Appleton Estate Limited Edition 50 Year Old Rum (700ml)

In 1962, as Jamaica approached full independence, several hand-selected barrels of rum were set aside with the intention of creating a special blend that would one day be bottled to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the country’s independence. Matured for a minimum of 50 full years, these rums have been looked after, first by Master Blender Owen Tulloch, then by his protégé and Appleton Estate’s current Master Blender, Joy Spence.

Deemed as "aged to perfection" by Spence, the resulting rum is reputedly the world’s oldest barrel aged expression. (All of the rum was aged for at least 50 years, thus the age statement is absolute. It does not refer to an 'average age' or to an 'oldest component'.) More importantly, word has it that this is truly rum of historic caliber, "...with a range of flavours and overall gravity that befits its 50 years in oak, but without being too tannic". [www.cigaraficionado.com]

The rum itself is a combination of pot-stilled and column-stilled rums, though the exact percentage of each in the final blend is not disclosed. The barrels were all x-Bourbon, originally shipped as staves and reassembled by coopers at Appleton Estate. Thirteen barrels made it through the process, each chained to the warehouse floor for added security and evaluated twice a year by Spence.

Given the high evaporation rates, the combined contents yielded a mere 800 bottles. The rum was filled into crystal decanters produced by Glencairn Crystal of the United Kingdom and designed after the curvaceous shape of other Appleton vessels. The brass and cork stopper is finished in gold, and gold screen printing on the bottle reflects a host of national symbols of Jamaica. To round things off, the rum is presented in a black lacquered gift box with gold-finished brass hinges. It contains a commemorative booklet that outlines Jamaica’s march to Independence and the journey of this astonishing rum.

No tasting notes available.