Rum Fire Wins Gold - Best of the Best 2013

Hampden Estate - Rum Fire Wins Gold Again at Rum Renaissance Festival.

This annual gathering of rum judges from around the world has become a greatly anticipated event by rum enthusiasts and rum brands from the Caribbean and beyond. In many cases, new emerging brands, small craft distillers and exotic expressions never before seen in the United States are being celebrated across the globe with their success in this forum.

"The rum judges were surprised and delighted to find a greater number of fine rums in their blind tasting session again this year," said RumXP organizer Robert V. Burr. "The trend toward better quality mixing rums for cocktails, more exquisite luxury sipping rums and greatly improved flavored and spiced rums continues. The RumXP judges evaluated more rums than ever before. The competition was tough, but these rum experts rose to the challenge and identified the best of the best of 2013."

In the Overproof Rum category -  An additional Gold award in this category went to Rum Fire of Jamaica.

"The RumXP member judges congratulate all the winning entries in their 2013 tasting competition," said Burr. "These accolades reflect the work of outstanding master distillers, blenders and rum brands from around the world."

 

Hampden Unveil Expansion Plans

In keeping with the demand for quality aged rums, Hampden recently unveiled plans for the development of state-of-the art rum ageing warehouses. The proposed warehouses are designed to achieve exacting  specifications for proper and deep maturation environments necessary to develop quality aged rums in oak charred Bourbon Barrels.  The development will also include a Visitor Center with a contiguous Product Development Center.

Hampden Distillery is unique in that it produces rum from one of two sources, Sugar Cane Juice (Rum Agricole) or from Molasses (Rum Industrial). Hampden also utilizes both Sugar Cane Juice and Molasses in combination with other wash materials in the making of it's rums. Hampden Distillery is the only distillery in Jamaica that specialize exclusively in the making of Heavy Pot Still rums and having the production means and methods to reduce its ester ranges below 50 esters (very light pot category).

Proposed Master Plan

Hampden, for more than two centuries have supplied special marques to various rum companies throughout the world. Consequently, Hampden’s distinctive marques can be found in many brands marketed worldwide  under various labels. Hampden Distillery currently produces 1 million liters of absolute alcohol (86% Alcohol By Volume) yearly with an upper production capacity of 3 million liters annually.

Quality check on Hampden Rum currently being housed in one of its 1930's sugar warehouse facility.

Each of the 5 proposed Rum ageing  warehouses will have a capacity of holding 8 thousand barrels.The new facility will allow Hampden to develop one of the most unique rum bank in the world having the potential to blend and market rums to meet the most exacting demands. The warehouse and visitor center facilities were designed to achieve sustainable standards necessary to fulfill the distilleries move toward a carbon neutral reality.

Hampden recently received the BID Quality Award in Paris for business/product innovation and has won two silver medals and the Gold Medal from the IWSC for its Rum Fire Brand which was first marketed in March of 2011. 

Everglades Farms Ltd. - Hampden Estate Recipient of BID International Quality Award

Award Winners from the Business Initiative Directions (BID) Convention in Paris 2012, left to right:
Bunna Phat, Deputy Managing Director of Cambodian National Insurance Company (CAMINCO); Christelle Harris, Director of Marketing of Everglades Farms Limited, from Jamaica; Jose E. Prieto President and CEO of B.I.D; Kamal Kantari, General Manager of Groupe Kantari; Ali Zarrabi, Reinsurance and International Manager of Karafarin Insurance Company, from Iran and Anthony Rapu, CEO of Sirius Group, from Nigeria.

Everglades Farms Ltd. Is pleased to announce that it’s subsidiary Hampden Estate was the recipient of a BID International Quality Award. Ms. Christelle Harris, Director of Marketing and Mrs. Ruth Hussey, Managing Director received the award on behalf of the company in Paris recently. This award represent a significant commitment by Everglades in the rebuilding of an industry and in bringing economic opportunities to the people of Trelawny .
B.I.D. is the most important private organization in the world presenting a Quality Award on the basis of principles as solid as those of the Deming in Japan (only for Japanese companies), the Baldrige in the U.S. (only for U.S. companies), or the EFQM in Europe (only for European companies). B.I.D. is professionally related with companies in different countries whose products and services help position them as leaders whom invest in innovation, technology, training and installations.

Leaders of previously awarded companies in the BID community honored companies that constantly show creativity and drive in their respective sectors. Groupe Kantari is a leader in Moroccan fruit and vegetable exports. Company productivity accounts for over 80 percent of the total citrus fruit production in the region with 4000 hectares of citrus plantations and a storage capacity of 25000 tons. Hampden Estate, subsidiary of Everglades Farms Limited, is one of the oldest sugar plantations in Jamaica. The company product, Rum Fire, won the rum category of the prestigious 2012 International Wine and Spirits Competition, adding to the distinguished heritage of the Estate.

