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Old Brothers Hampden Jamaican Rum (Esters & Co) La Source HJF 2008
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Overripe pineapple, glue and olive brine, with banana and marzipan underneath — this is Hampden's HJF mark at full 60.8% cask strength, aged 13 years tropically. Most tasters call the alcohol beautifully integrated despite the proof, and several rank it among Old Brothers' best Jamaicans. Give it a good 40 minutes to open; the fruit hides behind solvent at first.
The community says- Well-integrated alcohol
- Overripe tropical fruit
- But: Runs hot late
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The look inside the bottle
How does Old Brothers Hampden Jamaican Rum (Esters & Co) La Source HJF 2008 taste?
Aggregated from 65 community reviews.
Funky, fruity high-proof Hampden HJF One of the better Old Brothers Hampdens by most accounts — funky, fruity and well balanced. It drinks a touch hot on the finish, and it needs real time in the glass to shine.
Hampden fans who want funk, esters and cask strength
Beginners and anyone wary of solvent, brine and high proof
Style & occasion: Tropical & funkySipping neat
Recommendation
Your next rum
Each with how it differs from this rum.
Gifting rum? 3 questions to the right bottle
Drier
Old Brothers Hampden Jamaican Rum <>H 2001
9.1/10
Milder
CDI New Yarmouth Jamaica (Bottled for Perola) 2009
8.8/10
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First choice: 32 of 38 tasters who tried both prefer it.
Community voices
What does the community say?
65 community reviews
37 selected write-ups on this page, all of them in the RumX app
Top 12% of Jamaica rumsTop 17% at Hampden
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Ranges include their upper bound: “7–8” means above 7 up to and including 8. See the full rating guide
Positive from 8.0 · Mixed 6.0–7.9 · Critical below 6.0
Review by SaibotZtar
Needs some time in the glass ... 45min it should already be, then a great fruitiness comes to light ... nice ester and glue notes , Hampden very clear to smell and taste. Good bottling at just reasonable price .
Review by Maxence
Fruity, sweet and funky at the same time, a true Hampden. Another great Jamaican release from Old Brothers ! I can't wait to taste the HJF 2002 😊
Review by DaveLamb
Very similar not only 02, 08 and Plantation HJF 02, but also to <>H 01. Similarities: lots of tropical fruits, overripenness, just the right amount of petrol and banana, dried/candied fruits, solvent taste (more obvious in plantation) Baking Room: This one has more pastry flavor, more sweet flavor, very light wood tone, very little. Dried fruit tastes like it's been cooked. It's thick, and nosing in particular is intoxicating, but not too complicated overall. It's the least complex among three, but it's the most pleasurable of all, and has a nice aroma of sugar.
Review by mto75
one would like to shout to OB: there you go! Again significantly better than the HJF 2002, and almost on the level of the Plantation HJF 2002, which I poured as a reference in the other glass. The OB comes a little more over the ester rail and with varnish, with the Plantation I still have a little more complexity, somehow towards Christmas spices (candied orange peel, cinnamon stick). On the palate, the OB also knows how to convince, the 60.8% is well integrated, however, the 70.3% is really hammered in the Plantation. So the OB does not quite come up to the Plantation HJF 2002, but still top level!
Review by TheRhumhoe
Probably one of the best Old Brothers bottlings to date. An absolutely sumptuous nose with typical Jamaican aromas, a mix of ripe tropical fruit, solvents, butter and other phenolic aromas that blend harmoniously and masterfully. The 60% are not perceptible at all on the palate, the attack being very fruity, with notes of red fruit on the finish, for a complex, intense and very round delight. The finish is just as pleasant, with saline and menthol notes and a feeling of glue on the teeth. A real treat.
Review by Johannes
On the nose, first a lot of glue, which fades with time. On the palate nice mixture of esters, peach, glue, marzipan.
Review by LukaŽiga
9:On the nose, esters, solvents, varnish and nail polish, funky, flowery and vegetal molasses with briny olive, overripe tropical fruits like banana and pineapple, citrus and red fruits, almonds, bump into our nosetrils. On aeration, the wood is roasted, smoky with cream toffee, buttery, spicy, the molasses is grassy, herbaceous and some rubber arises. 8,8:On the palate, the attack is medicinal with esters, solvents, funky, intense, yet balanced, fruity with overripe tropical fruits like banana and pineapple, red fruits, vegetal with black olive, grassy, herbaceous molasses, as the wood is roasted, smoky with cream toffee, bacon and meaty notes, spicy with vanilla. 8,8:The finish is long, dry, with roasted, smoky wood notes like marzipan, caramel, BBQ, nuts, sourdough bread, spicy, pairing vegetal molasses with olive, chilli and overripe tropical fruits, medicinal tones like esters, iodine.
