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Appleton Rare Blend 12 Years
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If you're expecting a big Jamaican funk bomb, this isn't it. The nose leans fruity with banana, caramel and vanilla, but the palate turns dry, woody and spicy, with dark chocolate and a little coffee. The ester funk is contained rather than wild. Members call it one of the best affordable ways into Jamaican rum, though a few find it thin and a touch hot when sipped neat.
The community says- Value for money
- Easy Jamaican intro
- Keep in mind: Thin neat
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Offers & prices
No shop currently delivers to Germany.
Auction results: 29–53 € (2 sales in 24 months, incl. buyer's premium, latest 05/2026). How the range is built ›
The look inside the bottle
How does Appleton Rare Blend 12 Years taste?
From community reviews · summarized with AI
Woody, contained-funk daily Jamaican Most see it as a well-priced, well-rounded everyday Jamaican and a great entry point. The catch: it's more woody and dry than funky, and some find it thin neat, better in a Mai Tai.
Aroma profilePeople easing into Jamaican rum and cocktail makers
Anyone chasing big Hampden-style hogo and esters
Style & occasion: Mature & oakySipping neatCocktails & mixing
Full aroma profile Aroma families · nose & palate · top aromas
Relative to this rum's strongest aroma family
98 of 393 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
Which glass for which rum? The community guide ›
Buying advice
Is it right for you?
Yes, if you're after characterful, mature, oaky rums for sipping neat.
Similar in style and available now.
Milder
Foursquare Doorly's 12 Years7.8/10 (334)63.65 €
Rated better
Appleton 15 Years Black River Casks7.9/10 (185)67.00 €
67 rated both: 43 scored it higher, 14 scored Appleton Rare Blend 12 Years higher, 10 gave both the same score.Sweeter
Afro-Caribbean Rum Grays Equiano7.4/10 (169)46.60 €
Similar rating, cheaper
Appleton Rare Casks 12 Years7.6/10 (337)44.56 €
85 rated both: 36 scored it higher, 20 scored Appleton Rare Blend 12 Years higher, 29 gave both the same score.Fruitier
Appleton Reserve7.5/10 (244)36.40 €
76 rated both: 20 scored it higher, 45 scored Appleton Rare Blend 12 Years higher, 11 gave both the same score.
What does the community say?
393 community reviews
Rating scale & review checks
On RumX, 7 means “Good” and 8 means “Very good”.
See the full rating guideHow ratings are made and how we check them ›The website shows a selection of written reviews. The distribution also includes ratings without text. All published reviews are available in the RumX app.
47 selected written reviews
The distribution above includes all 393 ratings, including those without text.
Review by Lutz Lungershausen
Most helpful positive review
Appleton has turned my originally rather cultural interest in rum into enthusiasm. I have been traveling to the Caribbean regularly for over 20 years, and in recent years I have always been drawn to Jamaica. Naturally, I have also visited Appleton Estate Distillery: On the premises, the aromas of Dunder in the air are intensely enhanced by the tropical heat ... this is exactly how Appleton 12yo smells and tastes. Warm, soft, rich, full of aromas, lovely, simply very, very tasty. I measure all other rums by this rum.
Review by Leo Krüper
Most helpful critical review
Super entry into Jamaica with great PLV and availability. Relatively heavy for rums of this price range. Is excellent for cocktails.
Review by Shtafermo Shtafermo
A good old classic. A pretty good humble and contained Jamaica funkyness. Very fruity, vanilla & caramel still present, woody, and subtitle spicyness, like cinnamon. Good texture. This one never fails when you need a cozy soft funkyness to chill out
Review by Stefan Persson
A very good everyday rum. The nose is rather round but mostly woody and fruity with a little spiciness and a little roasted. At the palate the aromas comes back rather strongly as flavors (except for the roastiness) with a certain sweetness.
Review by Adrian Wahl
Beautiful wood notes and simply a classic. Of course, no High Ester profile, but Appleton 12 belongs for me in a well-stocked home bar.
Review by Tim
On the nose, an explosion of fruity notes coupled with caramel. In addition, wood and vanilla and ester rather in the background. In the mouth then comes typical Jamaica the dry, smoky, spicy direction with dark chocolate, which has completely replaced the fruit from the nose. The musty/fermented component is still within limits here. Hints of caramel and fruit in the mouth, but really only subtly. In the finish almost atypical for Jamaica. Probably the best and most affordable rum for an entry into the world of Jamaica!
