Appleton Estate Rare Casks 12-Year

Great overall rum from Appleton Estate. Lacks much of the funk often associated with Jamaica, but still a great choice.

I can sip on this rum just fine. It pretty smooth, and heavy on the oak flavor. There’s a little bit of bitterness and some burnt caramel in the middle of the taste before the alcohol heat kicks in.

Some might cry foul on using a 12 year as a mixer, but I find this rum really shines in that role. It’s robust enough to add character to complex tiki drinks and its a staple of my rum collection. I’ll put it in anything calling for a blended aged rum and have never regretted it.

It’s also absolutely fantastic in a bombo or a rum old fashioned. Just a bit of sugar and this one really dances, the somewhat harsh flavors balance incredibly well with a bit of sugar and a cocktail designed to showcase the spirit.

Very smooth, great complex taste, not too sweet. Look forward to trying other rums from Appleton.

Jamaican quality. No added sugar. Unique and pleasant taste. Minimum age of 12 years. Cheap enough for everyday sipping. Or even for cocktails. Did I forgot something? You can't go wrong with that one in your bar. I never include the price (around 25 EUR) in my rating. This is why you can regard this one as an 8+

I don’t have much to say about this rum, other than you must try it to understand it.
It presents all the wonderful characteristics that I love about Jamaican rums, but tamed slightly by its time spent in the barrel. This brings out other notes that I don’t find in younger Jamaican rums like vanilla, caramel, and some tannic dryness.
Just give it a shot! Guaranteed winner.

Nice, very smooth, not super sweet, and almost no burn or taste of alcohol.

An excellent tasting rum with flavors of toffee, brown sugar and a bit of orange. Highly recommended.

This was okay for me. A bit harsh on the back of the throat. Flavors were there, but muted. I enjoyed it, but don’t think I’ll be rushing back. The fact that I drank this on a boat may have inched the score up a point…

Dans la série des rhum expectionnels a prix raisonnables j'ai découvert cet Appleton rare cask par surprise. Et quelle surprise! un rum aussi équilibré que puissant. Avec un nez caramélisé mais un goût sec et authentique d'un rum bien vieilli.

I am not a rum expert, either it tastes or not. This one was beautiful

'What do Jamaicans know about aged and blended rums?' (I thought to myself jokingly)....A whole freaking lot it turns out. Wow! This is very nice. Appleton 12 year Rare Casks is everything I had wanted MGXO to be. The thing that is so remarkable about this rum is just how damn sippable it is. I can't quite bring myself to give it a 9, but it is easily a high 8 at minimum. The aftertaste is simply delightful. So lets dive in...

The nose is overripe bananas, apples, caramel, a pungent floral bouquet, and sour apple hard
candies. Its got a nice pungency to it like sticking your nose in a flower bouquet. Once you take a sip you get immediate oak that quickly dissipates into caramelized apples and light but present fermentation packaged in a chocolatey smoothness akin to french liqueur chocolates. Think that is interesting? Well it gets better. The velvety chocolate rum taste fades into a chest warmth with grilled pineapple and nutmeg that lingers for a long time and entices you to start the cycle all over again. At every part there is a very pleasant funkiness lingering in the background, kind of like fruit in a pitcher of sangria. I will definitely be keeping this one around. This is very nice for a change of pace.

*Update* I am bumping this up. On the second go around after every sip I kept muttering "damn!" to myself out of sheer relaxed enjoyment. This rum has a marvelous aftertaste and a great smoothness to it despite no added sugar and only being aged for 12 years.

Nose: 8
Palate: 9
Aftertaste: 9
Smoothness: 9
Versatility: 9
Price: 9

Total: 8.8