The Guardian - Life & Style • Jan. 22, 2026, 1:12 p.m.

Spiced rums are a hit but the traditional blends outshine them all After Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica last October , rum lovers anxiously awaited news from the island’s six distilleries. Hampden Estate , in the parish of Trelawney to the north, was right in the hurricane’s path, and the furious winds deprived its historic buildings of their roofs and the palm trees of their fronds.

Then came more alarming rumours: the dunder pits had overflowed. Dunder pit?

This is the one of the most distinctive features of traditional Jamaican rum, a style exemplified by Hampden, which has been in operation since 1753. You typically make rum by fermenting molasses and/or sugar cane juice into an alcoholic “wash”, then distil that into a potent liquor, but local distillers developed several strategies to oomph up the flavour.

Related