Appleton Estate Rare Casks 12-Year

Interesting. Tiramisu taste. Not so sweet, but very flavoured.

initial alcoholic note, drinkable on its own, a daily rum

oh my - didn't expect to like it this much but the rum ratings community steered me in the right direction again. One of my top 10 picks for the moment.

I was not a huge fan of the Appleton Rare Blend 12 as a sipper, but this is slightly better. Great for a Mai Tai to get that required Jamaican funk, but doesn't suit my palette for drinking neat. Tasted next to Plantation Xaymaca, which I liked better.

This rum is simply great. It is quite dry, smells fantastic and it is ideal for sipping.

Big fruit aroma backed up by molasses. Smooth flavour, more fruit, molasses, muscovado, mellow, no alcohol burn, toffee, aftertaste is all molasses

I can understand the people who dislike it; in the nose, this rum has a stingy aroma of, I don't know, cleansing agent? That's not atypical for Jamaican rum. It depends on the glass used; in a small glass it smells more like feltpen. The trick is to smell around it and behind it, by getting used to it, and by breathing in slowly, to avoid that your nose gets overwhelmed, and maybe it also helps to fill your glass only little. Then you'll notice a molasses dominated aroma with warm woody notes that's quite pleasant and intense, and the rum is without the sugary sweetness of the rums from the Spanish speaking countries. On the palate it's nice and powerful anyway, rather oaky; buttery, with a hint of maple syrup perhaps. But, it's important to note that this rum, like all Appletons, doesn't have the fruity esters otherwise associated with Jamaican rum. Now I'm seeing the most popular reviews praising it as even better than the old 12 y.o. version. I disagree with that, I liked the old 12 y.o. more, but that was a while ago. So I'm not sure: did the rum even change at all? Did it get worse, or has only my taste changed? Who knows!

By density, it is a blend of pot and column still rums.
Smell is punchy, flowery with a decent amount of woody notes. Slightly estery and fruity, like papaya. Little vanilla and raisins. Minimal saltyness.
Taste has very similar characteristics with an elegant bitterness in the aftertaste. It has a very minimal burn.
This rum costs around 25000 huf now in Hungary but still has a very good value for this money.

El Dorado are my usual favourites, and not into the "over funky" Appleton taste. But the Rare Cask 12 year is great. Very smooth, lots and good stuff, and just the right amount of funk to make it Appleton.

I don't appreciate this one, especially for the price