Aroma visualization from community tastings
Velier Appleton Hearts Collection - 1984
Almost everyone agrees the nose is the star and the palate can't quite keep up. Solvent, varnish, old resin and dark coffee fill the room, with dried fruit and a hint of orange behind it. Then the wood takes over — bitter, tannic, drying, right through a very long finish. A drop of water pulls a little fruit and menthol back out. Astonishing to nose, hard work to drink.
The community says- Extraordinary nose
- 37-Year tropical age
- But: Very woody palate
View price history
10 more payment methodsSecure payment Sold by My Old Cantinetta Returns & cancellation
- Secure payment. You pay via RumX with PayPal, Klarna or card. Your payment data is encrypted and we never store your full card details.
- Clear seller. Sold and shipped directly by the partner shop. And you're never on your own: RumX handles support and communication with the shop, so you always get excellent service, whichever shop you order from.
- Honest shop ratings. The stars show your service experience with the shop, not the rum score. They come from RumX users, and critical ones stay visible.
- Returns & cancellation. Your purchase contract is with the shop, so returns and cancellations run through them under their own policy and your statutory rights. If anything goes wrong, RumX helps you sort it out.
Buy Velier Appleton Hearts Collection - 1984:
Compare all 8 shop offers
Prices & availability last updated on
The look inside the bottle
How does Velier Appleton Hearts Collection - 1984 taste?
Aggregated from 78 community reviews.
Stunning nose, wood-soaked bitter palate Widely admired as rum history and an incredible nose, but most agree the wood dominates the palate — bitter and tannic, more an experience to try than a bottle to sip.
collectors chasing old tropical-aged Jamaica
anyone put off by heavy oak and bitterness
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
Which glass for which rum? The community guide →
27 of 78 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
Recommendation
Your next rum
One difference each to this rum.
Rated better
Velier Appleton Hearts Collection - 1993
8.8/10258 €
Milder
Velier Appleton Hearts Collection - 2002
8.5/10185 €
Similar rating, cheaper
Velier Appleton Hearts Collection - 1994
8.8/10305 €First choice: 30 of 44 tasters who tried both prefer it.
How is Velier Appleton Hearts Collection - 1984 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 8.5 sits in the “Very good” band. 96% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 1% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
Community voices
What does the community say?
82% rate it 8 or higher. 19 selected write-ups from 78 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by zabo
It would be a dream to be able to try the whole Appleton Hearts range. My conclusion would be that this is a really high-quality range. All in all, they are all great bottlings. I personally find it difficult to choose a true winner here. Only the 84 falls a little short. Both it and the 02 can't quite keep up, although that's complaining at a high level. However, if I had to choose one, it would probably be the 03 because it was the first one I tasted from the series.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Probably the oldest tropical aged Jamaica rum on the market to date. Absolutely crazy stuff. Wood to the abwinken, bitter, spicy intense and especially bitter. For me personally clearly too bitter and too much wood, but the longer you keep it in the mouth the more the typical notes of banana, coconut and milk chocolate come to the fore if rather in the background ...About the price can be argued I would never spend money on this but to have tried the product is an absolute sensation and should have tried!For just under 1500€ I would get me but 10 bottles of other horny Jamaican rum!🤷🏼♂️😜Thank you Jimmy for this super present! 😍💣🇯🇲🤯
Review by Joachim Guger
Rarely seen such a strong red cast. Solvent, polish and then naturally a lot of wood and bitter coffee. But to this, a perfectly inserted counterpoint of a wonderful cocoa note and dried fruit. Great. In the mouth, it is then over with the balance. Woody, bitter, furry, all very intense and nothing else. The finish is then also corresponding. The 1994 Caroni with the yellow box seems lovely in contrast.😀 With a little water the nose seems a bit fresher, then on the palate a touch of dried fruit and a touch less furry. Difficult, hammer nose 🔨🔨, but drinking is no fun.
