Hampden Estate LROK 10 Year (Habitation Velier)

Rich amber color. The nose has ripe bananas, vanilla bean, allspice, mango, pineapple, dried durian fruit, clarified butter, and a hint of cigar ash. Velvety mouthfeel. The palate has Bananas Foster (seared bananas, vanilla ice cream, caramel), mango, papaya, muscadine grapes, toasted cinnamon stick, toasted oak, white pepper, hints of black tea, grated ginger and menthol, with faint gasoline. The finish is long and hot, mildly drying with lingering tropical fruit and muscadine grapes, burnt sugar and toasted oak, a hint of coffee grounds, with subtle gasoline that grows in prominence as the other notes slowly fade. This is excellent, but beyond being mildly sweeter and having more oak influence it doesn't distinguish itself from the standard 8-year old overproof that's roughly half the price.

Great stuff much better than the 9 Year New York Edition Hampden. Nose: Vanilla, Bananas, Honey, Coconuts, Guava, Pineapples, Papaya, Diesel, Milk Chocolate, Cinnamon, Sour Cherries, Sultanas, Raisins, Mangoes, Maple Syrup Palate: bananas, leather, tobacco, coffee, milk chocolate, honey, guava, pineapples, passion fruit, pepper, nutmeg Finish: guava, caramel, sour Cherries, milk chocolate, bananas, raisins, coconut

Nose hits you with apple and a hint of tobacco Taste notes add to apple papaya, peach Finishes with melon and tobacco