Appleton Reserve
A solid stepping stone into Jamaican rum: 8 years old, 43% and unsweetened. Expect banana, caramel, honey and oak with a touch of smoke and spice. Versatile neat and excellent in Mai Tais or rum & cola. Backed by 200 RumX reviews, it’s praised for value and approachable character rather than big funk or extreme complexity.
- Great value
- Fruity banana notes
- Versatile mixer
Compare all 12 shop offers from 29.90 €
Details about Appleton Reserve
Live auctions
Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
How does Appleton Reserve taste?
Aggregated from 205 community reviews.
Balanced, woody-fruity Jamaican all‑rounder A solid stepping stone into Jamaican rum: 8 years old, 43% and unsweetened. Expect banana, caramel, honey and oak with a touch of smoke and spice. Versatile neat and excellent in Mai Tais or rum & cola. Backed by 200 RumX reviews, it’s praised for value and approachable character rather than big funk or extreme complexity.
Rum drinkers moving beyond basic blends who want an affordable, fruity-yet-woody Jamaican for both sipping and cocktails, without heavy funk or added sugar.
Fans of high-ester Jamaican funk or cask‑strength intensity, and those looking for very complex, long-aged sippers.
How is Appleton Reserve rated?
RumX's 0–10 scale is strict — 7.5 lands squarely in the "Good" band. 67% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 2% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
Rum reviews
A selection of the most popular reviews from our community. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by abaker-rum
I love the nose on this rum. It is a good marrying of caramel, vanilla, and oak with banana and pineapple. The taste carries the banana, caramel, and honey, then fades with a medium finish of barrel notes and molasses. I think the 8 year keeps up with the 12.
Review by Steve the Barman
All my Tastings and Scores are purely based on “Rums under £50”. I rarely look at Rums over £50 for my YouTube.
Review by Krogulczyk
Its good for it’s price. Too bourbon-forward for my preferences. Would not buy a bottle. Spices and wood are dominant, very little amount of solvents shining through the barrel notes. It does not have as many estery notes as Appleton signature, at the same time it is not as balanced and complex as Appleton 12. Get an Appleton Signature or Appleton 12
Review by Marcus Ekornes
Very good rum, but not nearly as funky as other jamaican rums
Review by Stefan Persson
Bought a bottle and tasted this rum in Nerja, Spain. It’s a blend of many distillates, both from column and pot still, aged for a minimum of 8 years. Overall a rum that surprised me in all aspects in a good way. The nose is delicious, fruity, spicy and woody with scents of orange, baking spices and oak. At the palate it’s balanced, smooth, full bodied, sweet, fruity and spicy with flavors of honey, orange, pineapple, apricot, pepper and vanilla. The finish is very smooth and longer than expected.
Review by Philipp F.
The smell is typical Jamaican, pineapple, banana, lots of fruit, light caramel notes, for me a very round bouquet overall. The taste continues the whole thing, lots of banana and pineapple, cramamell and vanilla, light ester notes, very round and mild taste, fun. The finish is in the medium range with light wood notes, fruity and mild. For me, a very good mixer, e.g. in Mai Tai, but can be enjoyed very well on its own.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
A retaste for me and I still stick to my initial score and statement 😊 I have to say that this one is best used in a mixer.
Review by Mark Wilkinson
Value for money a great all rounder neat and mixed
Review by Rumpalumpa
The nose is really nice and fruity, especially right after pouring, when the esters are strongest. Pineapple and banana. The palate is quite different, very spicy and lots of molasses. Pretty good but not quite outstanding
Review by Tyler Griffith
Smooth, fruity, a bit funky. More sugar on the nose, more fruit on the taste. Not hardly any burn. Easy to sip, very pleasant.
Review by rum_sk
Taking few points down but still great rum. ,,A,, as Appleton. I thought that there would be a huge difference or leap between 8 & 12 year version. But no. The only difference is price and a slightly more prominent smell as well as taste in this 8 year version which is more rougher, but in a good way. 12 is more subtle and smoother while keeping the same taste and smell. Other than that, I cannot tell the difference. However, I will compare them against each other directly and revisit the rating but boy I love Appleton Estate.
Review by Lutz Lungershausen
Beautiful, aromatic neat sipper. Smell and taste on a ridge between young / fruity and aged / spicy, which gives an exciting complexity.Have him again as 200ml Flask in a supermarket in Negril / Jamaica bought.
Review by Michael Ihmels 🇩🇪
The next Appleton Estate. In my opinion, again very solid and suitable for beginners. The fruity taste and smell dominate here again, but not too artificial. Therefore quite tasty
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Very solid Appleton. Round and top PLV.
Expert reviews
Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by Single Cask Rum
Read full review →
Expert review by Rum Runner Labs
Read full review →
Expert review by The Dunder Hut
"Better in a drink, slightly worse on its own"
Community purchases
494 bottles logged by 52,000+ RumX members. The ratio of closed / opened / emptied, indicates whether this rum is meant to be drunk or is a collector's item.
Also on the wishlist of 149 members.
About the Appleton Estate distillery
The Appleton Estate distillery is located in Jamaica. Rums from Appleton Estate have been reviewed 3,449 times with an average of 8.0/10.
To Appleton Estate →You may also enjoy
Rum enthusiasts who like this rum have also given the following rums high ratings:
Appleton Rare Casks 12 Years
Appleton Rare Casks 12 YearsClassic, approachable Jamaican all-rounder
Appleton Signature Single Estate Jamaica Rum
Appleton Signature Single Estate Jamaica RumLight, affordable intro to Jamaican funk
Appleton 15 Years Black River Casks
Appleton 15 Years Black River CasksSmooth, woody Appleton stepping stone
Appleton Rare Blend 12 Years
Appleton Rare Blend 12 YearsClassic, dry Jamaican all-rounder
Hampden Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaican Rum
Hampden Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaican RumLegendary funky value powerhouse
Long Pond & Clarendon Plantation XAYMACA Special Dry
Long Pond & Clarendon Plantation XAYMACA Special DrySoft, dry gateway to Jamaican funk
Don't miss out on any more deals on Appleton Reserve.
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 — together with Jakob, Robert and Lukas, we started RumX in 2018 as a small passion project in Stuttgart, back then under the name Rum Tasting Notes.
What began as a digital tasting diary is now the world's most comprehensive platform for rum fans. 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 →
