Appleton Estate Black River Casks 15-Year

Fruity, funky, woody with a slight balanced sweetness, but in the most natural way possible

This is exceptionally smooth and citrus with a nice spice.

My 3rd Appleton and went from a 7 rating for the 8 year reserve to an 8 rating for the 12 year rare cask to a 9 rating for the 15 year Black River. I actually am doing a side by side comparison with the little bit of 12 year that I have left. Black River 15 is slightly more complex in taste throughout and is just a tiny bit less harsh. Both have a nice deep amber color but the Black river has more of a red or auburn color to it. The 12 year has a tiny bit of that Jamaica funk to it where the 15 year Black River seems to be missing it. Which is fine with me. Can not go wrong with either one but for me thev15 year is a slight improvement.

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

Showcases why Appleton is my favorite Jamaican Brand.

Nice Smokey flavor. Worth the price. Get it again!

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

Kicked off another epic tasting Sunday 9/19/21 with this charming flavorful treat.
Lots of caramel flavor and aroma and my notes indicate that at the time I thought I also caught an aromatic whiff of lavender ??

There's the light at the end of tunnel. Thanks Appleton for something new, exciting!

The diff between this and 12yo rare case is not huge, but noticable. Similar profile, but better balanced, more smooth. Still authentically funky. It's not smoky and not dry like their other 15yo. A bit weird on nose and not infinity aftertaste - minus 1 point.

Anyway, just the pleasure to consume )

i enjoy this after a good lunch and with a good cigar ...
first i must wait the rum to sit in the glass some 10 minutes, it have a beautiful color, when rotating the glass, a lot of legs, good sign...
nose: you ll know it s an appleton, similar to others, strong alcoholic burn (after 10 minutes in the glass the burn is fading) but also some vanilla
mouth: more flavorful than the 12, vanilla and brown sugar, dry as every appleton
finish: medium, warm
conclusion: better than the 12, not good as the 21, but i like it ! even the cigar is better today :-) and i think is not over oaked, really not much oak ...
don t know the price yet, in the store i received the bottle but they didn t calculate the price, so if it s cheaper than the 21 i give it a 8.4 ! oh one more ... it s a bourbon/whisky drinkers rum ...