Reviews: The Appleton Family of Rums

[Arctic Wolf]

In 1749, in the Nassau Valley of Jamaica, the Appleton Estate Sugar factory was founded. The Nassau Valley is a fertile, interior valley with a special mild microclimate which is ideally suited to the growth of Sugarcane. A water source which wells from a limestone rock formation provides an exceptionally soft pure water which used for the production of Appleton Rums.

The Rum itself is crafted from pot stills in small batches. After blending and aging the rums are ready for bottling. Unlike most rums produced in the Caribbean, Jamaican law forbids the use of an age statement unless the entire contents of a bottle are aged at least as long as the stated age.

This is the first review in a series I am doing on Appleton Rums. I am starting with the Appleton Estate VX and I will work my way up the ladder of Appleton Rums to the Appleton 21 Year Old. This will include the Appleton Reserve, The Appleton Estate Extra 12 Year, The Master Blenders Legacy, and the Appleton Dark 151 Proof. An astute person will realize that I have already reviewed Appleton Estate Extra 12 Year Old and the Master Blenders Legacy. I will take this opportunity as I go up the Appleton Ladder to revisit these reviews and these rums.

Here is an excerpt from my Appleton Estate VX Review:

” The rum displays an amber colour with orange flashes. Surprisingly (to me) the rum when swirled left nice long skinny legs in my glass indicating a buttery oil present. The aroma is very spicy, and full of oak tannin. I smell a firm and distinct orange peel, and light brown sugar and molasses rising in the tangy oak spice….”

I have also included an original cocktail based upon the popular cocktail, The Cosmopolitan. As usual my cocktail recipe has been reviewed and approved by forrest.

You may read the entire review here:

Review: Appleton Estate VX Rum (http://www.ministryofrum.com/rumdetailsmember.php?r=189&u=3568)

[Ben]

Hi Chip,

A point I thought was worth mentioning. The VX that we drink in Canada is not bottled in Jamaica but in Kittling Ridge premises in the Niagara valley. You can read on the bottle distilled and blended in Jamaica, bottled in Ontario. According to Ed, the rum is blended with a small amount of rum distilled in Canada to reduce the taxes. I would be curious to do a side-by-side tasting with a bottle from Jamaica.

I don't see that mention on other Appleton by the way.

[Arctic Wolf]

A good point Ben. I was aware of the small per centage of Canadian content in the V/X but I decided not to mention it in the review. The reason was that I have been assured by Appleton reps that there is no taste difference. I cannot say for sure whether that is true or untrue so I thought it best to leave the matter alone. I probably should add to my review though that the bottle was provided in Canada and is therefore the blend which is sold in Canada.


I was unaware that Kittling Ridge does the bottling, and I find that very surprising. How did you come across that piece of information?

[Ben]

That is maybe a stretch, but according to the New Brunswick Liquor site (www.nbliquor.ca), the supplier for VX is Kittling Ridge. The supplier for other Appleton is J. Wray and Nephew Ltd.

I thought it made sense since KR is distilling different types of alcohol on top of wine. I stopped by once, nice people.

[Arctic Wolf]

This is the second review in the series I am completing of the Rums in the Appleton Estate family of Rums. The Appleton Reserve rum is constructed from a blend of 20 aged rums which have each been aged for approximately 8 years. The rum is intended to be perfect for those who wish to be introduced to a complex rum style meant for sipping neat and for using in sophisticated cocktails.


Here is an excerpt from my review:

This has a spicy zip on the tongue that is full of citrus peel, oak spice, candy apples, cloves, and cinnamon. There is, (in spite of the softness of the rum on my tongue), a sharpness and intensity in these spicy flavours. Underneath this spiciness are additional flavours of butterscotch, caramel and vanilla. At the bottom of the palate I find an earthiness which seems almost brooding to me.

You may read the full review here: Review: Appleton Estate Reserve (http://www.ministryofrum.com/rumdetailsmember.php?r=712&u=3568)

Of course I could not resist adding a few cocktail suggestions to the review. Enjoy!

[D.B.Cooper]

Thanks for the reviews Chip!

I'll be looking forward to the "Master Blenders" review if you get to it.

[D.B.Cooper]

Sorry, I've noticed you have the review on your site. Looks like you need the 21 & 30 review to complete.

[Arctic Wolf]

Hi DB

I will be revisiting both the Appleton 12, and the Master's legacy in the next two weeks. The reviews on my site are amongst the first reviews I ever did and a re visitation to both the reviews and more especially to the rums will be fun.

