Aroma visualization from community tastings
J. Wray & Nephew LTD. Appleton Reserve Rare Old Jamaican Rum (Ceramic)
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Sip this old ceramic-decanter Appleton neat and slowly — it's a piece of Jamaican history in the glass. The nose is the star: dried figs, furniture polish, tobacco, caramel and old-wardrobe wood, far richer than today's 12. The palate follows with tropical fruit, oak and spice, but at 43% it thins out and the finish fades fast. Nothing showy, just genuinely tasty.
The community says- Intense fruity nose
- Dried fruit and tobacco
- Keep in mind: Watery at 43%
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No shop currently delivers to Germany.
Auction results: 237–421 € (6 sales in 24 months, incl. buyer's premium, latest 09/2026). How the range is built ›
The look inside the bottle
How does J. Wray & Nephew LTD. Appleton Reserve Rare Old Jamaican Rum (Ceramic) taste?
From community reviews · summarized with AI
Old-bottle Appleton, great nose, watery finish Loved as a nostalgic sipper with a gorgeous, intense nose that today's Appleton can't match. Most agree the low 43% leaves the palate a touch watery and short.
Collectors and Appleton fans curious how the old 12 tasted
People who want cask-strength punch and a long finish
Style & occasion: Mature & oakySipping neat
Full aroma profile Aroma families · nose & palate · top aromas
Relative to this rum's strongest aroma family
19 of 29 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.
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What does the community say?
29 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.
23 selected written reviews
The distribution above includes all 29 ratings, including those without text.
Review by Joachim Guger
Most helpful positive review
A wonderfully deep red gold. Hammer nose!!! Polish, dried fruit, tar and beef jerky. Very fine and complex. Reminiscent of a TECA and also has something of a Caroni. In the mouth then tropical fruits and now woody and spicy. Again very complex and fine. The 43% is quite OK, with a few % more it would be one of my absolute favorites. A really great rum and very different from today's Appletons.
Review by cigares
Most helpful mixed review
Fruity sweetness, dried fruits and overripe apples in a damp cellar on the nose, overripe fruits, young wood and a side of dry herbs. A spicy side but also sweetness with bitter caramel. Despite the 43% the mouth is full, fruity, woody, relatively little complex but delicious. Overripe apple in a damp cellar. A very easy drinking rum but quite little complex. A very nice caramelized apple side remains in the finish.
Review by mto75
was very excited about the 12-year-old from the ceramic decanter! On the nose, there is a clear difference to the 'current' 12-year-old. The old one is much more intense, with dried fig, polish, old closet, tobacco, Werther's Echte Karamellbonbon and a slight freshness. It is more in the direction of the Hearts series. On the palate, the 'old' has a pleasant interplay of cask, spices and café au lait, and somehow it also has a pleasantly warm cognac note...thank you for the FT to Vienna!
Review by DomM
Nose is very intense given to low ABV. Quite intriguing with lots of fruits some spices and noticeable wood influence. This is much richer than contemporary bottlings. On the palate the dilution is ruining the experience somewhat, unfortunately. Yet, this is still very flavorful with wood and dried fruits and far superior to newer releases in the same weight class. This reminds me of the old El Dorado 25y blends with less sweetness but comparable intensity.
Review by Jakob
Great, balanced balance. Coconut, vanilla, caramel, oak. Very full-bodied despite the reduction. Delicious.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
10.10.2020 Sample tasting at home. Notes Medium dark to dark in colour. Nose Workshop, wood, fruits, light citrus, faint chocolate, faint floral, raisin. Palate Oily, wood, light smoke, light earthy, citrus, chocolate, light caramel, raisin. Finish Short to medium, wood, raisin, light chocolate, faint caramel, faint smoke.
Review by Timo Groeger
Wow, what an awesome piece, I didn't expect that. Thanks to caramel, there's a slight sweetness noticeable, otherwise slightly woody and spicy, but this rum was really surprisingly good. Very tasty.
Review by Leo Krüper
Great sipper. A real Appleton, just the way you want it.
Review by SaibotZtar
Great to be able to taste such a drop ... Nose some dried fruit caramel vanilla and sweet tobacco some light ester funk. On the palate relatively unspectacular but with caramel vanilla leather and dark chocolate. As expected relatively restrained but still delicious.