Review by cigares
A nose with old varnished wood, spices, pear and orange, very fruity with marked but not dominant wood. The palate is soft with wood, bitterness and a clear note of kiwi with green apple. The finish is rather long, still with bitter, toasty wood, but also with lovely fruity notes of apple and kiwi supported by a light varnish. The empty glass is entirely consistent with the finish. A much better, less woody rum than I expected. Not super-complex, but very good and very pleasant to drink.
Review by Christoph
I love this oak forest. There are other unicorns besides the 1986 WIRD. You walk in a very old oak forest, fresh resin on the nose (the couch potato could also say glue), some orange keeps in the background, humus-rich forest floor on which grows damp moss. The taste continues with a pleasant bitterness for wood lovers, dried fruits keep in the background. Too much fruit here would also destroy the flair of the forest. With time in the glass, leather and vanilla come through more strongly. The finish is extremely long lasting, complemented by tobacco. Disappointed here who expects a maximum of complexity which is simply not very pronounced.
Review by mto75
The nose is extraordinary, difficult to describe everything: Floor wax, caramel, but also glue, orange peel, pipe tobacco, leather, dried dates and herbs. I really like that! Dried fruit, caramel and leather grow on the palate. But then the bitter wood barrel takes over very quickly and doesn't let up on the finish either, with a slight menthol note and a hint of kumquat. If the barrel impact wasn't quite so extreme, it would certainly be in my top 5.
Review by Tom Buteneers
This week I feel like I drank a flask of Felix Felicis: a moment in my life when thousand of little jigsaw pieces seem to fall together to create a work of art. So tonight I’m finishing a sample the first rum I ever drank from my birth year. Dreaming about times to come. Honestly a lot of wood (duh). After airing for an hour too much wood for my liking. Added a drop of water and the profile finally starts to open up. Heavy Appleton flavors. A bit astringent but not too much.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
I had expected this one to be far better than the first release, but it is kind of disappointing especially when looking at the price tag. Very intense and heavy from nose to finish and though the nose reveals more and more notes as it is rested, the longer it rests the more unbalanced the palate and finish gets. I'd say this bottle stayed for too long in the barrel and thus got "well done". Price to quality is very bad in my mind.
Review by Johannes Eisner
Während in der Nase noch einiges abgeht, lutscht man am Gaumen gefühlt an einer verstaubten Holzdaube rum. Würde man den Stoff blind verkosten und hätte nicht „Appleton 1984“ im Hinterkopf, würde man wahrscheinlich sofort abwinken. Aber das Pathos allein kann‘s leider nicht richten.
Review by Rowald Sweet Empire
I've heard this one was super woody..too woody. I took the 2003 first to get ready. Actually I really like this one too. It is very woody/dry/bitter/tannic, but it works. For me its not too woody. There's some fresh flavour like menthol and eucalyptus too. Lots of dark coffee and chocolate (which I adore in those states). A very long dry bittery finish. I reckon its not for everyone and the 2003 is better. I do love this one too.
Review by Filip Šikula
The oldest piece of today's Hearts Four. Again, everything is different. Intense wood, hints of rubber and mustiness. So I wouldn't blindly pick an Appleton. Maybe just a hint of polish, but that goes right down to the glue. On the palate, brutal wood, nice bitterness and age. A very pleasant and intense piece with a palate-scrubbing finish. A big hit for me, a flat rum that is definitely not a simple rum. And the price is what it is.
Review by Jarek
Franconian Rum Tasting Gang & Jakob, 2023-07-27 Teil 1: Diesmal alle Appleton Hearts am Start (1984, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2002 und 2003). Für mich bleibt der 1994er immer noch der Beste der Reihe, dicht gefolgt vom 1993 und 1998. Überraschend lecker war auch der 2002. An der Nase spielt der 1984 ganz vorne mit, fällt aber am Gaumen wegen des zu starken Holzeinflusses ab.
Review by Gil Firth
טעימה מחבר אומנם הביקורת פה לא מבוססת כמו שצריך בגלל שלהבדיל מראש האחרים לא היה לי בקבוק. אבל נראה שלא רק אני חושב שמדובר בחיה אחרת לגמרי. מרה מאוד. עורית. אגוזית. מאוד יבש ואין הרבה פירות ברקע. אסטרים מאוד נמוכים. הרבה עץ ואין הרבה מורכבות למרות הגיל המאוד מבוגר. עדיף לדלג.
