Today we shall check out a large part of the Hamilton range. We won’t go into the territory of those lovely St. Lucians bottled by Ed, but want to know what else he had up his sleeve. I think this has mainly been designed as bar stuff but let’s see. As far as the tasting order is concerned, we simply ascend in abv. The featured image is an homage to the Zombie, just like the last Rum.

Hamilton West Indies 1670 Blend (Guyana & Jamaica, 42%): He could have guessed, this is a blend of Worthy Park and at least to me unkown distillate from Diamond. Nose: Very heavy on banana with a hint of milk chocolate. That’s your typical Worthy Park profile and it isn’t easy to find more at first. Put differently, the Demerara part kinda loses out here and maybe added a few spices such as anise and pepper, at best. Palate: Just as unremarkable and still totally shaped by banana in different processings. Throw in some pear and herbs perhaps but this is just an extremely flat and dull blend if you ask me. Finish: Not too short but it doesn’t offer anything new. To make this as positive as possible: The Rum has been killed by water, there’s no doubt. Whatever interesting other notes may have been there, the dilution made sure to erase them. (60/100)

Hamilton 86 Demerara River (43%): I have tasted this one before and was positively surprised as I didn’t expect much. In my memory and only based on tasting, this is a Savallaes Rum but I might be totally wrong here. Nose: It clearly smells like Savalles, but it could also be Diamond I think. We get molasses, oranges, licorice and bitter caramel but not much more. While that’s totally minimalist, it is typically a combination where you can hardly go totally wrong. Palate: The Rum comes with a very thin texture but is relatively flavourful. That said, the aromas from the notes directly translate to their corresponding flavour components at the palate. I’d describe it as a bit fruitier (banana) and less bitter (caramel) than the nose. Finish: Short with orange peel, banana, milk chocolate and molasses. I think that this could be a good Rum at a higher abv. (73/100)

Hamilton Jamaica Pot Still Gold (46,5%): This is unaged Worthy Park. Nose: And there’s absolutely no doubt about it! Banana, banana, some pear, banana, milk chocolate, banana and a few herbal notes. This is indeed a profile that the entire Rum world should be absolutely familiar with by now. Before I forget: It does have this certain “funk” that many of the aged expressions kinda lack. Palate: At 46,5%, we do miss a lot of power, especially when comparing this to Worthy Park’s own 109. Compared directly to the latter, it doesn’t come with those caramel notes. Instead we get the whole fruity spectrum from banana to pear, but not much more. But sometimes, especially when mixing, that’s exactly what you are looking for I think. Finish: Short and merely an extension of the palate. It is fine stuff, but I prefer both, Rum Bar and the 109 to this. (69/100)

Hamilton Jamaica Pot Still Black (46,5%): This is unaged Worthy Park. Nose: And there’s absolutely no doubt about it! Banana, banana, some pear, banana, milk chocolate, banana and a few herbal notes. This is indeed a profile that the entire Rum world should be absolutely familiar with by now. Before I forget: It does have this certain “funk” that many of the aged expressions kinda lack. Palate: At 46,5%, we do miss a lot of power, especially when comparing this to Worthy Park’s own 109. Compared directly to the latter, it doesn’t come with those caramel notes. Instead we get the whole fruity spectrum from banana to pear, but not much more. But sometimes, especially when mixing, that’s exactly what you are looking for I think. Finish: Short and merely an extension of the palate. It is fine stuff, but I prefer both, Rum Bar and the 109 to this. Noticed something? Yes, caramel colouring aside, this stuff is identical to the Hamilton Jamaica Pot Still Gold. Who comes up with stuff like this? (69/100)

Hamilton 114 Navy Strength (Guyana & Jamaica 57%): I am a wee bit afraid that this might be the same composition as the 1670 Blend, just at a higher strength. Nose: It doesn’t smell that way, but we aren’t going to bring this down to the same abv to make sure. So what is this? While the West Indes was totally dominated by Worthy Park, I feel that it is Guyana having the upper hand here. Sure, those banana and chocolate notes are clearly present, but we also get spices such as allspice or pepper, prunes, thyme and molasses. Palate: More banana than the nose suggested and now it is Jamaica who is playing the first fiddle again. Compared to the West Indies blend, this tastes much more coherent and full-bodied and might be as simply as coming down to a proper abv. Finish: Short with banana, chocolate, cocoa, spices and something between caramel and molasses. Definitely drinkable and probably a very good Rum mix for a lot of Tiki drinks. (71/100)

Hamilton Beachbum Berry’s Zombie Blend (St. Lucia, 59%): So Beachbum Berry created his own Zombie blend. We will of course taste this need but I think that I will actually be making a small Zombie with the rest of my sample some day! After all, that should be the ultimate way to evaluate the Rum. By the way, this is St. Lucian distillate, so it cannot be bad, right!? Nose: Quite reserved. I get dehydrated pineapple, citrus, a whiff of oak, an unidentifiable mix of tropical fruits and banana bread. But yeah, it doesn’t really open up I think. Palate: Not too bad. Banana, mango, pineapple, a hint of rubber, some herbs – this is fine stuff but even at the palate it doesn’t deliver with the intensity I was hoping for. Nevertheless, it is easily the best Rum of the bunch! Finish: Short with grapefruit, pineapple, mango and cinnamon. It is actually a cool Rum. Too bad it comes with these major drawbacks. (78/100)

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