Review by Skyfly
An interesting historical bottling. Compared to similarly old bottlings quite complex, even if the dilution certainly did not have a positive effect. The composition definitely would not have suggested Appleton. Thanks to Rumurmel for the sample :)
Review by Pavel Spacek
Nice profile, but too watery
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Really tasty, palatable old Appleton. Big difference to today! If it were still available to buy regularly, I'd definitely have it on the shelf. Really great every day sipper and a great viscosity on the palate. I almost like it better than the 20.
Review by zabo
A rum bottling from such a beautiful bottle, if you can call it that, is always nice. The eye drinks subconsciously too. Despite its "reduction" it is better than some newer bottlings. For me, a bit too thin though.
Review by Basti
Fair rating 13th GRF. No comparison to the more recent Appleton 12.
Review by Jarek
Tasted at the Village 2024 in Nuremberg. A very tasty, fruity and woody nose. The palate doesn't quite deliver what the nose promises, the 43% is also a little too low. If you ignore the fact that you have a piece of rum history in your glass, then it is only a good rum and not an outstanding one.
Review by Serge
Tasted at the Catawiki stand at the Village in Nuremberg. Great nose, a little thin, but delicious. Nevertheless, I think it is somewhat overrated (also because of the bottle). But you can really drink it without reservations.
Review by Mentalo
Nice to have had this in a glass. At only 43%, it unfortunately has a watery texture. Nevertheless, it doesn't seem thin and is quite complex for the alcohol content. Tropical fruit, wood, spices. There was more potential there.
Review by F.L.O.
Great fruit bomb from Appleton and Wray & Nephew. Only 43%, but incredibly cool nose and delicious taste. No complex nerd shit, but still a nice experience. Recommended despite the low ABV.
Review by Galli33
Many thanks to Joachim for this great sample 🥃😜 Nose: Brilliant, fruity, dried fruits, lacquer, polish, caramel, tobacco... Makes you want more 🥃 Palate: Wet musty wood, caramel, dry mango, chocolate, mustard Finish: Short and slightly woody. Started strong, but unfortunately faded strongly afterwards
Review by Righrum
Well, when you drink a piece of history what could you say? Leather, fruit and caramel the main traits both on the nose and on the palate. There is a certain old bottle effect, for sure this rum gives the idea of what Appleton was delivering in the past
Review by Hans-Peter Jank
I love this 12 year old Appleton. Really pleasant to drink and very different from Rare Blend and Rare Casks. It anticipates what will later be continued in the Hearts series. Interesting how the 12-year-old has changed over time. I will be tasting and evaluating all the different 12-year-old Appleton Estate rums in the near future.
Review by ArminK
Opened the bottle for a split. Pleasant on the nose, would have liked a bit more fruit. On the palate first intense but unfortunately no WOW. Minimal finish and something in the aftertaste I can't place. Doesn't last long.
Review by Sebastiaan Linssen
Tasted at German Rum Festival Fantastic rum. Maybe some changes due to the time in the bottle? According to the information, the bottle is dated from the 1970s
This selection contains no written reviews in this rating range.
Expert reviews
Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum.
Expert review by The Dunder Hut
Remember that this is a special edition of what is basically a standard product. I'd you compare it against today's you can see the whole process seemingly being slower and everything roping a bit longer. It's nice!
J. Wray & Nephew LTD. Appleton Reserve Rare Old Jamaican Rum (Ceramic) 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
14 bottles logged by 9 collectors.
Both drunk and collected.
21% opened, 3 emptied.
What does J. Wray & Nephew LTD. Appleton Reserve Rare Old Jamaican Rum (Ceramic) cost?
Avg. community purchase price 333 €.
What members paid for this bottle, self-reported. Not a market value — the purchases are over three years old at the median and unverified.
Current best price: 565.00 €.
14 purchased · 29 tasted · 11 wishlist · as of
Details about J. Wray & Nephew LTD. Appleton Reserve Rare Old Jamaican Rum (Ceramic)
A rum from Unknown, bottled by J. Wray & Nephew LTD., at 43%.
Read on in the RumX Guide
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