Review by Andi
Great Jamaican for all beginners. Woody notes, slightly sweet, lots of fruit.
Review by Rumclub Latvia
Still one of ‘must have’ in bar. Still great quality and value for money. Try for sure hundreds of rums, but still come back to this from time to time.
Review by RumisRum
Very good value for a quality rum
Review by Gyuli
Compared to Appleton 21, it's less concentrated, with less of the characteristic dry texture, chocolate and coffee notes, and more of the Hampden-style solvent esters and oak spice. It's spicier than the 21 year old and has an alcoholic buzz. The difference in finish is obvious, but for the price, it's acceptable. I think it would be great in cocktails and as a dram, and it would be great for everyday or party use.
Review by TheJackDrop
"The ultimate gift bottle? we have a lot of sweetness, some nice aromas, a nice decanter, in short, it's worth the price without being crazy. To sum up, my tasting notes: Nose: Orange In the mouth: Orange, Vanilla "
Review by lukasdrinkinghabits
Tasting the last drops of a bottle of the old edition that is about a year old. The rum is probably significantly over-oxidized. In my memory it was much rounder and softer. Now there is a noticeable alcohol tinge. It lacks a lot of the things that usually characterize Jamaicans: hardly any esters, hardly any biscuits/marzipan and in particular the tropical fruits are hardly present, instead there are dry fruits and a lot of wood. Not very complex in the mouth, rather weak in taste, but too alcoholic. For me, it almost only ends up in a cocktail - where it cuts a better figure.
Review by HenryL
Great nose, banana and fruit. Much less fruity in the mouth, but very woody and spicy. Finish not particularly long but tasty with light espresso and cocoa
Review by MarcT
Mild. Not very funky. Good for sipping, but better as Mixer.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Relaxed, solid entry Jamaican with fair MSRP and well suited for cocktails. Pure a bit weak and thin and mainly spicy.
Review by Stan Hardy
Great beginner rum. Good value for money
Review by Hans-Peter Jank
The Appleton Estate Rare Blend is the penultimate version of the 12-year-old. Pleasant neat and as a mixer. I use this rum for Mai Tai and Planters Punch. This rum has many qualities that make a good Jamaican. But it doesn't come close to the Jamaican Rare Gold from the 70s.
Review by Godspeed
A truly classic mixed distillation rum and one of the best and most versatile cocktail rums out there. Great as an occasional little sipper too. Delicious oaky taste and a little more gentlemanly than many other jamaicans. You won’t find some hogo esther explosion here but it does have a taste that is uniquely its own. A must-try mega-classic that does what it does very well indeed and at an incredibly affordable price point to boot.
Review by Jack M
Good quality rum, but a bit dull and especially so for Jamaican rum. I also prefer the 8yr which has a touch of funk. The nose is wood, vanilla and some dried fruit. The palate is wood, spice, vanilla and orange peel. The finish is dry and woody with a touch of bitterness.
Review by AlPhilipo
A nice, rounded rum with a solid cask note. The wood comes through well but is nicely integrated into caramel. Slightly fruity, without the Jamaica funk.
Review by Mr Return
A nice, easy-to-drink rum. Slightly funky on the nose. A bit of glue, not too intrusive, banana, vanilla and coffee. On the palate dark chocolate, caramel, some wood and a certain nuttiness. The finish is long and round, from sweet vanilla to dark chocolate to coffee notes. A nice rum to accompany a good book or a sociable round with good friends.
Review by ThreeH
The nose impression is surprisingly good. Several different nuances. Caramel, banana but also spice and wood. Delicious. On the palate dry and honest with medium finish and some sharpness. Good standard.
Review by Ty Hill
Sweet and fruity, decent lengthen finish. Slight burn, not bad.
Review by Christoph
My standard Mai Tai rum mixed with 1 cl High Ester rum.
