ABV (114 proof). Editions vary by year — earlier Great House releases were bottled at 55% and 59% — so the 57% figure is specific to 2024.
How is Hampden rum made? Traditionally: molasses, prolonged fermentation with wild yeasts, distillation in copper double retort pot stills, and tropical ageing in Jamaica, with no added sugar — the recipe for Hampden's famously high-ester style.
Sixth edition, three marks, full Hampden funk — secure Hampden Estate Great House 2024 at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.