Appleton Estate 12 Year Rare Casks

This rum took me a few pours to get a good read on it. At first I thought it was too strong in the alcohol "taste", but after a few pours that went away and it was pretty good mixed in a few cocktails. Don't know if I would keep buying it, but it was worth exploring 1 bottle.

The Bottle: Appleton generally does a good job in this department, and the 12 is a good example. The bottle shape reminds me of a Jura single malt with those classy curves and then the black and gold label on the front. Simple with a nice, classic elegance. In the Glass: Somewhere between a dark gold and a bronze with this one. Swirling it in the glass leaves some nice legs that speak to the overall body and structure. Quite good. On the Nose: The forward notes are those of burnt/brown sugar and green banana. The ubiquitous Jamaican "hogo" is on the backend with a slight astringency that plays nicely in the mix. Taste: The arrival is subtle, this is not a punch-in-the-jaw kind of rum. It develops into more of the brown sugar with some baking spices and caramel before finishing quite dry. There's no mistaking this for a rum that's from anywhere else :). The 43%abv is only really apparent on the finish where the astringency kicks in a bit, but it's totally acceptable. Overall, this is a good dram for the money. This wouldn't be bad as a sipper, but I think that it actually plays better in a cocktail, especially as a replacement for bourbon (Kingston Old Fashioned, anyone?). As always, I definitely appreciate a distiller that has the decency to leave out any additional sugar (and likely any additional color).

Fruity nose, orange with cinnamon/baking spices. Medium bodied. Bitter chocolate with some banana and oak, moderate lasting finish with slight burn. Good sipper.