Appleton Estate 12-Year

This is the first rum I’ve tried neat. It’s pretty smooth. I’m getting a taste of banana. Overall, I like it.

This one I would prefer mixed, so I’d go with a cheaper rum. I didn’t prefer this neat or with ice.

It's an unsweetened rum which is nice.. it carries a little spicyness, but boy, I am not a fan of the Funk on the finish. To me the Funk is reminds me most of the swampy flavors you get from fish caught in stagnant waters.

Perfect rum to introduce anybody to dry rums, but at this price range I would take my money somewhere with more complex flavours

Final verdict:
I wont hesitate to drink it again but probably on some festival for free

Well, I have to say, I was hoping to enjoy this much more than I have thus far. That said, this is my first real experience with a Jamaican-style rum, so there’s that.

The aroma? Smells like pure magic marker to me- which for this relative newcomer to Jamaican rums is enough to make me recoil and rethink whether I really want to swallow what’s in the glass - especially neat. I’m not 100% sure if that’s the infamous “hogo” I hear so much about, but if so, hogo is a “no go” for my palate. It certainly does bring that funk.

The taste? Not as unpleasant as I would expect given the noxious smell wafting out of the glass, but still not great either. Hard to put my finger on (or tongue on, if you will) but the pot-still flavor imparts a very specific character onto this rum that, while decently complex, isn’t all together desirable either. It’s fine, neither too hot nor too spicy,... just a bit too... well, a bit too odd for me to truly appreciate. Sure, I could get used to it and maybe over time I might even come to appreciate it, in the same way one could get used to drinking RC cola and find some redeeming quality in it... but why?

I will say this, the bottle is a nice shape and mine came in a very fine looking tin housing that i find attractive in the collection. Also, I really do genuinely appreciate the fact that this is yet another distinct style of rum that adds to the overall diversity of the spirit.

So, not a sipper for me, but I will try it in some cocktails soon to see if the funk becomes something my mouth can dance to or not. For now, I’m staying out of funky town and I’m not taking anyone else there either.

The select and reserve Appleton is great for mixing (at a friendlier price), and older ones like the 21 are brilliant sippers. Then we have the 12 year caught in the middle. Probably too nice to mix, not quite smooth enough on its own. As a result, it’s hard to say what place this rum has. I should probably rate higher on its own merits, but I struggle to explain where this belongs.

Für seinen Preis echt gut.
Riecht schon zu beginn ordentlich nach Holz, etwas fruchtig und hat eine leichte Vanille note.
Am Gaumen etwas mehr Frucht mit Rosinen und Honig Anklängen, später etwas rauchige Holznoten.
Mittellanger Abgang.

A 5.5 on my scale. Straight up reminiscent of a scotch. Mixed is okay, but the flavors not those to which I generally gravitate.

Jamaican rums are in a different taste style the all the others origins.
If you like it, you love it. Some call it "Funk" or "Hogo".
This 12 y.o. is a fine example. Up there with Smith & Cross in my collection.
Wish i could afford the "Joy" version.

Appleton, what else is there to add. Almost a sharp smell. Let it rest for 30 minutes and it becomes lovely. A dry beginng, pleasasnt middle, warm at the end.

Tried this Rum not knowing what to expect but hoping it would be ok. Pleasantly surprised quite a smoothie yo drink. I'm afraid of all the Rums I have tried I have never been able to tell all these flavours you read like fruity, nutty, smells of oranges etc. I just like a smoothe rum that you can rest on your tongue and it's nice if it has an oily feel and it warms your insides when you swallow it, this Rum does that for me.

Strong alcohol kick. Only alcohol actually!
Nice aroma of appricot but that s all. Added sugar but it is not very sweet.

I know that everyone likes this rum.
However, too smokey and has smell like a rubber of tires for me.
Please enjoy this, everyone.

Didn't like it at first, when I was more into sweeter rums, but I'm now a convert!
Fantastic deep flavour, smooth, warming and with the distinctive Appleton smell.

Wonderful stuff, and for the price a must have on any shelf

This is one of the worst rums in its price category I have ever tasted. How does it taste? It doesnt. It has literally no taste profile, no dominant characteristics, no nothing. It was part of testing plate, and it was probably worst rum on the whole plate. I really dont see any reason why I would ever want to drink this thing again. There was nothing to remember about it. I assume Jamaican style is not for me, because this was so ordinary that it doesnt have any specific taste.

Baseline good rum. Has some complexity over the signature blend, more caramel and a tiny bit of funk at the end. A bit of an all around good sipper/mixer.

kann man durchaus pur geniessen. bevorzuge aber eine cola dazu;)
kein süssrum, holzige note, sehr geschmacksintensiv, kratzt nicht im hals, netter abgang, langanhaltend.

Nose: first to hit your nose is some rather smooth alcohol. Has a lot of sweetness to it, probably molasses and caramel and maybe and some vanilla. Smells oaky and citrusy at the end. Smell is gone pretty quickly.
Taste: sweet, but rather subtle, when it first hits your tongue. Develops into something herbal and spicy, might be some vanilla here. Can’t really identify what’s going on to be fair but definitely very pleasant to sip. Also, oak can be identified.
Finish: first it turns into a slight burn, then a bigger burn and when the burn burns out it turns into a pleasantly lingering sweetness with some spiciness going on.
Final: this is absolutely one the best rums I’ve ever had, without even considering it’s absurdly low price class. It is a very premium sipper and offers quite the complexity and taste to both experienced and unexperienced rum drinkers. Because it’s such a great sipper I kinda feel bad for mixing this, but whenever I taste this mixed drink I instantly remember why I mix this… holy damn this can be used to make some amazing cocktais (absolutely superb Mai Tai WOW!).
Notes: added 3 drops of water and it's been sitting around in the glass for about 10 minutes. Also, I'm an inexpercienced taster so the details might be inaccurate, but it's still really enjoyable for my still-developing palate.

good rum, interesting flavor but could be less strong, for me will be battle

Not sure if it was the steak or the rum. Robust flavor and peppery finish

As you get older ,your pallete changes, as did mine ..I went from white rum to darker rums to spiced rums....and I found this about 10 years ago ...OUTSTANDING .....a real mature rum !!!
Something about the age of rum that excites me ...can’t wait to graduate up to the 18 to 30 year range ...but for now ..APLLETON is KING !

43% jde znát, je ostřejší, ale luxusně podává taky dřevo ze sudu. Bez propolisu, který mně otravoval z Pampero Anaversaro.

On the first try I smell a lot of cocoa. Average taste, no special signature.

Compared 12 yr vs 21 yr. 12 smelled very alcoholic, almost like gasoline and not very pleasant or refined. The 21 smelled much more complex and delicious. The taste of both of them was very similar, but the 21 was much smoother and refined. Diplomatico exclusiva was still much better than both of these. 12 - 75+. 21 - 85+