Review by Timo Groeger
And third from last, a funky Hampden. Definitely overripe tropical fruits, banana and pineapple. Ester is also noticeable, but not too pronounced. Otherwise, we have a little solvent.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
#5646 08.09.2025 Enjoying some samples after an extended workday helping a colleague. Nose Intense, light wood, faint smoke, fruity, spice, light nutts, banana, overripe, light glue. Palate Intense, warm, oily, light wood, fruity, overripe, light glue, faint apple, light citrus, light anise, faint rubber. Finish Very long and warm, light wood, fruity, oily, spice, light rubber, light clove. Empty glass Fruits, cinnamon, light coffee, light tobacco.
Review by Jakob
Lots of overripe fruit, spicy-tart wood notes with concise but well-integrated roasted notes and heavy sweetness of vanilla, marzipan and syrup. Very good rum, which alone with Hampden but again only enough for the midfield.
Review by Enriko Špinler
29.7.2025 – Tasting after a long time :) Exclusive aroma in the glass, wow! Nose: Esters, tropical fruit, butter, olives, dried fruit. Taste: Red fruits, esters, solvent, intense, funky, olives, vanilla. Finish: Medium-long, tropical fruit, esters, marzipan, salty
Review by Thunderbird
An excellent HJF, with excellently integrated alcohol, you can enjoy it for hours! This Mark is a lot of fun. In contrast to the Plantation, it can almost be described as quaffable 😉
Review by Adrian Wahl
Really fun. Lots of Hampden essence. HJF continues to be a rarity as a marrow. Nose opens after 30 minutes and the rum flows through the room. Very good release from OB, price for OB even quite okay.
Review by TheJona'Spirits
👃 Boom! Everything's there; tropical fruits dominated by very ripe pineapple, then flambéed banana, rotten mango, overripe jackfruit. Roasted almond shells, sparkling esters, lots of funk, all kinds of olives, then varnish, solvents, and even hydrocarbons. A magnificent nose, very typical of Hampden. 😋 Explosion of funky flavors! Heat of island spices (chili, red pepper, pink peppercorns, vanilla pod at the market), overripe tropical fruits (jackfruit, pineapple soaked with sun and sugar, banana, mango) and I'd even say some bitter blood oranges. Olives of course, greener than black, brine, lively esters, powerful varnish. Excellent integration of alcohol despite the 60°. A delight. ⛳ Long, very long, warm, spicy. A characteristic association of the high marks of Hampden between the sweetness of overripe tropical fruits (lots of pineapple chunks) combined with fish salting (herring, cod). The empty glass smells of the sea, sea spray, but also licorice and fresh mint. Scattered note of sugared strawberries. 💡 At the same level as Plantation HJF 2008, minus the dried fruit side of the Cognac cask, for more raw funk. Maybe a notch above.
Review by Skyfly
Small Old Brothers Jamaica X-tasting: compared to its older brother (RX11172), I like it better because it feels overall rounder and the different aromas harmonize better.
Review by Rhum Mirror 🇧🇪
Super concentrated nose in esters (surprising for a collaboration with Esters
Review by Chrischi78
Beautiful Hampden. Perfectly integrated alcohol. One of the best Old Brothers bottlings! Tropical fruit, solvent, butter and phenols on the nose - harmoniously combined. Soft and round despite 60%, fruity on the attack, salty and mentholated on the finish.
Review by Rodolphe
Superb HD on nose and palate, very classic for the style but very well done. Compared to its counterpart from Plantation, I find it just a bit below (even though it’s clearly more expensive!)
Review by TheJackDrop
What DINGUERIE again from Old Brothers, these guys have a nose for Jamaica. It's really an incredible product, pineapple caramel salted butter, light woodiness, and lots of ester glue funk, it's really ultra gourmand and deep. Extraordinary.
Review by Jc69
Nose on the green olive.Taste on the fruit.Saline finish that can remind some white agricultural rum.Very good!
Review by Jussi Piirainen
It took nearly an hour for this rum to open up in the glass. On the nose: OK, it was worth of the wait, this is a quite complex profile. Esters and solvents are nicely blended with typical Jamaican rum notes like overripe pineapple and bananas. Olive notes in the back and i also get somekind of fatty, charred bbq note at the back aswell. Taste: Fruity, rich, complex and high abv is giving the rum a good body. Esters are on a good level, this rum not a ester bomb. Finish: Tropical fruits, little bit of vanilla, little bit of salt and barrel notes. Smoky/menthol kind of notes in the background. Interesting combination of notes as a finish. Long finish. This rum is delicious. Out of Old Brothers HJF mark rums this was leaning more towards a typical Hampden profile rum than the others. The complexity and integration of esters with fruit notes makes this rum stand out and i would put this rum to my Top 5 Jamaican rums -list for now.
Review by Djehey
Very good! Big tropical fruits but with a nice structure that gives depth. Intense mouthful of pleasure. You can feel the tropical aging. Gives a richer, more complex, and diverse profile.
