Appleton Estate Signature Blend Rum Review And Tasting Notes
When it comes to mixing rum to make cocktails, the good old Appleton Estate Signature Blend rum is a bottle to always keep on hand.
It is a warm, enveloping Jamaican rum, very stylized and shaped down to the smallest detail by a heavy wood aging that pumps it with spices, but as a working rum, it is a discreet bottle—especially considering the very affordable price.
It is not a clear rum or an aromatic rum to be used to make Mojito and Daiquiri, quite the opposite. It is a powerful and juicy spirit, very woody, excellent for making cocktails that require dark, full-bodied, and spicy rums such as Dark and Stormy and, Scorpion, Pina Colada.
Nor is it a meditation rum to drink in the Cognac-style balloon in front of the fireplace, stroking a Siberian white tiger.
It is a carefully made blended rum, well balanced in the symphony of spices and fruity aromas, but it is certainly not a fine rum or particularly territorial.
As much as the Appleton Estate marketing insists on the unique characteristics of the terroir, the 10 types of sugar cane, the special microclimatic conditions, and the mix of rum stills used in this distillery, this is a standard product. But there it is. After all, it is this company’s entry-level rum, and it is not too bad either.
Organoleptic characteristics
The bouquet is very woody, full of sweet spices and vanilla; the fruit is large, well designed, simple, and sharp with cane and citrus.
Nothing exceptional, but precise and with a finish of honey and almond. On the palate, it is firm but soft. It offers smooth drinkability and vanilla and cinnamon flavors.
Persistence is not a record, but it defends itself: it is not evanescent. Its problem is that it lacks soul. The sip is bland and all too anonymous.
Too much wood to flatten to give a false volume, the pulp would also be there, but there is no need to worry about goat wool.
For the price at which it is sold, it is ok. Indeed it is more than decent if we want to be honest.
Minimum aging of Appleton Signature Blend rum
The rums are assembled and then aged in American oak barrels used to make Bourbon. A process that helps oxygenate the distillate, making it creamier, more mature, and rich in caramelized aromas. The aging of the rums is 4 years.
Price
20-23 euros, in line with competing rums of the same quality.
Food Pairings
Chocolate cupcakes, cheesecakes, ciambella, Tiramisù and chocolate salami.
Cocktail to do with Appleton Signature Blend rum
With lime and a good cola, you can make an excellent Cuba Libre, but it is also worth trying for Zombie, Mai Tai, Painkiller, Canchanchara, Pina Colada, Basito, Hurricane.