[Arctic Wolf]

I continue to climb the Appleton Estate ladder of rums and have reached the Appleton Extra 12 Year Old Rum. This is a rum which I have previously reviewed as so this time around will be a review re visitation. My belief is that I am growing as a reviewer and that re visiting my older reviews is probably a good thing as I can now impart better information and tasting notes. After this review I will take a two week hiatus from the Appleton rums to allow me to catch up on a few other spirits which have become backlogued in my review system.

But without further ado please enjoy my latest Appleton Rum Review:

Review: Appleton Estate Extra 12 Year Old Jamaica Rum (http://www.ministryofrum.com/rumdetailsmember.php?r=188&u=3568)

I have kept the older review and you can find it at the bottom of the review page if you want to compare the two reviews.

[D.B.Cooper]

Thanks for the review!

Its interesting how close the reviews seem after more experience and time might change ones palate.

Its interesting about the comment on the metal cap. In my location its not uncommon to go from warm days (upper 80°F's/26°C's ) to a cold night (low 40°F's/4°C's). One time I remember the high being 92°F/33°C and then having a freeze warning at night. Since my wife and I detest AC our home as some huge fluctuations and I've never noticed any problems with the metal caps. One thing is I make sure they are on good and tight when I leave the store.

Cheers

[Arctic Wolf]

The Problem with the metal cap begins after the rum is initially opened. When the caps are originally pressed on, there is enough compression for the cap to stay on tight under a wide variety of conditions. But when they are first twisted off, there is a tendency for the metal to deform (There is usually a kind of perforated seal which must be broken). I have had many occasions when the cap would no longer tighten properly. Also without the bottom part of the cap affixed anymore (remember you had to tear apart that perforation, there is no longer a compression fit.

I would not have been so hard on the presentation score if I had not paid more that $30.00 for the bottle.

[JMac]

Hi Chip,

A point I thought was worth mentioning. The VX that we drink in Canada is not bottled in Jamaica but in Kittling Ridge premises in the Niagara valley. You can read on the bottle distilled and blended in Jamaica, bottled in Ontario. According to Ed, the rum is blended with a small amount of rum distilled in Canada to reduce the taxes. I would be curious to do a side-by-side tasting with a bottle from Jamaica.

I don't see that mention on other Appleton by the way.

Damn I wasn't aware of that fact. How would Canadian rum added to VX reduce taxes? Is it similar to broadcasting where certain medias have to have Canadian content?

IMO...I would think that the taste of the VX is altered, no matter how slight, with the addition of the Canadian rum.

Would VX sold in the US be the pure stuff?

[Arctic Wolf]

In order to avoid paying import taxes and such Canadian Law allows distillers to add a certain percentage of liquid content. I am going out on a limb here as I am not familiar with the exact proportions, but water is a liquid. My believe is that the rum is shipped to Canada in bulk, and bottled here where the majority of the addition is water to bring the spirit to 40 percent by volume. I think the percentage of actual rum distillate added is less than 2 per cent. (I may be wrong about water being added. When I am not sure of details like this I do not like to incorporate the information into the review but I do not mind discussing it here.)

Now according to the Appleton rep, the rum distillate added must conform to taste standards set by Appleton. My Knowledge of John Hall who owns Kittling Ridge, is that he is a demanding individual who does not cut corners. I personally believe the Canadian VX is no more different from the Jamaican VX as one batch will be from another. This is a small batch product and each batch will have small differences which are smoothed out by blending. But I agree it would be interesting to do some comparative testing.

[Arctic Wolf]

I am going off on a side rung today as I continue to review the ladder of Appleton Estate Rums. I call this a side rung because the Appleton 151 Dark Jamaican Rum is not part of the progressive ladder I have been following from the Entry Level Appleton VX up to the rare old Appleton 21 Year Old Rum. As well this rum is no longer advertised on the Appleton Estate Website. I am unsure whether the rum is in production anymore, although a friend of mine who visited Jamaica told me it was still available and was a local favourite amongst Jamaicans.

I cannot verify the claim, but I am confident enough of its veracity that I am going ahead with my review.

Here is an excerpt:

“…Sweet burly molasses and spice is about all I can say at this point as the strength of the alcohol numbs the palate before much else can be deciphered. I let everything sit in my mouth for a little while and decide that the flavour is quite complicated, but as I mentioned, the heavy alcohol strength has numbed my ability to distinguish anything individual….”

