Appleton Estate 21 Years Old Rum, 70 cl

Product Information

Many people will try Appleton Estate 21 as a extra special treat as they like the more easily affordable 12 Year Old. For many this bottle will represent a Christmas or Birthday present. This cookie is set by Rubicon Project to control synchronization of user identification and exchange of user data between various ad services. Further nosing reveals a slightly vinegary note alongside side some tropical fruit and banana bread. For all this is a 21 Year Old rum it is doesn’t smell particularly oaky. It is certainly not overly woody as some spirits often can be at this age. It has a really nice balance between aged spirit and more younger sweeter/vibrant notes.

Appleton Estate 1999 Hearts Collection is a single marque 100% Pot Still Rum. The rum was distilled in 1999 on a Forsyth Pot Still. It has been aged for 21 years in ex-bourbon barrels at Appleton Estate. It is entirely tropically aged. The rum has been bottled at 63% ABV and there are 855 g/100 LAA Total Congeners. It seems like the baking spices flavor is part of the distillery’s DNA. It’s nice that despite the short fermentation and long time in casks, one can still taste it. The 12-year-old can show rum newbies what most of Jamaican rum will be like, while the 21-year-old seems like it caters more to single malt drinkers.Rum’s flavours range from the light, bright and tropical (think pineapple, mango, vanilla, maybe a hint of spice – Bajan rums are a good example) to deep, dark and rich (chocolate, coffee, burnt sugar, even liquorice – typified by Guyanese rums).

There are plenty of sipping rums out there, designed to be supped straight up – or maybe with ice. These may be served in a tumbler, or in a snifter for swilling in your palm like brandy. Look for interesting types of ageing, such as the types of barrels used. How long was it aged for, and was a solera system involved? Famously used for sherry, this method involves passing the liquid through a set of differently aged barrels and allowing it time to rest in each, imbuing it with a more complex flavour. As a direct comparison to the 12 the 21 does have more complexity. It is sweeter and less dry. It has an extra layer of complexity and a few more notes than the 12. Unlike many I do not feel the 21 is over oaked or too old. It really isn’t its a beautifully balanced and skilfully blended rum.Lighter rums mix well with citrus and tropical flavours, hence the ubiquitous mojito (white rum, lime, mint, sugar/syrup and soda water) or holiday favourites such as the daiquiri (hold the mint and soda from the mojito and serve in a swankier glass) and piña colada (add pineapple juice and coconut milk/cream). For once in my reviewing process I have thought ahead. With the inevitable comparisons between those two rums it is essential I have both rums on hand as I go through this review. Appleton makes a good beginner’s Jamaican rum because it’s not as funky as more estery brands like Hampden and Worthy Park. (Single Cask Rum wrote an informative article on this subject.) Fermentation is only one and a half days long; this is short compared to the five days to more than a week usually given to fermentation in Jamaica. The distillery uses a mix of pot and column stills, rendering this a single blended rum if one uses the Gargano Classification. Hampden, Long Pond and Worthy Park use only pot stills, which makes them pure single rum, although I’m told Long Pond still houses traditional column stills that could be functional after some repairs.

Appleton Estate 21 is bottled at 43% ABV – for those wanting Cask or Higher Strength – its unlikely you will get this from a commercial bottler. Sorry. Still this Copper Pot Distilled Jamaican Rum so it should still have plenty bite even at 43% ABV. It is a blend of pot and column distilled rums. Will it focus on whether it is “worth” the extra money? No because in all honesty such a difference in price cannot really be explained just by the rum being “better”– it is still likely to be too expensive for most to become their regular sipper – something which the 12 can offer (and does a bloody good job of it as well).

Start building a set…

Appleton is a great distillery and this is a great rum,’ says our buying director Dawn Davies MW. ‘It shows the perfect balance between elegance and power and would be equally enjoyable for someone just dipping their toe into rum as those already in love with the category.’ What’s in the bottle?

This is isn’t funky hi-hogo Jamaican Rum. It’s a more sophisticated elegant spirit. This is really beyond the Signature Blend what Appleton Estate does. They don’t produce a rum like Hampden for example. No that Hampden don’t produce great rum – far from it. Observations: Here we have an excellent example of rum bottled without added flavourings or sugar, as per Jamaican regulations. At 15 years old, it shows excellent maturity without too much oak influence obscuring the spirit character. Appleton Estate 21 is a blend of rums which have a minimum age of 21 years. Whilst age statements cannot be relied upon I have tasted nothing in the Appleton range previously which would make me suspicious of their claims. To be honest, one of the triggers that made me write this piece is news of Appleton rebranding. As an informed drinker, I’m often wary of a brand’s restyling; it commonly means the quality of the product is going down, while the grandeur of the marketing goes up. If that turns out true in this case, the opinion of Appleton presented here may soon change.Appleton Estate 1999 Hearts Collection. Earlier this month I was extremely fortunate (and humbled) to be one of 300 people, worldwide to be invited to a tasting of the Appleton Estate Hearts Collection. Spiced rum may historically have been the subject of derision for its addition of flavourings and sweeteners, but the tide is gradually turning as premium producers increasingly use natural and better-quality ingredients to infuse their spirits. How to drink rum Now I could go and try to figure out what all those nuance flavors are but my palate just ain't that edjimacated so I won't even try. I know there are a plethora of flavors that master blender Joy Spence has captured so I will just enjoy them as balanced as they are. Up to now a vertical taste testing of the Appleton range (including the soon to be renamed Special) has revealed a definite increase in quality with each expression. I have noted that some find the 21 too “oaky”– a deficiency which I have also seen aimed at the 12. The criticism of the 12 I find frankly ridiculous as it one of the best value rums on the market. A true example of a great sipping rum. Still people are entitled to their opinions, though some should keep them only for close family and friends. We put 60 white, dark and spiced rums to the test, asking a panel of spirits experts and consumers to score each tipple on its complexity, balance, length and finish.