Appleton Estate Rare Casks 12 Year Old Jamaican Rum
Appleton Estate Rare Casks 12 Year Old Jamaican Rum is the estate's benchmark sipper — 43% ABV (86 proof), 750mL, a blend of pot still and column still rums each aged a minimum of 12 years in oak in the tropical Nassau Valley of Jamaica, blended by Master Blender Joy Spence. It holds a Double Gold from the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
- ABV: 43% (86 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Age: Minimum 12 years in oak casks, aged in Jamaica
- Production: Pot still and column still rums from estate sugarcane, limestone-filtered Nassau Valley water, no added flavours
- Origin: Appleton Estate, Nassau Valley, Jamaica (rum-making since 1749)
Twelve Tropical Years in the Nassau Valley
Appleton Estate sits in Jamaica's Nassau Valley, where rum has been made since 1749 and the distillery's water is filtered through limestone before it ever meets the stills. Rare Casks — the expression formerly known as Rare Blend — marries the funk and depth of pot still rum with the polish of column still rum, every component at least twelve years old, the tropics doing their fast, generous work on the oak. Joy Spence, the estate's Master Blender, signs off a rum of deep bronze colour with a honey-gold ring. Pour it beside the rest of our rum range, browse the spirits shelves, or visit the Appleton Estate vendor page.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Toasted oak, dried fruit and hazelnut, then dark cocoa, molasses, orange peel, vanilla and a hint of coffee. Palate: Dark chocolate and nutty warmth over warm oak spice and Jamaican pot-still fruit. Finish: Long, bittersweet and luscious (the producer's own words).
How to Enjoy
Neat or over a single large cube is the house serve for a rum of this age. It also makes a first-class rum Old Fashioned, where the orange peel and cocoa notes do the work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Appleton 12 the same as Rare Blend? Yes — Rare Blend was this expression's former name (it was Appleton Extra before that). The current official name is 12 Year Old Rare Casks, and it is the same core 12-year-old blend.
How old is the rum in Appleton Rare Casks 12? Every rum in the blend is aged a minimum of 12 years in oak in Jamaica — the age statement is a floor, not an average.
Who blends Appleton Estate rum? Master Blender Joy Spence, who leads the blending at the Nassau Valley estate — the rums are crafted with the estate's limestone-filtered water and carry no added flavours.
The Nassau Valley benchmark, twelve years deep — buy Appleton Estate Rare Casks 12 Year Old Jamaican Rum online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.