In this episode, we start with John’s impressions of the new Great House release from Hampden Estate before jumping into our interview with Christelle Harris, marketing director at Hampden. Christelle’s family purchased the legendary Jamaican distillery at auction from the government in 2009, and she has been instrumental in developing the brands now associated with the distillery itself.

In a wide-ranging conversation, Christelle shares how she decided to take on a role with the distillery in the first place, Rum Fire’s evolution (and the lessons learned from it), the process of discovering how truly special Hampden is, introducing the world to the first rums aged at Hampden, becoming friends with Richard Seale, the infamous Luca Gargano story, the Great House releases, Hampden’s endemic bird series, some exciting news for Hampden fans in the U.S., and more. Plus, cameo appearances from her grandma.

To learn more about Hampden Estate, check out:

The Hampden website

Hampden Instagram

Thanks to Holmes Cay for sponsoring this episode. Explore their current releases at HolmesCay.com and keep an eye for new ones coming this year.