Tastes

Appleton Special Gold, which I believe has been replaced with Kingston 62, is a better than average gold rum. The funk that is missing in most Appleton rums shows up here more than I expected. It is a very young rum, so it does have some heat and won't blow you away, but it's great in cocktails. The funk is evident on the nose, along with banana notes. The palate is watered down quite a bit and a bit hot initially, but it does give way to dried fruits and a bit of charred oak. The finish is short and sweet, but only a touch hot. This is not meant to be a sipping rum, so if you plan to only use this in cocktails, you will be happy with the purchase. There are better sipping rums out there, but I have to say for the price it's worth owning for the use in cocktails alone. Unlike most Appleton rums when a cocktail calls for Jamaican Gold rum, you can safely use this one.

Appleton Signature, which replaced the V/X, is a decent enough rum, but similar to the Appleton 8yr, it's nothing special. It is cheaper and the difference between the two is negligible when it comes to using it in cocktails. If a recipe just calls for rum and doesn't give a clear choice or region, then this is usually the rum I reach for. It's cheap, reliable and hints the usual rum notes you expect. On the nose I get ginger and some dried fruits. Unfortunately, the first sip is pretty unremarkable, and it feels a bit watered down, especially in comparison to the 8yr. I do get pepper, vanilla and molasses, with a touch of oak near the end. The sweetness hints you on the finish though and there really isn't any burn. I would have given the Appleton Signature the same score as the 8yr, but neat it falls apart and seems feeble in comparison. Both are great in cocktails and again I tend to favor this more so because it hits the familiar rum notes that you expect in a cocktail at a cheaper price. It won't blow you away, but for how cheap it is, it gets the job done. You could definitely do worse.

The Appleton 8yr reserve is a solid rum, nothing special, but very reliable in cocktails. The funk or hogo you expect from most Jamaican rums is not present here. If a recipe calls for aged rum, this should do fine, but if they specify Jamaican rum then I would probably go with another Jamaican rum like Smith & Cross. The only real Appleton rum that has any funk in the normal lineup is the Appleton Special (Gold) which I believe has been renamed Kingston 62 or something. On the nose I get black tea and some coconut. The palate has the classic oak and caramel, along with some allspice and pepper. The spicier notes come through on the finish as well, followed by a touch of sweetness and little to no burn. It's a very well-balanced rum. If you are expecting a unique rum experience, I don't think you will find it here. This is more of an everyday type of drink. It's not very complex, but it is very well made. Just looking at this neat, I would give it a 2.5, but the use in cocktails that call for aged rum makes this more valuable than that and at the price it's hard to beat. Again though, if you plan to make cocktails that call for Jamaican rum specifically, I would look for another Jamaican rum since this does not have any real funk whatsoever.

Reading from the back of the label, this was the third distillation from Worthy Park distillery since it re-opened after working nearly uninterrupted since 1670 (the rum for this bottle was distilled in 2007 and bottled 10 years later). Habitation Velier is known to work with distilleries to bottle special pot still rums under their label at cask strength (often leaving the barrels at the distillery to age before bottling). I have not had a ton of these, but they tend to have a pretty loyal following. The Last Ward 2009 was the last one that I had, and it was very good. The nose for this one is very fruity, with some sweetness and lemon peel coming through. Ideally, I would let this sit for a good 15 to 20 minutes before taking your first sip. On the palate the strength is apparent immediately (for some it may be best to add a little bit of water to dial down the ABV), but after getting accustomed to it, you will get cinnamon and ginger. The fruity notes from the nose also appear, but I can't pinpoint which fruit exactly, maybe pineapple. It's a very rich experience and not at all sweet. The finish seems to go on forever and brings in some chocolate notes, with a nice burn. It's hard to decide if this is better than the Last Ward 2009, but it's at least it's equal. I expected that there would be some funkiness to this since it is from Worthy Park (even though the label does state WPL or Worthy Park Light for lower ester rum, I still anticipated some funk to the rum), but this dials that back nearly completely and is more in line with what I would expect from a well-aged Appleton rum. That is not a knock on this at all, just not what I expected and either way this is very good. At some point I will get around to reviewing the many Foursquare bottles that I have, but I would think this would still hold up quite well to those. I'm sure it's hard to find this bottle, but if you do, I strongly recommend buying it.