White Overproof Archives - First Pour Cocktails

Hampden Estate Rum Fire Overproof Rum

Posted on October 28, 2022October 23, 2022 by Nick

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.

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Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum

Posted on May 20, 2022May 11, 2022 by Nick

My first experience with Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum was in a concoction my friend in college called Swamp Water. Essentially, this meant the green-blue colored V8 Splash or a cup of Baja Blast from Taco Bell would be spiked with a fiery amount of Wray & Nephew. The result, predictably was a sweet drink with lots of tropical flavors that had a tendency to get your properly drunk, and quick. While many people probably look at the high proof and think this is a great use of this rum, the fact is there’s a lot of complex and delicious flavors you can use in cocktails here to make your cocktails even better.

Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum

Sight: Clear

Smell: When people talk about Jamaican Rum esters having ‘funk’ this is the smell they’re referring to. The raw funky smell is mixed with sugar cane, bananas, green peppercorns, black pepper, other tropical fruits, and a hint of citrus. There’s a decent hit of alcohol here if you inhale too close or too deeply, but it’s a generally inviting nose.

Sip: The sip is loaded with overripe bananas, mango, pineapple, and a bit of sweet coconut. The fire comes in soon after the start of the sip with plenty of spice, grassy vegetal notes, and (ester) rum funk. The spice notes lean into black pepper and earthy minerality.

Savor: The ending continues with a touch of bitterness, lots of heat, and plenty of dried tropical fruit and grassy notes. A gradual tobacco / leather note develops over time.

If you’re somehow made the decision to purchase Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum to drink it straight and you’re coming from Bacardi Superior, then you’ve either made a mistake or someone has misled you. While it is delicious, it’s definitely a mature, dry, punchy, and hot rum that’s loaded with ester flavors. They’re not exactly subtle or designed to be refined flavors as much as they’re designed to explode outward. Fans of high proof spirits can consider sipping this, but it’s going to do better for most people in cocktails.

In Cocktails

Assuming you’ve purchased Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum to make cocktails, you’re in for a lot of fun. The ester notes hang on and then give you a distinct rum character in a cocktail. In a daiquiri, there’s a burst of black banana notes, and fermented tropical fruits reminiscent of mango or pineapple. There’s a crazy pop of fruity sweetness that comes through mid palate and gives way into drier grassy and wood notes. The body gives amazing weight too. Overall, there’s a lot to like here if you can get past the strength of the ester notes that run throughout.

In Review – Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum

Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum is a great value for the amount of flavor it imparts, but it isn’t the kind of rum we recommend you start with. The esters and proof makes this one challenging for newer drinkers, even though it doesn’t present a price tag that implies that. As such, consider this an expansion to your bar, and you won’t be disappointed about the amazing, if occasionally overwhelming, flavors that it brings.