On February 5th, UPB organized an interesting event in Prague. Hampden Estate rum tasting and presentation of the famous Luca Gargano in Prague. I had the honour of representing Alkohol.cz on this event. For me, as a sweeter-rum fan, this was very interesting.
Both Hampden Estate and Luca Gargano represent the purist view on rum, claiming that rum should be unsweetened and non-flavoured. An interesting view which leads to much interesting taste and in my opinion misses out on some experiences.
From this point of view, Hampden Estate is a very traditional distillery in Jamaica, which used to be a subcontractor and now markets its own rums. The rums are distilled in the traditional pot-still way.
Luca Gargano is a very lively, dynamic person, who certainly gives his heart into rums. He is also a great speaker, radiating enthusiasm.
The rums for tasting were, of course, drier and stronger, the second one was around 60 %. Hampden Estate rums rely on these 5 pillars:
- Spring water
- Spontaneous fermentation
- Pot-still distillation
- 100% Caribbean ageing (Angel’s share of 10 %)
- Zero sugar and zero colouring added
You may find a more detailed article at my colleague’s – the blog of Radek Navrátil.
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