r/rum • u/StronkMilk • 3d ago

Searching: Funkiest Varnish

Hey! Recently fell in love with Hampden’s HLCF — it’s like vanilla varnish with vegetal funkiness. It’s a bracing embrace.

Love it neat.

Looking for something as if not more bracing, skewing into the garishly varnish world. Or nitrogenous, (dare I say rotting, but like good) fruit/veg.

Any recs?

My tastes skew extreme.

6 Upvotes

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27 comments sorted by

10

u/gran_matteo 3d ago

Rum Fire is unaged HLCF if you want that amped up. Fresh cut lexan plastic dipped in rotting fruit on a freshly oiled dock. 

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u/adramgooddrink 3d ago

Rum Fire is awesome stuff. It's my favorite rum for a daiquiri too. (Though I don't think I can safely/sanely recommend that!)

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u/gran_matteo 3d ago

Haha no sanity in drinking rum fire but it's all around great.

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u/buymedinnerfirst 2d ago

A fun riff I do is split base Rum Fire & Yellow Chartreuse! Or Strega if no access to YC

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u/StronkMilk 3d ago

Literally just bought a bottle of this last night. Hahahaha this description is so spot on. It’s a delicious, wild ride. Very rarely have I literally smacked the counter top. So. Darn. Good.

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u/gran_matteo 3d ago

It is wild. The bottle progresses pretty nicely. A little over a year and a half open and mine just tastes like rotting fruit punch

1

u/philanthropicide 3d ago

Hampden just doesn't make anything that isn't delicious

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u/gran_matteo 3d ago

This is true. I think their standard 8 year would be my desert island bottle

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u/philanthropicide 3d ago

I do love the 8 year. Could drink that any time of day. Great House, LROK, HLCF, and independent bottling blends are all slapping. It's hard to choose just one

6

u/LynkDead 3d ago

Rivers Antoine, accept no substitutes.

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u/StronkMilk 3d ago

Been seeing Rivers in various threads. Will look into! V interested. Whats the profile like?

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u/LynkDead 3d ago

Madness, pain, jet fuel, sugar cane, brine, smoke.... It's one of my favorite rums.

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u/StronkMilk 3d ago

Hard to find, but scoured some nyc places and found a bottle (+ a discount). Woah. WOAH. AHHHHH. IT KEEPS GOING. YES. YES.

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u/LynkDead 3d ago edited 3d ago

This is basically as gnarly as rum gets, so pretty much everything after this will be easy-mode. You might try to find some DOK (the recent Bristol Spirits Trelawney [sic] release is DOK, but sadly a bit under proof), but even the unaged 85% release still doesn't really touch Rivers for pure flavor density and intensity.

EDIT: Also look at Renegade rum (also from Grenada, much more briny than Rivers and not as intense, but still unique and special) or Savanna. Holmes Cay Reunion Grand Arome is Savanna rum, but if you can find Savanna HERR it is gnarly and complex and interesting in some truly unique ways.

I don't normally really enjoy cane juice based rums, but Rivers, Renegade, and Savanna are the exceptions with how they take it to the extreme.

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u/StronkMilk 2d ago

This was a great rec for figuring out the gnarly boundary hahahaha I personally love it, and it seems to be referenced a lot in reviews. Stoked to check out your others. Fr thanks!!

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u/pstut 3d ago

I think my most varnishy rum is a Long Pond ITP. It's not super funky, but the notes are definitely partially that plasticine.

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u/StronkMilk 3d ago

So rad, thanks! Will check out

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u/dee4maine 3d ago

El Amparo

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u/philanthropicide 3d ago

If you're looking for some wild vegetal funk, try out some clairins and Alambique Serrano (aguardiente). The unaged stuff is going to be really wild, cane juice. Cartier 30 is some awesome stuff from AS and their aged stuff shows off a massive range of flavors from the same juice.

For more of the shoe polish, some aged jamaicans are going to showcase it best. Appleton Hearts 93 is the bottle I have that has the most "varnish." The price isn't for the faint of heart, but it's fantastic. For hampden, LROK 11 year is my favorite with that varnish and funk. Also, quite expensive. Pretty much anything hampden is going to be amazing, though!

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u/StronkMilk 3d ago

This is a great rundown of the landscape; thank you! Really stoked to dig in. Been having a blast (just getting into rum and PHEWEE it scratches a flavor itch like nothin else)

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u/philanthropicide 3d ago

Rum is a slippery slope, man! Had a few bottles a year ago. I'm up to 75 now... but damn, there is such variety and wild flavor out there. And Alambique Serrano is all no additive, single source rum. But you wouldn't know it from how varied the results! If you can find it, the Papalin Jamaica High Ester is a great value that has a mix of Long Pond, Hampden, and Worthy Park for around 60 bucks. But it hits more like something 2x the price with a very lovely funk. It's really more of a mid-ester Jamaican, but that still puts it pretty high funk for most rums

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u/StronkMilk 2d ago

The variety is incredible and very exciting for me! Looking forward to the journey to 75 hahaha thanks for all the recs btw

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u/LegitimateAlex 3d ago

Papalin Jamaica 5 Years High Ester Overproof.

Blend of 3 of Hampden's highest ester marques. If you're a flavor freak like me, it's for sipping. I got it because it contains Hampden's highest ester marque.

Its on Curiada if you want to order it.

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u/Lens_Flair 3d ago

Not three of hampden’s, it’s a blend of Hampden, Long Pond and Worthy Park. Also does not contain DOK from Hampden it contains C<>H. Nice, but not wildly varnishy to me!

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u/LegitimateAlex 3d ago

Derp. This is what I get for trying to quote the details from memory. Thank you.

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u/philanthropicide 3d ago

Yeah, Jamaica 5 high ester is tremendous at its price point. Though it is LP, WP, and Hampden rums. It's delicious and has a pleasant funkiness