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Appleton Estate 12-Year Rum is a blend of several rums aged between 12 and 18 years in American oak barrels after being distilled using small-batch copper pot stills.
The rum is produced on the Appleton Estate, which sits in the Nassau Valley in Jamaica. The estate’s origins date back as far as 1655 when the English overthrew the Spanish to rule the island and Frances Dickinson, grandfather of the distillery’s founders, received the land as a reward for his role in the overthrow.
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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.