Commitment to Quality, one of the core requirements for winning a BID award, can be seen through the world-class companies previously honored with the BID International Quality Award. Companies which already share BID’s corporate image in their logo are present in more than 170 countries and include world-renowned names on the Fortune 500 list such as: Wal-Mart Stores (1) Indian Oil Corporation Limited (98); Korea Electric Power (271); Beijing COFCO Plaza Development (366) and CH2M Hill International Holdings BV (422). Other previous BID winners worthy of mention include Turner Construction (USA); Haki (Sweden); Ansaldo Energy (Italy); Zepter (Austria); RAO-Unified Energy Systems (Russia); Als & Cachou-TBWA (France); Tata Group (India); Plamex-Plantronics (USA); Dogus Holding A.S. (Tukey); Franklin Electric (USA and Mexico); QMS International from the United Kingdom, FSUE VO "Safety" (Russia); and Viking Line (Finland).

Hampden Launches Rum Fire Velvet

Hampden launches the long awaited Gold Rum of Distinction

The Gold Standard

Since winning the Gold Medal from the IWSC Competition earlier in 2012 for its Rum Fire Brand in the category of "Best White Rum", Hampden  recently unveiled the long awaited "Hampden Gold".

Hampden Gold is a rich Gold Rum directly from Hampden Estate in Trelawny, Jamaica. Using techniques created centuries ago, Hampden Gold was developed exclusively for the very sophisticated markets in the UK and the EU.

Rum Connoisseurs will immediately identify the true authentic taste of this unique rum.

 Distribution by:

UK: E&J Brands & Services

ICO Access Self Storage

Croydon Road Industrial Estate

1 Tannery Close

Beckenham BR3 4BY

Tel: 0208 691 9433

www.eandjbrands.co.uk

EU: Haromex Development GmbH

Weihersfeld 45

D-41379.Brüggen

Tel. +49-2163-957315 Fax +49-2163-957325

www.haromex.com

Gold For Rum Fire

GOLD . GOLD

Published by - The Daily Gleaner: Monday, August 13, 2012

TRELAWNY- BASED Rum Fire White Overproof Rum from Hampden Estate in Trelawny, Jamaica, was awarded its first gold at this year's International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC). The brand had been previously awarded two silver medals, the first in September 2011 in the Ministry of Rums blind tasting competition held in San Francisco,California, where it was the only Jamaican brand in the category to be awarded a medal. The second was awarded in April this year by the International Rum (XP) Expert Panel - comprised of 80 international rum experts - at the Miami Rum Renaissance Festival.

Of the hundreds of medals awarded this year to various wines and spirits from all over the world, Rum Fire was the only brand entered from Jamaica to win a gold. Of note, Appleton Estate Reserve Eight Year Old won a silver outstanding medal. The three other rums that were listed as Jamaican rums (indicating that some Jamaican rum is used to make it) that won medals were Sainbury's Superior Dark Rum, Sainsbury's Superior White Rum and Brave Navigator, The Spiced Spirit. They were all awarded silver medals.

Ten rums in addition to Rum Fire were awarded gold medals this year. The list is as follows:
Admiral Rodney Extra Old St Lucia Rum
Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum
Doorly's Fine Old Barbados Rum 12 YO
Dos Maderas Luxus Doble Crianza Rum 10 + 5
El Dorado Rum 21 YO
Key Caribbean Dark Rum 4 YO
Plantation Rum Grande Reserve 5 YO
Plantation Three Stars Blended White Rum
Woods 100 Old Navy Rum

Rum Fire was the sole overproof rum gold award recipient.

Rum Fire has seen some growth locally in the past year, since its launch in March 2011. Although it is a mammoth task to gain market share in such a highly saturated and (almost) monopolised industry, it may not be insurmountable in the months and years to come, particularly if awards like this keep rolling in.

Quality

Reacting to the win, director of marketing at Rum Fire, Christelle Harris states, "There may be a dozen or more white overproof rums on the local market, but very few have accolades like the ones we seem to be collecting and that speaks to the quality of what we can, are and will continue to produce at Hampden Estate. The IWSC is no joke. It is certainly something to be very proud of - to say we have been awarded an IWSC gold, especially considering we beat off competition from some of the world's most sought after, aged, and even extra aged (up to 21 years) Caribbean rums."

Harris reinforced that the team at Hampden Estate will be working assiduously to ensure that the product continues to satisfy the palates of everyone, from connoisseurs and social drinkers to chefs and mixologists worldwide.

News Flash, Rum Fire Wins GOLD at IWSC

Hampden Rum Company is proud to announce that Rum Fire was awarded a Gold Medal in the White Overproof Category at the recent 2012  International Wine and Spirits Competition, The competition is one of the most prestigious in the world and is based not just on organoleptic judgement, but where all entries also undergo chemical analysis in order to ensure that the highest quality standards are achieved and maintained.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those that have supported Hampden over the years. In particular, our many visitors to the Distillery that wrote about the  rum making traditions at Hampden as well as their positive experiences while visiting with us.  We would also like to thank our customers for their fervent support, our friends for the passion they express to others as they tell them of Rum Fire, and finally to our fantastic team at the Hampden Rum Company and Distillery. without which this would not have been possible.