Rum, Jamaika. Aktive Destillerie. Eigentümer: Everglades Farms Ltd.

Unabhängiges Familienunternehmen. Hampden, das vor allem in der Rum-, Parfüm- und Lebensmittelindustrie bekannt war, trat 2009 ins Rampenlicht, als die jamaikanische Regierung sich von ihrem Unternehmen Jamaica Sugar Company trennen wollte und dessen Vermögenswerte versteigerte. Das Familienunternehmen Everglades Farms Ltd (Familie Hussey) bekam den Zuschlag und wurde Eigentümer dieser Perle, die heute als Gegenstück der schottischen Brennerei Ardbeg gilt. Die Verbindung zu Schottland ist nicht zufällig. Robert Stirling verließ Perthshire (Schottland) 1742 und kaufte 1749 Hampden Estate. Die Familie Hussey produziert zwei Varianten ihres Rums, darunter einen in der Bar- und Gastronomieszene bekannten Overproof. Aber erst 2017, als die italienischen bzw. französischen Familienunternehmen Velier und LMDW mit dem Vertrieb alter Rums beginnen, wird Hampden zu einer der größten Rum-Marken der Gegenwart.

A Hampden 5 Year Old distilled in 2016 bearing the mark <>H, meaning it has an ester content of 900-1000 g/hlpa (grams per hectolitre of pure alcohol). The Habitation Velier range showcases the stills used by its various distilleries—key and impressive elements in the world of rum, with famous examples including Guyana’s wooden stills. Velier was founded in Genoa by Casimir Chaix in 1947. It was originally a small, family-run business specializing in the import and distribution of wine and spirits. Luca Gargano, a former representative for Saint James and serious rum collector and enthusiast, bought the business in 1986 and began bottling whisky first in 1992 and then rum in 1996. It was in 1996 that Gargano bottled his first Demerara rums. In 2004, Gargano was invited to Guyana to select casks by his friend Yesu Persaud, then the CEO of Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL). This partnership ended in 2015 when Persaud retired, but the rums bottled in the meantime became legendary. The same can be said for the Caroni casks he bought in 2005, two years after the distillery closed, following a visit to Trinidad with Fredi Marcarini the previous year to take photos. These two lines of bottlings built the renown of Velier, today also known for its work in other parts of the Caribbean, such as Barbados, Jamaica, Haiti and Marie-Galante. Rums selected by Velier are only ever aged in a tropical climate, which explains both their concentration and the high angel’s share. They are generally bottled at cask strength or just below. Finally, Gargano has, for several years, fought for stricter classification of rum, even proposing his own model, which has since been adopted by several of Velier’s partners.