Appleton Estate Rare Casks 12 Year Old Rum (700ml)

"Top notch rum here... hard to put down — and so beautiful it’s a perfect candidate for straight sipping." - drinkhacker.com

For those who may not remember, this 2015 presentation replaced Appleton 'Extra'. While little blending information is offered, the recipe is said to have remained the same. We do know that it employs both column and pot still rums aged for a minimum of 12 years and reportedly contains liquid up to 18 years old. Appleton 'Rare Casks' ranks among a handful of readily available bottlings we'd recommend to anyone breaking into serious rum connoisseurship. Leading with powerful aromas of spiced apple, lean molasses and buttered fruit toast, developing banana confectionary, rancio and nutty, grilled corn-like notes, it also boasts ideal sweet/dry balance with spicy, fruity, brown sugar flavours countered by hints of banana cake and fine astringency. There are traces of walnut fudge, oaky vanilla and understated molasses at the last. Jamaican rums are known to be overtly fruity and funky, but Appleton’s style here is much tamer, instead offering a clinic on poise in the mid-tier rum category that's almost too good to mix. 43% Alc./Vol.

Other reviews.... The first nosing passes find tight notes of molasses and walnut; aeration time releases bigger scents of nutmeg and spiced apple. The palate entry is wonderfully warm and spicy; at midpalate the taste turns cocoa- and vanilla-like, creamy and honeyed. Concludes creamy and delicious. 98 points - wineenthusiast.com

...This is top notch rum here, and easily the best of the bunch. Refined tropical notes — banana, coconut, brown sugar, vanilla-fueled barrel char — it’s all there, right on the nose. The body takes on a fruitier character, with chocolate lacing and more of a flame-kissed/charred fruit note, giving the rum a distinctly sweet, dessert-friendly character, yet it offers a little extra oomph thanks to the slightly higher proof. This one’s hard to put down — and so beautiful it’s a perfect candidate for straight sipping. - drinkhacker.com

Classic Cocktail: The Knickerbocker
This cocktail was adapted from Jerry Thomas's How to Mix Drinks, or The Bon Vivant's Companion (1862).

45 ml Appleton 12 Year Old Rum
10 ml Curacao Dry Orange
10 ml Framboise (Raspberry) Liqueur
20 ml Lemon Juice
1 Lemon Wedge
Method: Assemble all the ingredients in a mixing glass with ice, squeeze the lemon wedge and drop it in, shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Note: This can also be serve over crushed ice with berries as a garnish. Variation: When raspberries are in season, omit the raspberry syrup and muddle 6 to 8 raspberries with the lemon juice and curacao in the bottom of the mixing glass. Add remaining ingredients and shake well with ice.