Review by rum_sk
Great rum one of my top 10. The old bottling of this Jamaican treasure is a little bit better than the new one. Body is fuller and tastier. I will not go down explaining the profile of this one. Come on. Everybody knows it, everybody loves it. Who doesn't is a fool :P
Review by AlexKelo
Really solid rum, great for sipping
Review by martin slezák
Farba mahagón Vôňa tropické ovocie, banán ananás , guava , drevo Chuť drevo, korenie, ovocie Záver stredne dlhý drevo, korenie
Review by Torsten vom Endt
not quite as tasty
Review by Stijn Zino
Like sweet lemonade 😆 good bar rum.
Review by Andrew Mainprice
Nice and dry
Review by RumCzar
Appleton is consistently just fine. It's a shame that they actively avoid making rum with classic Jamaican hogo. Appleton is a mixer. I won't rebuy unless I need it for a party.
Review by Blaidor
Smell 6,5/10 Taste 6/10 Aftertaste 7/10 Image 6,5/10 (info about rum, bottle, carton-box, sugar free, marketing....) Total impression 6,5/10 ------------------ BTL No added sugar 👍
Review by Quentin Demillière
Very pleasant to taste. This rum left me perplexed but once in the mouth the flavors are present. A fairly full-bodied and woody nose but when in the mouth, its roundness and sweetness take over. Worth trying.
Review by Hordamer Mendelbaum
Vanilla, pine, oak, spice. Cinnamon & clove on the nose. Butterscotch
Review by Leslie Haigh
over rated in my opinion but still a good drink
Review by Josef Barot
Very tasty AE for all-evening sipping
Review by Robert P
At first it comes across as a bit brandy-like. Then a toffee chewiness rolls forth, finishing in a spiced toffeeapple note. And ends a bit brandy-like again. It's what I'd consider medium-bodied, quite sweet, without being overly so. Definitely not sweetened. Pleasantly woody and slightly musty.
Review by Heffernan
Drunk neat, slight vanilla, slightly smoky, but with the first sips also a bit sharp. Appleton 12 years is not bad, but in this price range there are definitely better alternatives. On the other hand, sometimes I'm just in the mood for a somewhat stronger rum like Appleton ;-D
Review by JB
An etheric nose that I appreciate moderately but a hell of a character and a nice length on the palate.
Review by ManuelP
Well balanced treat. A rich foil to the wilder rums. Funk is there but this is an impressively rounded funk profile
Review by Roman Staroń
Drinkable and good to recommend among friends.
Review by RumRhush
A conseiller en mixologie
Review by Richard Krupa
Quiet and top-notch
Review by Jonas Kofod
Nice and smooth. I only get the spices and wood. All the fruity that other tastes I don’t get.
Review by Sebastiaan Linssen
After openening this bottle during a tasting with Jamaican and Bajan rum, my first impression was not positive (rated 6). The taste was a bit too 'funky'. After having revisited this this bottle quite a few times, the end is getting near and my appreciation of the 'funkiness' keeps improving. Compared to the Appleton 21, this is definitely a bang for bucks. I would recommend tasting them together.
Review by Mateusz
It might be a good starting place for Jamaican rum, but I think that the alcoholic burn is a bit too strong and alcohol is not as well integrated as I would expect and the barrel notes dominate Jamaican character.
Review by Robert Wilson
I like the smell but the taste, not so much.
This selection contains no written reviews in this rating range.
Expert reviews
3 critics scored it, averaging 7.5/10. Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum.
Expert review by Zucker und Zeste
Top mix Jamaican that fits into all drinks that call for a Jamaican and is also pleasing pure and not overwhelming even beginners.
Expert review by Single Cask Rum
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Expert review by RUMprobiert
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Expert review by Le Blog À Roger
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Appleton Rare Blend 12 Years at live auctions
A bid is not a final price: the house sets the buyer's premium, shipping and any customs duty.
All live auctions ›Community shelf
1,098 bottles logged by 962 collectors.
A drinker's rum.
42% opened, 214 emptied.
What does Appleton Rare Blend 12 Years cost?
Community paid 25–47 €.
Current best price: 55.30 € – above the typical community range.
Purchase prices reported by members, not a shop price. Avg. 46 €. Price history with 2 auction results in RX+ ›
+13 additions in the last 3 months.
Additions per month over the last 12 months; dark bars: the last 3.
1,098 purchased · 1,591 tasted · 461 wishlist · as of
Details about Appleton Rare Blend 12 Years
A Pot & Column Still Rum from Jamaica, distilled by Appleton Estate, at 43%.
Read on in the RumX Guide
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