Review by Jakob
Once wood soup with garnish - while there are also some restrained fruit, rubber and earth notes, apart from that the barrel influence is quite heavy. Of course, there is liquid history in the glass here, but unfortunately this episode was written a bit too long.
Review by VeryRare
Für mich definitiv verholzt mit einer gewissen modrig und bitterkeit. Bleibt sehr lange im Gaumen, jedoch unangenehm. Da war bestimmt ein Fass nicht optimal.
Review by Serge
Great rum with an insanely delicious nose that screams wood in perfection. On the palate, the woodiness pays tribute to its age. Overall, I don't think it's worth its market price, but it's still quite tasty. Not so good in terms of market value performance.
Review by DomM
Incredible intense and complex animal. The smell occupies the whole room with the nose changing considerably over a couple of hours. Wood and bitter notes are very dominat alongside some fruits. All in all not unlike a very long aged Demerara.
Review by Volkmar Weber
Should have been bottled 10 years earlier. Nose top, the rest unfortunately liquid wood soup. Yes, this is rum history, but I prefer to drink the 2003. But for sentimental reasons it's nice to have a bottle in the collection.
Review by Rado Vito
This is a perfect experience of a very old rum with high percentage of alcohol. I recommend it as a must for rum lovers as you have to try this experience. Although, I can’t imagine to buy a bottle and sip it for joy. ;)
No reviews match this filter.
Expert reviews
Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by The Dunder Hut
Live auctions
Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
Market value
What this bottle last achieved at auction. A research indicator, not a forecast.
Auction results 643 € – 804 €
from 9 sales, latest 03/2025
Prices incl. buyer's premium — what a buyer pays, not what a sale nets you.
Avg. community purchase price 617 €
What members paid for this bottle, self-reported. Not a market value — the purchases are over three years old at the median and unverified.
Details about Velier Appleton Hearts Collection - 1984
A Pot Still Rum from Jamaica, bottled by Velier, at 63%.
Community purchases
88 bottles logged by 73 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
2% opened, 2 emptied and repurchased.
What does Velier Appleton Hearts Collection - 1984 cost?
Community paid 564–1,277 €.
Current best price: 634.02 € – within the typical community range.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
88 purchased · 81 tasted · 40 wishlist · as of
Read on in the RumX Guide
You may also enjoy
Rum enthusiasts who like this rum have also given the following rums high ratings:
Velier Clarendon Rum Sapiens Wedderburn MMW 1984
Velier Clarendon Rum Sapiens Wedderburn MMW 1984Monumental old Clarendon, huge nose, very woody
Velier Enmore ELCR ELCR 1995
Velier Enmore ELCR ELCR 1995Dark, complex old Enmore with heat well hidden
Velier Caroni 4th Employees Basdeo „Dicky“ Ramsarran HTR 2000
Velier Caroni 4th Employees Basdeo „Dicky“ Ramsarran HTR 2000Fruity, menthol-heavy tropical Caroni at cask strength
Velier Caroni 4th Employees Dayanand „Yunkoo“ Balloon 1998
Velier Caroni 4th Employees Dayanand „Yunkoo“ Balloon 1998Heavy, dirty Caroni — tar, rubber, menthol
Never miss a price drop.
Set a target price in the app, and we'll let you know as soon as the rum becomes available at that price from one of our partner stores. This works for any rum on your wish list.
Oliver · FounderBy rum lovers, for rum lovers
I'm Oliver, and RumX began in 2018 as a small passion project in Stuttgart, back then under the name Rum Tasting Notes.
What began as my digital tasting diary is now the world's most comprehensive platform for rum fans, today carried by a small team with Jakob, Lukas and Katharina, with Robert supporting us as a freelancer. We combine the collective intelligence of our community with an integrated marketplace, so you can choose with confidence, without paperwork, detours, or expert jargon.
Oliver, Stuttgart
About RumX →YouTube channel (in German)
