Review #: 393
Description: Appleton Hearts Collection 1995
Spirit: Rum
Background: The middle of the Appleton Hearts Collection release, this one was also aged in ex-bourbon but for an extra 4 years and bumping up the total congeners to 1440 g/100 LAA. Let’s see how it compares and if it’s worth the price increase.
Distillery – Appleton
Bottler – Appleton
Brand – Appleton
Selection – N/A
ABV – 63%
Age – 25 Years
Nose – Molasses, brighter cherry, vanilla frosting, milk chocolate, oak is a bit more prevalent. It’s a bit more in your face with fruit and oak than the 99, but still works well in harnessing the funkiness
Taste – Cherry syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon. Thick and sweet
Finish – Cherry, strawberry, funk starts to come in more along with more spice and oak. Hotter than the 99 but not as drying with the oak
Score: 6
Would I buy a bottle? No
Thoughts: Still very solid, but the uptick in price comes with a bit more heat than I’m comfortable with. It’s surprisingly fruitier and feels to me like the barrel has actually less influence despite more age. Maybe that’s a factor of the increase in congeners? I think the heat cuts a bit into the complexity and I’d prefer the 99