Appleton Estates Celebrates Jamaican Anniversary

Ultra premium spirits come on the market all the time.

Scotch whiskey with ages of 30, 40, 50 and beyond appear all the time, but remain sufficiently rare to command sky-high prices. Tales are always told of how one or two casks were “lost” in the distillery and only emerged recently or were discovered in a hidden trove and after much research, it was determined that now was the time for the spirit to see the light of day.

Almost 50 years ago, on the eve of Jamaica’s independence from Britain, a few barrels of rum were set aside with the intent to release 50-year-old rum in the future. On August 6, 2012 Jamaica celebrated a half century of independence and what better way to enjoy the historic event than with rum?

Appleton Estate was founded in 1749 and is the country's oldest sugar estate and distillery. If you think a 50-year-old bottle of rum is a big deal, at the launch when this bottle was released, the Jamaican Prime Minister was there. I don’t think our Prime Minister shows up at many liquor-related events in Canada.

Appleton Estate is a rum icon and well-known for making a number of great Jamaican rums and I’ve been very lucky to sample a number of their previous offerings in the past, such as the 40- and 30-year-old rums so I wouldn’t have missed trying the 50 for anything.

As with any super premium offering, you don’t want to dive right into the main event. So, we conducted a little tasting of the Appleton V/X, Reserve, the 12-year-old, 21-year-old and the 50.

Appleton Estate V/X

The classic Appleton experience, the V/X is a blend of 15 different rums blended for smoothness and complexity. The nose is spicy with orange toffee, hints of leather and a mild character of peanut brittle. The mouth feel is excellent with plenty of citrus and spice with a warming back palate. A great all around rum. It is available in Canada for between $24-$28.

Appleton Estate Reserve

The least favourite in the line up during the tasting. The Reserve was launched to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Appleton Estate. The nose is highly scented and somewhat boozy or hot with orange, spice, toffee and caramel squares. Rich and quite hot in the mouth, one comment overheard was that it is just a little too much. It is available in Canada for between $27-$35.

Appleton Estate 12 Year Old

The rums in the blend are aged for a minimum of 12 years and the extra time is definitely noticeable. The nose is slightly smoky with toffee, molasses, orange peel and vanilla. In the mouth, it is exceptionally smooth, almost thick on the palate with more vanilla and a rich brown sugar and a warming finish. Delicious on its own or mixed. Highly Recommended. It retails for between $35-$42 in Canada.

Appleton Estate 21 Year Old

Very new to the portfolio, each bottle is accompanied by a certificate (suitable for framing, no doubt) guaranteeing the 21 years of aging. We had a smaller sample bottle to taste from rather than a full size bottle, but this is a rum in hot demand. We loved the slightly floral nose with lemon peel/furniture wax, vanilla bean, nut and spice notes. Each sip became better and better as the liquid opened up across the palate. Very smooth without being syrupy, warm vanilla and brown sugar flavours complement a little spice and warmth. Sure it is a little pricy, but it is worth it. Approximately $150 in Canada.

Appleton Estate 50 Year Old

There are only 800 bottles available worldwide and of that Canada won’t see that many, so it is the perfect gift for the man or woman that has everything — if you can find it. At around $5000 per bottle, it won’t be on my list to pick up the next time I am at the liquor store, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t. So, what is a 50-year-old rum like? It is quite dark in the glass, darker than all the others, looking like old Madeira. It showed aromas of vanilla bean, toffee, slight smoke, heather, spice, orange and a mild earthiness. The palate was consistent, it is very striking and pleasing. Similar to how the air tastes in an older shed or barn, this was rustic and clean, but a little earthy over a warming, dried tobacco finish. Very highly recommended, but perhaps out of the reach of most rum lovers. I definitely could enjoy more than the 100ml media sample bottle.