Catawiki and The Colours of Rum have a history of releasing some bottlings exclusively on the auction platform. At first this seemed merely a practical choice, but now it’s become a collaboration between equal partners, with the Catawiki name mentioned on the label.
Recently they released a series of Hampden C<>H rums of merely one year old. These rums have been finished in four different casks for about 9 months: Fino, Oloroso, Madeira and Pedro Ximénez casks.
Hampden C<>H 1 yo 2023 (61,9%, The Colours of Rum for Catawiki 2025, Fino sherry hogshead #147, 75 btl.)
Nose: totally immersive. Plenty of green olives, plastics, green banana peelings. Rosemary and peppermint, along with acetone and a lot of varnish. I’m not sure there’s any Fino influence. Not that this rum needs it. After comparing to the Oloroso, this appears to be sharper and cleaner, with a very light yeasty touch indeed. Overall fairly close to a naked Hampden.
Mouth: boom. Very good, but heavy stuff. More brine, hints of vinegar and all kinds of synthetic materials. Then also a sour fruity note, a mix of lime juice and very unripe pineapple. Also a salty touch and some drying nutty notes towards the end (almonds).
Finish: long and salty, on liquorice, peppermint, lemons and more esters.
Nice rum, very pure. An extreme style, not very wide, and I sometimes find it hard work to drink this style. More importantly, I believe the point of this series is to showcase the difference of cask types, and in that sense I would have let it mature a little longer. A success nonetheless.
Hampden C<>H 1 yo 2023 (62,3%, The Colours of Rum for Catawiki 2025, Oloroso sherry hogshead #135, 75 btl.)
Nose: much of the same varnishes, brines, olives, industrial glues and plenty of nail polish remover. There’s a bit of rounded sweetness here, but it seems like an overripe banana sweetness rather than actual sherry. Then also whiffs of raisins and currants. The most balanced nose of all four in my opinion.
Mouth: again truckloads of brine, acetone, glue and peppermint. I also detected a certain walnut dryness and over-infused tea. You really get that leathery / estery coating. Then one raisins perhaps, that must be the Oloroso. It seems this cask induced a bit more oak as well.
Finish: long and totally briney, with just a hint of berry juice and more nutty dryness.
The spirit itself is still having the upper hand, even though the difference with the Fino cask is easy to notice. More complexity as well. Score: 88/100
Hampden C<>H 1 yo 2023 (62,2%, The Colours of Rum for Catawiki 2025, Madeira cask #150, 75 btl.)
Nose: not sure this was mature Madeira, it smells a lot like a red wine influence. Almost a rosé rum. Some peaches and red grapes, light hints of cranberry. Freshly opened wine barrel. Then much more rubbery notes than in the others, along with a subtle floral touch. All this behind the wall of glue, brine, mint and acetone, of course. The least impressive nose of all four.
Mouth: reminiscent of a musty Port influence now, but also red wine again. Quite dry, with red fruits as well as a leathery, slightly tannic edge. French oak perhaps, it displays a different kind of spiciness.
Finish: very salty. Anchovies and acetone, with drops of red wine.
This is the first one that doesn’t feel at ease with the cask. In their Hampden DOK series I also felt the Madeira cask was well below the others. Not all Madeira casks are created equal. Score: 82/100
Hampden C<>H 1 yo 2023 (61,7%, The Colours of Rum for Catawiki 2025, Pedro Ximénez cask #146, 75 btl.)
Nose: we’re not mentioning the esters any more, is that okay? Now the raisins and (fresh) figs are clear, maybe a little cassis, but even then the funky Jamaican side is much bigger. More spicy notes here (cardamom, pepper), even a very light hint of cocoa in the distance. Good.
Mouth: richer and sweeter than the others. Caramelized walnuts, a bit of roasted sugar and tobacco. Light tobacco and red berry notes. Then the usual ammonia, tarry notes and salty liquorice. In the end we’re getting that leathery dryness again, perhaps less sweet than expected after all.
Finish: long but losing some of its richness now.
In a series that focuses on cask types, I believe the cask should play first fiddle. This is the only version for which this is actually true, the others are still an ode to esters instead of wood. The Oloroso wins on overall balance (by a small margin) but this is really nice as well. Score: 87/100