Appleton Estate Rare Casks 12-Year

Second Appleton in a row that I have enjoyed. Initially the afterburn was a bit strong, but the more I drank it, the smoother and deep richness I experienced. Hard to describe. Somewhat oaky, but best word is still rich. 6.5 on my scale.

Avast! There be nothin' rare about a funked-up Jamaican rum. She smells a bit sweet, and a lot funky, with hints of fruits, vanilla, and oak... but once you taste her tho, you don't funkin' smell anythin' but the vanilla and oak. Witchcraft! As for taste, spices come aboard first - aggressively - followed by a wee bit of vanilla and banana, and then molasses - HARD - followed by a hint of tobacco when that fades. Might this be a sippin' rum? Aye, if a funked up rum be to your fancy, by all means, take no prisoners. If you're not into funkin' around, there be better, less funked-up, rums to be had... arrrgh

I have had a love/hate relationship with Appleton Rare Blend 12 Year over these past 3 years. I saw this new Rare Cask 12 Year at about $9 US more and figured that it was another money grab. So finally today, I told myself WTF and gave it a try to the tune of $42 US.

I am absolutely terrible with tasting notes and often ignored those provided by others because the liquid and the barrels often had not a damn thing to do with the flavors provided in the notes. So my method is to compare each new rum to similar ones. The aroma on this one is quite pleasant with no hogo funk (I do know damn well what that tastes like!). The taste has minimal hogo funk and quite a burn. After a few sips on this one, I don't hate it, so I rate it as a high 6 and almost a 7. I like this one better than the old Rare Blend 12 Year, but not as good as the Reserve Blend 8 year or their 21 Year. I emphasize that this order is my own personal preferences and I am sure that very few will agree with my exact order. In conclusion, this one is worth buying again, while they last.

I still find their Reserve Blend 8 Year to be their best buy. I soon tested both side by side. The 8 Year is smoother and $16 per bottle cheaper than this new 12 Year, so this was a no brainer for me. However, if you like your Jamaican rums with rough edges and don't mind paying extra, then go for this one.

Nekem nagyon bejött a Appleton Estate V/X, főleg ár - íz arányban. Na ez annál drágább és nekem kevésbé ízlik. Szóval részemről maradok a fitalabb tételnél.

Nose: A hefty amount of banana up front, followed by barrel spice, baking spices, and caramel. Subtle almond note.

Palate: An immediate tinge of alcohol and funk, rounded out by heavy molasses, black coffee, and tobacco. Slightly sweet, yet intensely drying.

Finish: The almond from the nose returns, immediately overtaken by a tingle-inducing spiciness. Left with drying oak flavors. Moreish.

This leaves me hesitant to try further-aged Appleton offerings, as this itself borders on "over-oaked." But wow, is this an especially delicious 12-year rum.

9.5/10

I'm running out of options at my one door store and knew I would be trying this sooner or later. So here we are, later! This one is not worthy at $50+. It would be worthy at $30. It definitely spent time in a cask which is immediately evident but after the wood is just goes completely flat with an overwhelming alcohol presence. I've been told that with Appleton if you don't spend over $100 you will not get their premium product. This I can now confirm. I had their Joy and that was off the charts but this is a total waste. I will blend and experiment with less expensive rums, which IMO are way better, to see if I can help this out. Certainly will not revisit! Update, I blended this with Ron Barrilito only because they both have the same ABV. I blended 1/8 of Barrilito with 7/8 Appleton. That took the alcohol bite right out of it and there's just a faint sign of the sherry finish from Barrilito which smoothed it right out although it still falls flat but at least its smoother and easier to consume. And, no, I still will not be repurchasing anything Appleton.

One the nose: I smell alcohol with a hint of sweetness but mostly alcohol.

Taste: Dry and smooth. I don't get much taste other than dried alcohol.

After taste: it goes down smooth and has a bit of a burn to it like a cognac.

Overal this is a nice rum that leans towards cognac in my opinion. If I close my eyes I am drinking dry cognac.

Paradna jamajka so vsetkym co k tomu patri.
Farba tmava krasne jantarovo karamelova.
V arome citit sudovost, ovocie, vanilku a jemnu alkoholovost.
Chut vybalancovana "po jamajsku". Cize najprv otvarju hrejive chute alkoholom a esterov, nasledne sa prelina do sudovosti. Potom nastupuje jamajsky funk kedy chut ustupuje, zacne ukazovat tropicie ovocie, osobne identifikujem banany, vanilka a nejaky citrus. A na chvoste zas jemne hrejivo prichadza na kratko dymovost stareneho rumu.
Vsehovsudy ma tento rum velmi potesil, je lahky, da sa sipovat cely vecer a som rad ze som sa nan nechal nahovorit

I find it very nice to sip smooth nice oak tone, one of the good appletons would recommend

Pretty smooth. Nice depth of flavour. It feels a little buried in a sleeve of column still blandness, which I find a bit odd. I find Foursquare and St. Lucia Distillers do a better job of marrying the pot and column still rums in the blend.
Plenty of wood and brown sugar with a touch of funk. It reminds me of Chairman's Reserve Original, but definitely has that extra age, complexity and finish, and is better for it.
I like it so much better than the Rare Blend, which, to my mind, had a weird vibe I didn't like.
This is very drinkable, tasty enough, and decent value at full price. On special, like this was, I'm very happy!