Appleton Estate Nassau Valley Casks 21-Year

I am on my 7th bottle... Is that convincing enough?

I waited a long time to treat myself to this bottle and it did not disappoint. Perfectly amount of sweetness, hint of oak and the right amount of that hogo. Probably the first time I spent this much money on a bottle and wasn't disappointed.

Excellent rum. No doubt has that Jamaican funk in the nose along with banana and vanilla. Taste is certainly not disappointing as not too sweet and just a bit dry without too much of the what can be over powering Jamaican funk which allows a lot of other flavors to pop - vanilla, banana, and touch of coffee. Just really clean crisp taste on the rocks and smooth. Better than Black River Cask but not by much and certainly not for double the price. Will probably be my first and last bottle strictly due to the price. Just short of being a 10 as there is something in the aftertaste that is just a tiny bit off for me and hard to say exactly what.

Citrus peel, brandied raisins and oak in aroma; sweet start, vanilla, chocolate and banana with sharper end; warming tail

This is one of the best rums in the world. Simply a masterpiece. A deliciously sweet rum (no sugar added), with flavours of vanilla and chocolate, together with some banana (especially in the aftertaste). A lot of oak in both nose and mouth, but never excessive, since everything is perfectly balanced. The aftertaste is sweet and “funky”, slightly warm. The bottle is numbered and comes with a certificate of ageing. Highly recommended to every rum lover. Expensive, but definitely worth it
Ps: “Appleton Estate Nassau Valley Casks 21-Year” is just the new version of the normal “Appleton Estate 21-Year”. It’s the same rum but with a new bottle and a new package, so my rating and my review are the same of the old bottle. The new bottle and package are very beautiful, but so were the old ones. Just like in the older version the bottle is numbered and comes with a certificate of ageing

Update: the more I have this, the more I appreciate its complexity. Rums at this price point are ideal as gifts, and the presentation of this rum is great. Beautiful box and without a doubt the best and heaviest cork I've ever seen. Beautiful amber colour in the glass and notes of orange, brandied cherries, raisins and apricot are finished with oak on the nose. On the palate the rum is nice, but a little sharper than one would expect from a rum of this age. This is a fairly dry rum without much sweetness. Overall a nice complex rum.