Appleton Rum - The heart of Jamaica - Blog post by Thomas Heie Nielsen

This is an Appleton review. But a slightly special one. On the one hand, I'm writing from memory after an incredibly nice Appleton tasting and a bit of research. And secondly, I will primarily relate to the legendary Appleton Estate 17 Legend, which is an ultra hyped once in a lifetime remake of the original J. Wray & Nephew 17 Year Old 49%, which was the original rum used for the first Mai Tai in 1944.

Blog post by Thomas Heie Nielsen

I recently attended a really delicious rum tasting with Appleton at Duck and Cover Cocktailbar in Vesterbro in Copenhagen. A modestly sized basement bar with an intimate and very cozy environment and lovely decor. We had a nine-course menu and tasted the following rum:

For starters we tasted:
Appleton column unaged 40% and Appleton pot still unaged 40%

For the main course we had:
Appleton 8 year old Reserve 43%, Appleton 12 year old Rare Cask 43%, Appleton 15 year old Black River Cask 43% and Appleton 21 year old Nassau Valley Cask 43%.

For desert we enjoyed:
Appleton 17 year old Legend 49%, Appleton Estate 2002 Hearts Collection 63% and Appleton Estate 1993 Hearts Collection 63%.

The Hearts Collection series is a collaboration between Appleton's master blender Joy Spence and Luca Gargano of Velier. Needless to say, it was an absolutely excellent evening. Oh yes, we finished off inside the bar itself with a couple of delicious Tiki Cocktails. A classic Mai Tai and a This Is The Wray, where you can probably guess which one rumwhich is the base of that cocktail.

In general, Appleton 8 year old Reserve 43%, Appleton 12 year old Rare Cask 43% and Appleton 15 year old Black River Cask 43% are all three well-produced and well-composed and taste great. Here, most people can join in on both taste and price. Appleton 15 year old Black River Cask 43% is probably the rum where you get the most rum for your money. 15 years of full tropical maturation and a tasty and very drinkable rum.

When we get to Appleton 21 year old Nassau Valley Cask 43%, the price is of course a little higher. But it's definitely worth the price. It is the best of the standard blends that Appleton has. The two newest rum in the Hearts Collection series: Appleton Estate 2002 Hearts Collection 63% and Appleton Estate 1993 Hearts Collection 63% are in a class of their own rum. It is competent, complex and powerful. And if you're into the heavy Jamaica potstill rum, then this is the one for you. It certainly was for me.

Themother of Jamaican rum.
You don't have to have been drinking rum for very long before you've come across and tasted rum from Jamaica. Jamaica rum is - if you ask me - the mother of rum and is unavoidable if you are a rum drinker. It's all its own and it does something very special. There are six distilleries in Jamaica:

Hampden, Long Pond, New Yarmouth, Worthy Park, Clarendon/Monymusk and Appleton. You can read more about Jamaica's distilleries here: Focus On: Jamaican Rum : The Whisky Exchange

Appleton specializes in blends.
Usually when we talk about rum from Jamaica, we have - at least here in recent years old - especially talked about wild and violent rum. Bombastic rum with incredible juice and power, full power on scent and taste, lots of overripe tropical fruit, as well as glue, lacquer and acidity and then there is that very special Jamaican "funk". Often in recent years years old we have also talked about single cask bottlings where we know the exact ester mark. But there are also some fantastic blends, and blends are Appleton's big strength.

Appleton produces rum on both column and pot still. They make a lot of different marks. They don't want to say how many brands. But most rum that Appleton publishes are at an ester number around 240 esters. Appleton produces about 60% of all the rum that is made in Jamaica. So it's very high volume.

The world's first female master blender.
Joy Spence is the world's first female master blender. Since 1997, she has smelled, tasted and blended every Appleton rum that has come onto the market. As Appleton themselves put it: "Crafted with Joy". Appleton works with terroir as one of the few rum producers in the world. Although more and more are joining the ranks.

A legend in the rum.
Appleton 17 Year Old Legend 49% is, as the name suggests, a legend in rum. When it was broken that Appleton was on the way with a historical remake of the original J. Wray & Nephew 17 Year Old 49%, which was the original rum used for the first Mai Tai in 1944, the internet went crazy. Only 1500 bottles have been made worldwide and there are no more to come. Appleton's master blender Joy Spence has spent years old tasting and blending just the right blend, so Appleton 17 Year Old Legend 49% is absolutely close to the original J. Wray & Nephew 17 Year Old 49%.

At the tasting, our host from Appleton told us that there were very few unopened bottles of the original J. Wray & Nephew 17 Year Old 49%. And if you're lucky enough to get one of them on sale, he said: "It will set you back 25,000 dollars".

Needless to say, the rum tasted magical. And it's not because it's expensive or rare. It tasted really delicious. So definitely one of the best rum I've tasted in a long time. Incredibly complex, tasty, well-integrated alcohol, long and delicious aftertaste. I was even lucky enough to sip almost a whole glass more, as my partner was in the car, so he had to hold back a little on the golden drops. As Appleton himself puts it: "This is as close to the original 17 years as it can ever get".

Only four bottles have been released in Denmark. They are already long since sold out. I hope they will be opened, tasted and enjoyed. It deserves a good rum. Especially when someone has gone to such lengths to create the finest for us.

If you want to read more about Appleton 17 year old Legend 49%, you can take a closer look at these pages.
Appleton EstateAppleton's "Legend" 17-Year Rum - by Matt Pietrek (rumwonk.com)

The Most Hyped Rum Ever | Appleton 17 Year Legend
The Most Hyped Rum Ever | Appleton 17 Year Legend - YouTube

The RumCast. Breaking Down the Appleton 17-Year Legend Release (And the Strong Reactions It's Receiving Breaking Down the Appleton 17-Year Legend Release - The Rumcast

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