Review by Léo Delek
Beast of a rum. Having a palate trained on agricole, I'm more difficult with molasses but this one really blew me away. To taste again neat. 2nd tasting: a very beautiful balanced Hampden with just the right amount of exuberance. Still the ripe pineapple with lots of ripe fruits, even harlequin, a very fine woody and smoky note that makes it a very balanced rum while keeping its character. 3rd tasting: Nose: Patex glue, marzipan/frangipane, chemical fruits (strawberry candy, strawberry yogurt, banana candy...) Palate: you find what you had on the nose with very light wood and pepper/chili.
Review by Basti
In direct comparison with the Plantation HJF 2008, a little more varnish and glue on the nose. Overall, the two bottlings are on a par and differ - if at all - only in nuances.
Review by John Coffey
Old brothers great mastery in their choices.. A beautiful product that perfumes the mouth.. Let's see what it gives with the plantation
Review by Pavel Spacek
... Hampden, the legendary Jamaican distillery that besides rum also produces alcohol for perfumes. In all rums from this distillery, you can smell wild esters, after which your whole body soaks up the scent of yellow tropical fruits - mango, papaya, pineapple, peach. One of the rums you "must try before you die".
Review by Maxime Clr 🇫🇷
Very beautiful Hampden, well balanced. I liked the touch of strawberry and olive behind a powerful pineapple. Nice selection from the OB.
Review by Jeremy Roger 🇫🇷
On the nose it is very vegetal. I perceive olive at first attack then tropical fruits and the Jamaican palette. The Hampden is well present in taste, but I have a slight light red fruit aftertaste. After 40 minutes of airing it is very different, the fruits are much more present and the solvent and sharp side blend into this framework and give it a very appreciable pep. The woodiness is also felt a bit more. Very good! Requires good airing.
Review by BnBrt
Lots of funk, I don’t find the “explosive pineapple,” needs a retest when more open. Nose on glue behind which hides fruit and a bit of damp wood (underwood). A bit of tobacco. Pleasant first kiss, a bit short on the palate but compensated by a very nice length with a marzipan finish. The alcohol is very well integrated. Quite a gourmand attack, little fruit, a bit of fat.
Review by Yves Remord
Surprisingly very fruity rum despite its esters, the 60-something degrees are beautifully integrated. The nose and palate reveal apricot and mirabelle aromas quite unusual for a Jamaican rum. Very pleasant overall! Only flaw, maybe a bit lacking in breadth, that very gripping mouthfeel that envelops the entire palate. Great discovery
Review by Adrien B
Nose: Ester well present, nice lively fruitiness, remains fresh and welcoming. Mouth: powerful but super well integrated. True to the nose, I am surprised by the freshness on this profile.
Review by Jacques etdom
An intense nose on a fruitiness almost New Yarmouth, glue, acetone, loads of esters, but also vanilla and a slight coconut from the bourbon barrel. Makes you want to dive in. The palate is still full of esters, tropical fruits and always this roasted sweetness and very bourbon barrel, which wonderfully balances everything. It needs very STCE with more esters. Nice finish that makes you want to come back. It’s ultra addictive. I love it!
Review by Rum man
A great Hampden since it is a Hampden. Even though the alcohol is well integrated given its ABV, I believe it would have benefitted from being watered down slightly. It drinks a bit hot towards the finish where it starts tingling on your tongue. Apart from that you will love it for its classic Hampden profile.
Review by Michal S
Solid classic Hampden style, with overripe tropical fruit and esters/lacquers/solvents. Fans of Jamaican rums will definitely not go wrong trying this.
Review by Michal Jurka
Very funky yet so gentle. Very well done. Balanced dose of fruit and chemistry with a bit of vegetal/floral notes and a hint of creaminess.
Review by Barnagricole
Nose: violet, orange, rotten pineapple, solvent, paint, round and floral. Concentrated but with a certain lightness. Bitter almond. Palate: entry very smooth (alcohol well integrated), semi-fat texture, exotic fruit, strawberry, banana, yeast. Finish: bitterness, mixed with banana compote.
Review by MJ97
On the nose, the classic ripe Jamaican fruit with esters. Solvent, brine/vinegar. A hint of marzipan / bitter almond. A little floral side like essential oils. On the palate, a lot of yeast at the entry, then mixed with a pastry/very round side similar to the nose then the bitterness of almond on the finish. Alcohol very well integrated
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Expert reviews
Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum.
Expert review by Les amis des amis du Rhum
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Community shelf
65 bottles logged by 55 collectors.
Both drunk and collected.
21% opened, 5 emptied.
What did the community pay for Old Brothers Hampden Jamaican Rum (Esters & Co) La Source HJF 2008?
Community paid 139–184 €.
Purchase prices reported by members, not a shop price. Avg. 172 €. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
65 purchased · 67 tasted · 22 wishlist · as of
Details about Old Brothers Hampden Jamaican Rum (Esters & Co) La Source HJF 2008
A Pot Still Rum from Jamaica, bottled by Old Brothers, at 60,8%.
Read on in the RumX Guide
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