Appleton Estate Reserve 8-Year

You can find the Appletone character here, but the taste is missing the complexity and smoothness of older brothers. Finish is short and harsh. 12y is better for only a bit higher price.

I like this one straight and in my favorite tiki’s drinks.

Medium amber in color. Bright caramel in the nose with some funkiness typical of Jamaican rums, perhaps a hint of leather. First taste is sweet, which then brings out a sweet aroma that wasn’t present before tasting. The aroma of leather also gets stronger after a while. A little thin with not much mouthfeel. Definitely some funkiness in the flavor (though not as much as the aroma would suggest), along with vanilla and caramel. I love this rum in a true Mai Tai, though I have to say it’s a little underwhelming on its own.

Rhum assez simple pour un jamaicain, en accord avec le prix.

Above average rum for the average/ untrained palette (mine).

I rate this the same as the 12 Year Rare Casks but the two are different and have different strengths. Whereas the 12 is excellent on its own or in a simple cocktail (think Rum Old Fashioned), Appleton 8 Year is one of the most versatile rums around. It's awesome in Mai Tai, in a Rum Manhattan, a Rum Old Fashioned, a Jungle Bird and even works well neat or on the rocks. Appleton 8 has a little less oak influence (spice, tobacco) than the 12 but a bit more mango and banana. Bonus, it's affordable so you should never be without it on your bar.

The nose is really rather like that of a Spanish style - toffee, dried dark fruits (plum) and a hint of vanilla and coconut. The taste does show some Jamaican character though, with a hint of funk to go a long with the rather thin and otherwise sweet, mellow notes. Not bad, but a similar thing is better done by the Havana 7 years in my opinion. Unless you come from whisky and desire that pot still burn and funk, that is.

A little bolder, a little more fiery, a little less well composed than Appleton's 12 year bottle. Something tangier or fruitier about this drink compared its older cousin. An almost bilious note under-running the flavor... but oddly not in an entirely unpleasant way.

Its sparkiness reminds me a bit of Mount Gay, actually. Overall, not bad, but around these parts this runs at the same price point as the 12 year, to which it doesn't compare favorably.

Decent all around rum. Better than their Signature rum but nothing special.

Appleton is my go-to. The 8 yr is good. 12 is better.