Our first run in with Hampden Estate Rum Fire Overproof Rum was at the amazing Porco Lounge & Tiki Room in Cleveland, OH. If you haven’t been, you simply must go. The drinks are well crafted, the staff entertaining, and the collection of tiki memorabilia is tops. While Porco’s is amazing, the moment Rum Fire enters our knowledge is when they hosted Shannon Mustipher on her tour promoting her book Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails* (a book that’s a great choice if you want to expand from Smuggler’s Cove!) Shannon loved Rum Fire, and after a taste, it’s not hard to see why.
Hampden Estate Rum Fire Overproof Rum
- Country: Jamaica
- Still Type: Pot Still
- Raw Material: Molasses
- Yeast: Wild yeasts
- Proof: 126 (63% A.B.V.)
Sight: Clear
Smell: Cotton candy and sugar cane flow forth with a smack of spice and exotic fruit. Overripe mango and papaya come forward with a host of other tropical fruits, including what seems like guava. There’s a grassy vegetal note as well, and a hint of nutty pie. Heat picks up late in the mix.
Sip: The palate is a spicy with a lot of grassy notes and a bit of sugar forward to start, tropical fruits start to come in shortly after. As they approach, the alcohol comes into play, putting everything on blast. The result is something tropical, somewhat sugary, and aggressively hot. Pressing through, there are notes of fermenting bananas, citrus peels, and brown sugar caramelized over an open flame.
Savor: The end is laced with almost smoke that gives way to tobacco, leather, and tropical fruit jam. It lingers with a hint of heat.
Hampden Estate Rum Fire Overproof Rum is a burning hunk of tropical flavors. The flavor basically smacks like a mule, and it’s pretty unapologetic about it. As sipping goes, you’d probably need to have a relatively anesthetized palate (which you could acquire by continuing to sip this) to find this a first choice. That said, there’s a ton of flavor here, but maybe not something you’d want to experience directly (like drinking vanilla extract).
In Cocktails
In a daiquiri Hampden Estate Rum Fire Overproof Rum kicks like a mule. The heat of the alcohol is tempered and gives way to amazing grassy notes laced with fresh melon, coconuts, almonds, and other tropical fruits. The ester of the rum becomes more apparent with the lime, and a pithy citrus note joins in. The mid palate is sweet with a fermented tropical note and almost a hint of bitter chocolate. There vegetal notes give a sort of leather and tobacco finish with a little heat. The overall effect is packed with flavor, but almost explosively so.
In Review – Hampden Estate Rum Fire Overproof Rum
Hampden Estate Rum Fire Overproof Rum is an aggressive rum designed for complex drinks. While you can use this rum on its own, and even enjoy it on its own, it will be better for most folks in cocktails paired with other rums. What it will offer is fantastic complexity to join in with another rum or two. This will create astounding tiki cocktails, and give you a little extra kick.
* – This link is an affiliate link which may result in us getting a partial commission from the sale. To date (as of publication), we’ve made $8.08 from affiliate links in 2022, while we’ve spent well over $200 on just webhosting. Help us keep the lights on if you like our content, and please use our links!