Appleton Estate Black River Casks 15-Year

Nose: Ripe bananas, molasses, vanilla, and dried apricots
Taste: really oaky ,more smooth and complex version of the Appleton 12 year(rare cask), definitely a good sipper but not balanced enough to be great. There’s a bitterness or harshness at the back end that I don’t like. This rum is better suited as a mixer or bargain sipper. I personally prefer the 21 year.

I paid $60USD and this price point seems fair for what you get. I would say that this rum is the middle sibling of the 21 year and 12 year rare cask. Cheers🥃

A bit more complex in middle phase ( +3% is helping), but the difference is distinguishable only in direct comparison. If you want to save, buy 12y (new bottling) or buy 21y that is even more smooth, complex and ballanced.

It is a 43% rum named after the Black River, which springs in the Appleton Estate in the Nassau Valley of Jamaica. This place is also the source of water for Appleton rums. Appleton 15 YO is a blend of pot and column stills rums that have been aged in a tropical climate for a minimum of 15 years.

Bottle: Very nice, rounded, in the shape of the number 8. It gives a rather luxurious impression and comes in a gold coloured cardboard box.
Colour: Dark amber

Nose: A wonderful, slightly estery blend of various kinds of fruits and woods. It's a very sweet, fruity, fragrant scent. It is a rather drier rum with a slight sweetness. The nose has banana, pineapple, apricots, tangerines, sweet grapes, vanilla, chocolate, tobacco, a little glue and oak.
Taste: It's dry and smooth with a slight burn in the throat that subsides after a while. There is less sweetness than in the aroma. There is also less fruit in the taste. The fruit is mainly banana and cherries, followed by caramel, vanilla, cocoa, bitter almonds, spices (pepper, cloves), and more oaky wood.
Aftertaste: Medium-long.

Conclusion: This is an excellent rum with a very mild sweetness and a pleasant fruity aroma and flavour. I definitely recommend this version!

Rating: 9/10

very nice and complex taste, worth the money you pay for it.

Since I had never heard of Black River in Jamaica, I just had to look it up. It is on the southwest coast of Jamaica about 20 miles south of the Appleton Estate. Back when I visited Jamaica in 1988 and 1996, this part of Jamaica saw no tourism at all. This has obviously changed as there are now safari boats guiding tourists through these mangrove swamps. I gather that some very special wood from this area goes into making the casks that aged this rum.

If you are expecting a heavy black char in this rum, you won't find it at all. It is a very good dry rum with the usual no sugar being added, but I still prefer their 8 Year Reserve Blend as my favorite from this island. So glad that I happened upon this one this afternoon while stocking up on K&S 18 Year before they are all gone.

I like Appleton Estates, the v/x, and rare (12yr) are great, the 8 yr is ok, but this was lovely!

Appleton rums produce nice rums. This 15 yr edition is not exceptional but certainty a nice rum to sip. Nice addition to my collection but not a top tier rum.

This was the first Appleton I purchased as a sipper. Very enjoyable, complexity and character.

This Appleton isn't quite soft, it has dry and woody taste. Can feel nuts and it have fine strenght. Very nice rum.

Beautiful rum. Complex flavour profile of brown sugar and spice with a warming solid finish