Aroma visualization from community tastings
Roots Hampden 2012 OWH
Pineapple and banana up front, glue and nail polish underneath, then olives, brine and a salty edge that keeps it from ever tasting sweet. This is a low-ester (OWH) Hampden, so don't come for the full ester bomb — it's more fruity than funky, lighter and more playful than the loud marks. The 58.3% sits well integrated, and the finish runs long with pepper, wood and a touch of tar.
The community says- Ripe tropical fruit
- Salty olive edge
- But: Not an ester bomb
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The look inside the bottle
How does Roots Hampden 2012 OWH taste?
Aggregated from 42 community reviews.
Fruity, salty low-ester Hampden, more fruit than funk Most owners land on the same verdict: a fruit-forward, salty Hampden that punches above its low mark, with the alcohol nicely tucked in. Want a full ester bomb? Look elsewhere.
Hampden fans who like the lighter, fruitier marks
anyone chasing a loud high-ester funk bomb
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
Which glass for which rum? The community guide →
16 of 42 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
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How is Roots Hampden 2012 OWH rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 8.4 sits in the “Very good” band. 97% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 0% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
Community voices
What does the community say?
83% rate it 8 or higher. 18 selected write-ups from 42 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by Leo Krüper
Most helpful positive review
OWH gibt es ja nicht so viele Hochklassige. Da kommt dieser hier ganz gelegen. Jetzt für den Hochsommer sind mir die Low-Ester sowieso lieber. In der Nase deutlich als Hampden erkennbar. Im Gaumen wirkt er dann sehr leicht und verspielt für einen hochprozentigen Hampden. Hintenraus habe Ich leicht Minz und getoastete Fass-Noten. Schöne Abfüllung, aber auch nichts womit man Preise gewinnen kann.
Review by SaibotZtar
Most helpful mixed review
Sehr würzig. Kein Typischer HD ... ok low Ester war klar aber er kommt schon sehr anders rüber. Mich stört etwas das Rauchige vorallem wenn er gut geatmet hat ... ansonsten wenig Frucht Alkohol sehr prägnant.
Review by mto75
klar, bei OWH kann man keine Ester-Bombe erwarten. Mir gefällt das Profil des Roots aber erstaunlich gut. An der Nase dominieren Joghurt, gegrillte Ananas und Backmischung. Am Gaumen gebrannter Zucker, Fass, Mokka. Die 58,3% sind sehr gut integriert. Richtig leckeres Teil! Besten Dank nach Paris für den Split!
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
#6550 27.03.2026 Finally Friday and todays training has been finished. Time to start up the monster sample killing this weekend. For this set I am listening to IKLR and Vini Vici on Spotify. This bottling is really nice and so is the pricetag actually. The nose is medium intense and has overripe fruits, polish, dried fruit and ester. There is also a very faint rubber note in there. The palate is medium intense and fruity, with light roasted wood, overripe fruits, light varnish, pineapple and honey. The finish is very long with light wood, herbs, light peppery, citrus and light rubber.
Review by Timo Groeger
Hier haben wir einen typischen Hampden Vertreter, wobei die Ester hier nicht ganz so stark erkennbar sind. Ansonsten wieder die überreifen tropischen Früchte Banane und Ananas, sowie Klebstoff und Nagellack.
Review by RumTaTa
Ich glaube den hätte ich blind nicht als Hampden erkannt. Fruchtigkeit ist da aber die typischen Noten wie gegrillte Ananas und Marzipan springen mir nicht aus dem Glas entgegen. Dafür finde ich etwas florales wie Anis oder vielleicht auch Fenchel und Joghurt/Frischkäse. Am Gaumen schön fruchtig aber auch metallisch, was ich nicht so mag. Im Vergleich zu den alten Highester Hampden auch viel Fasseifluss. Ganz kurz hat er mich auch an Grappa erinnert. Der Nachklang ist sehr lang und gefällt mir wieder besser. Zu Beginn trocken und sogar salzig wird es danach wieder fruchtiger. Trotz des niedrigen Mark hat dieser Rum mehr Funk und Komplexität als manch anderer Rum aus z.B. Jamaica oder Barbados. Am Gaumen erinnert er mich wegen der Trockenheit und Salz/Olivennote an einen jungen Port Mourant.