For the complete review please click on the following Link:

Review: Appleton 151 Dark Jamaican Rum (http://therumhowlerblog.wordpress.com/rum-reviews/dark-rums/review-appleton-151-dark-jamaican-rum/)

I did a little mixology research for this review and found two nice punch constructions which I used with the Appleton Dark Jamaican Rum to great effect.The Punch recipes are “forrest Approved”. I think you will enjoy them!

As this rum is not in the MOR data base the link takes you directly to my review.cheers.gif

[Arctic Wolf]

Appleton Estate Master Blender’s Legacy

My journey up the ladder of Appleton Estate Rums is almost complete. This week’s review is another re-visitation to an older review. I opened a new bottle of Appleton Estate Master Blender’s Legacy, and started fresh as if I had never tasted the rum before.

The Appleton Estate Master Blender’s Legacy was produced to recognize three generations of Appleton Estate Master Blenders, Joy Spence, the current Master Blender, Owen Tulloch, the previous Master Blender, and, David Morrison the current protйgй of Joy Spence. All three blenders have set their mark on this luxurious rum.

The rum itself is a blend of rums which range in age from 18 years to 30 years.

Here is a excerpt from my review:

“…The rum continues to surprise me in this second review. The texture is cleaner than I remember, almost like a good whisky. Tart spices of orange peel, lemon are laid behind a backdrop of clean pure oak. Sweeter flavours of baked fruit (apples and pears), brown sugar and honey lie under these spices….”

Of course the entire review may be read here:

Review: Appleton Estate Master Blender’s Legacy (http://www.ministryofrum.com/rumdetailsmember.php?r=752&u=3568)

I have left the original review at the bottom of the page in case it interests you in seeing how my perceptions have changed!

[Arctic Wolf]

This is the final review in my series of Appleton Estate Rum Reviews, which I began to publish about two months ago. The impetus for the review series was an invite offered to me to attend a free tasting of Appleton rums in my hometown. I received a small sample bottle of Appleton VX, and since I owned just about every other Appleton Estate Rum up to the 21 year old I thought it would be fun to review them all. The 30 year old just about to be released in my locale will be missing from this review unless I can acquire a sample at a later date.

Although the reviews have been published separately spaced out over two months, I did a lot of comparative tasting between the various ages and styles of Appleton. My final reviews scores are accurate reflections of how I judge these rums relative to each other. You can find all of my Appleton Reviews in the Ministry of Rum Data Base.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…The rum is a rich dark brown colour which leaves a thick film on my glass when it is swirled. This film slowly releases thick fat legs back into the rum. As I watch the legs slowly crawl down the sides of the glass, the rum brings forth mild brown sugar and orange citrus notes. But.. as you wait the nose begins to change…”

You may read more here:

Review: Appleton Estate 21 Yr Old Rum (http://www.ministryofrum.com/rumdetailsmember.php?r=186&u=3568)

As well my friend forrest and I have collaborated on a new cocktail we call THE MONK’S UNCLE.

Enjoy the review and cocktail.

[PopolZ]

I often read your reviews for my purchases and I've had a bottle of 21yo for about a month now. In your review you said it's a smooth rum. I don't know if I got a bad bottle (is it possible!?) but I think it's everything but smooth. My Master Blender's Legacy is a lot smoother. It tastes like the 12yo but stronger in orange peel. :confused:

[Arctic Wolf]

Hi Popol Z

Your comment surprised me as I did not recall mentioning anything about the 21 rum being smooth.

"I yearned for the sweetness I could not find, but realized that the sharp orange peel and more bitter oak flavours would not allow this sweetness to assert itself. The promise of brown sugar spices and cinnamon bun deliciousness was never realized, and instead a complex bevy of bittersweet oaky flavours held dominance...."


That comment from my review seems to match your observations. (And I like the MBL much better too and even the Appleton 12 to my mind was superior.)

Please let me know where I used the word "Smooth" in my description because as I skimmed my review I could not find it. (I am tired so maybe I missed it.)

[PopolZ]

I was a little tired myself, I used the wrong word. Soft was the word, not smooth.

In the Mouth 53/60

The rum is very soft


My mouth almost get numbed by this rum. The first time I tried it I was a little sick and thought that was it but I ain't sick anymore and it yield the same result.

[Arctic Wolf]

Ahhh!

