Appleton Estate 15 Year Black River Casks Rum

Appleton Estate 15 Year Black River Casks Rum

It’s not unusual for distilleries around the world to import molasses to make their rums, but every bottle of Appleton Estate has its origins in its own cane fields in Jamaica’s Nassau Valley — the estate that gives Appleton Estate its name. The rich soils and clement microclimate offer the perfect conditions for growing sugarcane, which has been cultivated there for centuries. Molasses derived from this single-estate cane is diluted with limestone-filtered water from the Black River — the lifeblood of Appleton since 1749 and the namesake of our rum of the year.

After carefully controlled fermentation with a proprietary cultured yeast, the fermented molasses is ready for distillation. A number of styles of rum are produced in the Appleton distillery using both stainless steel column stills and 5,000 litre copper pot stills. The Appleton Estate Black River Casks is a blend of heavier pot-still and lighter column-still rums, aged for a minimum of 15 years in American white oak casks.

The Jamaican climate has a profound impact on the spirit as it ages. All of the processes of maturation are intensified by the heat and humidity meaning that casks laid down in Appleton’s warehouses appear to age much faster than, for instance, a cask of whisky in the Scottish Highlands. After 15 years-or-so, Appleton’s rums show maturity and depth beyond their years. At this point, the casks set aside for this award-winning expression are ready for blending by renowned Master Distiller, Joy Spence. Decades after she arrived at Appleton Estate, Joy is still hands-on when it comes to selecting casks, developing new blends and ensuring consistency across the range of rums. The Black River Casks is her creation, introduced in 2021 as part of a broader revamp to the Appleton range.

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