Review by zabo
All in all a very solid and tasty Hampden. Thanks to France for the great split. The fruitiness prevails over the ester. Olive and some saltiness also comes through clearly after a while. Alcohol is well integrated.
Review by Alex1981
Solid but gentle Hampden, more fruity than funky. Olives are there, some brine & salt. Medium to long finish and well integrated alcohol, solid release!
Review by Johannes
Amazingly fruity OWH!
Review by Mentalo
Surprisingly good OWH. Alcohol top integrated, light creaminess, fine fruit note.
Review by ...and a bottle of Rum.
Nose: Hampden at room volume. A hint of ester, a few fruits.... Surprisingly but almost at eye level the wet plank. Palate: Naa, I wonder if I would have blindly recognized this as Hampden? Low ester is not my preferred HD profile and this one is OWH according to the app then (as are all 2012s really). There's a pleasant fruity note, but not a whole lot else going on. Alcohol is not bothersome. Finish: Medium length with a slight hint of acidity. "Our funkiest release yet" is a strange statement when you roll up the funk scale from the bottom.
Review by Stijn Zino
Buds and Barrels 16/02/2025 Very nice nose with glue and banana all over the place. Mouth and finish nothing special. Retasting. Again banana. Almost Worthy Park like. Maybe not your regular Hampden profile but nevertheless very "lekker".
Review by PRV
Nice. Once again this inimitable tropical cocktail from HD. In addition to tropical sour-sweetness, caramel, orange zest, vanilla nuances, oak barrel, and a little acetone in the final. On the palate the influence of the barrel is great, although the tropics are present. The aftertaste is astringent, abundantly oaky with a peppery finish. The low level of esters can be felt, apparently they were lacking in the flavor and aftertaste...the barrel dominated here. Nevertheless this is a tasty HD.
Review by Philip M. 🇧🇪
Obviously a low ester mark (OWH) Hampden. This doesn't mean it's bad, but I expected more. There is some fruitiness present but don't expect a big ester bomb. It's too light for that. I'm a big fan of this independant bottler, but this release can't really convince me unfortunately.
Review by Pavel Spacek
... Hampden, the legendary Jamaican distillery that produces rum as well as alcohol for perfume. In all the rums from this distillery you will taste wild esters, after which your whole organism will soak up the smell of golden tropical fruits - mango, papaya, pineapple, peach. One of the "must try before you die" rums
Review by Michal Jurka
I like low ester Hampdens but this one has a weird combination of soury-spice -liquorice notes which doesn't do anything for me.
Review by Rhum Mirror 🇧🇪
🥃 O – OWH 2012 “The Roots” – 58.3% Embouteilleur indépendant belge The Roots, avec un fût OWH (Outram W. Hussey) de Hampden. Marque relativement basse en esters (40–80 g/hL AA), fermentation de 3 jours uniquement avec mélasse et eau, sans ajout d’acide, de dunder ou de muck. Vieillissement : 3 ans en Jamaïque + 8 ans au Royaume-Uni. Rendement : 229 bouteilles. Nez superbe : kérosène, ananas mûr, banane, olives. Bouche : ananas fermenté, attaque salée et acide, puis réglisse et notes cendrées/résineuses. Finale longue sur le goudron et le poivre. Une très belle surprise : nez et bouche parfaitement alignés.
Review by Filip Heimerle
procenta nejsou citit vubec. ale je to slabsi hampden
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Live auctions
Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
Market value
Avg. community purchase price 126 €
What members paid for this bottle, self-reported. Not a market value — the purchases are over three years old at the median and unverified.
Details about Roots Hampden 2012 OWH
A Pot Still Rum from Jamaica, bottled by Roots, at 58,3%.
Community purchases
18 bottles logged by 13 collectors.
A drinker & collector.
16% opened, 0 emptied and repurchased.
What did the community pay for Roots Hampden 2012 OWH?
Community paid 117–127 €.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
18 purchased · 44 tasted · 5 wishlist · as of
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