Now I know where the confusion began. When I said the rum was soft, I was talking about texture. The rum has a lot of oil which gives is a soft texture in the mouth. My quote was:

"The rum is very soft, yet it has that signature Appleton Estate citrus spice that coats the tongue when the rum is introduced into the mouth. The spice is all orange peel and old oak, full of tannin and sap...."

I had assumed that anyone reading the review could tell from my description that even though the rum was "soft" (IE lots of oil to make it almost chewy), inspite of this softness it was full of orange peel and tannin and sap.

I understand your conclusion and I apologize for confusion. It seems I added 2 and 2 together and got 3 3/4 and you added 2 and 2 together and got 4 1/4.

To be fair to me I spent much of the review discussing the sharpness of the flavours and how I felt that the oak and orange peel might be overdone. Including this statement.

"I sense the blenders are straining to contain the oak flavours after 21 years of aging and perhaps they are losing the battle."

and this one:

"This particular rum has been aged for 21 years in the in the altar of oak. As is their right, the Gods of the Oak made a choice. They chose to quell the sweetness, and allowed the oak and tannin to master the rum."

To be fair to you, once you had misunderstood my wording (which as I said was understandable), my warnings of the sharp orange peel and strong oak flavour was in your mind a muted warning. Sorry!

Try that cocktail I suggest at the end of the review, it is fantastic!

[PopolZ]

Now I get it! Thanks for the clarification glass.gif

I thought my taste buds were playing tricks on me.

I'll have to try both version of the cocktail.

cheers.gif

[Edward Hamilton]

In regards to Appleton rums in Canada being blended with Canadian rum, according to my best recollection the last time I spoke to David Morrison, none of the Appleton Estate Rums are blended at this time.

[Arctic Wolf]

In regards to Appleton rums in Canada being blended with Canadian rum, according to my best recollection the last time I spoke to David Morrison, none of the Appleton Estate Rums are blended at this time.

It seems strange that my recently purchased, Appleton VX, contains the statement...

"Bottled for Wray and Nephew Canada Ltd, Mississauga, Ontario"

Whereas none of the other Appleton's I own have that statement on the bottle. Why bottle the Appleton VX in Canada, but not the others?

[Arctic Wolf]

Now this is a special rum and I was determined to get the review right. To that end, my review of the Appleton 30 year Old Rum is based upon 5 independent tasting sessions in my private tasting room. As well I also carried out side by side tastings with several other well aged spirits which included two Scotch Whiskies (Mosstowie 1979 28 Yr, Cask No.s 12771 & 12772, Bottle No. 162, and Bunnahabhain 1978 29 Yr, Cask No. 2584, Bottle No. 275 of 581); one 30 year Old Canadian Whisky (Canadian Club 30 Year Old 150th Anniversary Edition); and one Dominican Rum (Oliver and Oliver, Opthimus 25). I felt it was important (even though I am a regular consumer of aged spirits) to compare the Appleton 30 Year old with other well aged spirits as part of the review process.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

"...The rum is a dark and rich reddish-brown colour which leaves a thick film on my glass when it is tilted. This film slowly releases thick fat legs back into the rum. As I watched the legs slowly crawl down the sides of the glass, the rum was bringing heavy notes of a woody sap and oak tannin to my nostrils...."

You may read the full review here:

Review: Appleton Estate Limited Edition 30 Year Old Rum (http://www.ministryofrum.com/rumdetailsmember.php?r=1050&u=3568)

[Patapouf]

Great review Arctic! You don't shy away of saying it like it is. Remembering your review of the 21, I figured this would be your conclusion. Many share your opinion of 'over-oaked' spirits so it's important for the readers to know this. Personnaly, I've never tasted anything older than 12yo, so I couldn't comment. In the end, it's all a matter of taste and I'm glad I can read great reviews like you do so I can have an idea what to expect while I, at the same time, make my own conclusions.

cheers.gif

[Arctic Wolf]

Thank you for the kind words Patapouf!

I completely agree that everyone should form their own opinions. My tastes and preferences after all are my own. I try to give the reader of my review a good idea of what to expect as far as flavour goes, but I would not doubt that some persons may read my review and decide that my description sounds like something they would want to try, others will decide the opposite.

Your point with respect to Appleton 21 is bang on. If someone has tried Appleton 21 and disagrees with my review then they will probably be better served to disregard this review as their palate would be entirely different from mine.

Cheers!