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Appleton Estate 21 Years Old Rum, 70 cl

£9.25£18.50Clearance
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All in all, though, the biggest takeaway for me in this tasting is my new appreciation for the mid-tier 8 Year Old Reserve—if what Appleton wanted to do in this revamp was get attention on the newest blend, then they’ve done a good job of it. Here’s hoping I can find it for close to MSRP going forward. Nose: Rich molasses hits you right away followed by clove studded oranges, cinnamon, almonds, apricots and plums. In addition to the fruit and spice there’s also a pleasantly phenolic side with engine oil, a dab of shoe polish and a drop of tar. We’re definitely in Jamaica.

On the nose, my immediate impressions are ripe dessert banana and molasses, along with light grassiness and faint hints of oak. Sweet brown sugar is featured prominently on the palate, along with sweet, toasty baking spice and fruitiness that trends toward caramelized plantains or tostones. There’s a bright note that is something like lime citrus, and an overall profile that is nicely balanced between freshness and richness, while being slightly punchy as well. Appleton is a Jamaican sugar estate and rum distillery that has been open since 1749. Its parent company is J. Wray and Nephew, which has been under Campari since 2012. Campari seems to see the rising tides of rum, as they recently acquired French rhum brands Trois Rivieres and La Mauny, too. This was clearly a good time to revisit the core range as a whole, so we commenced a tasting to do exactly that.

Category

Records the default button state of the corresponding category & the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie. Appleton Estate 21 is a blend of rums which have a minimum age of 21 years. Whilst age statements cannot be relied upon I have tasted nothing in the Appleton range previously which would make me suspicious of their claims. Although a drier rum than I am accustomed to, the Appleton Estate 21-Year rum has a sweetness to it that becomes most apparent, albeit subtly, when the burn fades. That long finish has flavors that make you want to take another sip...then another...then another... On the nose, the 8 Year Old Reserve is markedly more expressive and mature than the Signature, with notes of grilled pineapple, banana and ginger. There’s a more savory and slightly more wild dimension to this dram, with a greater oak presence and considerably more spice—the slight bump in proof makes itself felt in an appreciable way, lending heft to these flavors. This one strikes me as particularly fruity, with lots of pineapple, citrus and passionfruit notes, closing with a bit of supporting oak tannin. Appleton makes a good beginner’s Jamaican rum because it’s not as funky as more estery brands like Hampden and Worthy Park. (Single Cask Rum wrote an informative article on this subject.) Fermentation is only one and a half days long; this is short compared to the five days to more than a week usually given to fermentation in Jamaica. The distillery uses a mix of pot and column stills, rendering this a single blended rum if one uses the Gargano Classification. Hampden, Long Pond and Worthy Park use only pot stills, which makes them pure single rum, although I’m told Long Pond still houses traditional column stills that could be functional after some repairs.

In the mouth: Tastes like fermented bananas with hints of banana syrup infused with baking spices like fennel, anise and cloves. Some ex-bourbon flavor like vanilla, honey and muscovado syrup come out. There are hints of chocolate, caramel and toffee hiding in there as well. Score: 5/10 Appleton Estate 21 Year Old Rum – review The rum is blended by Master Distiller Joy Spence. Whilst the blend differs from year to year Joy attempts to re-create the same profile each year. We are not talking about a different vintage each year. Appleton 21 created in 2012 should taste near as dammit the same as the one produced in 2015. 12,000 bottles are produced each year. Appleton is a great distillery and this is a great rum,’ says our buying director Dawn Davies MW. ‘It shows the perfect balance between elegance and power and would be equally enjoyable for someone just dipping their toe into rum as those already in love with the category.’ What’s in the bottle? Many people will try Appleton Estate 21 as a extra special treat as they like the more easily affordable 12 Year Old. For many this bottle will represent a Christmas or Birthday present.

Try a Appleton Estate 21yo Sample…

This is exactly what the company has done, condensing the “core” lineup into the following three bottles: Appleton Estate Signature Blend, Appleton Estate 8 Year Old Reserve, and Appleton Estate 12 Year Rare Casks. These brands re-debuted in the spring with a new bottle shape as well—taller and slimmer than the previously squat Appleton bottles, but with some of the same shapely curves. It’s a thoroughly modern approach, as indicated by this quote from Marsha Lumley, marketing director of J Wray and Nephew Limited, Appleton’s parent company (itself owned by Campari): On the nose: Slightly funky and simple. Some fermented bananas, nuts, anise, pimento dram, fennel and cloves. Some American-oak influences like caramel, sugar, vanilla and chocolate also come out.

To celebrate the occasion, we’re taking a closer look at this award-winning Appleton rum, starting with the most important question of all: What does it taste like?There seem to be more whisky drinkers exploring rum these days, for a lot of different reasons. They range from simple curiosity or being told of it by a friend to finding whisky too expensive or reading articles like “Rum Could Be the Next Big Thing.” Of course, with exploration comes questions. One of the questions that will be asked is where to start; many will agree with me that Appleton is one of the best places. Will it focus on whether it is “worth” the extra money? No because in all honesty such a difference in price cannot really be explained just by the rum being “better”– it is still likely to be too expensive for most to become their regular sipper – something which the 12 can offer (and does a bloody good job of it as well). Very serious stuff indeed. It’s a real treat to try a Jamaican rum of this age, especially a rare traditional pot still bottling of Appleton. One for the hardcore rum drinker or the serious spirits collector. This cookie is set by Rubicon Project to control synchronization of user identification and exchange of user data between various ad services.

The 12 year is a well-made rum. The funk, while simple, lingers longer in the mouth compared to the 21 year. At times, that lingering funk makes me like the 21 year better—at least, whenever I am able to have it. I suppose a Jamaican rum’s funk is similar to a peated whisky’s smoke and peat: the younger the spirit, the feistier it is; the older it gets, the more mellow. To be honest, one of the triggers that made me write this piece is news of Appleton rebranding. As an informed drinker, I’m often wary of a brand’s restyling; it commonly means the quality of the product is going down, while the grandeur of the marketing goes up. If that turns out true in this case, the opinion of Appleton presented here may soon change. If you enjoyed our rum of the year then this 21-year-old expression offers a logical progression in terms of style and maturity. Here we find the hallmark orange and spice notes from the 15-year-old greatly intensified and accompanied by stewed fruits, raisins, prunes and sweet, oaky notes of toffee and vanilla. This is for the"old" bottle, with blue metallic cap like on the picture. Not sure the new bottles contain the same liquid...) As I liked the 12 year I tried a sample of the 21 years. Nose : typical Jamaican rhum. Taste : as expected it is oaky... Too much in my opinion, it tends to dominate the other aromas. I did not found it as balanced as the 12y. A good aged rhum but for one third of the price I still prefer the 12y. I am a bit suspicious about this rum : very verrrry smooth, almost artificial and absolutely odd for a 21y spirit .Sugar tests seem to be OK, what the hell they have added in it ?! There are so much true gems and genuine rums, less ""premiumized"" for the same price. For once in my reviewing process I have thought ahead. With the inevitable comparisons between those two rums it is essential I have both rums on hand as I go through this review.Much like the 12 year old it is very refined by Jamaican standards, very nicely balanced and has complexity in each sip. New flavours emerge as you sip – a classic sipper.

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