I'm from Scotland, and have had a passion for premium rums for over 15 years now. I know Appleton 12 well, as this has also been readily available in the UK since i discovered rum. I'm lucky to have 2 great online spirit companies, that have a extensive selection of rums for delivery. both production rums and 1 off bottlings from single casks, and many new bottlers doing blended rums, making new and unique rums. Great review. The best i've seen for rum on TH-cam. More rum please.
You have motivated me to pick up a bottle of Appleton Estates 12. I used to always have a bottle in stock but have sadly neglected it in recent years. A blind tasting with the Doorly’s 12 would be interesting. Thanks for the travelogue. We were just in Ecuador and had similar experiences.
Ecuador is on the list somewhere! But yeah, the Appleton is one of those reliable old classics that's gotten a bit lost with so many other distilleries now in the spotlight!
@differentspirits4157 the nicest thing about Appleton 12 Rare Blend is the consistent quality, funky pot stilled rum, bottled at 43 %, and sold at a fair price ($52 at Ontario LCBOs)
As I recall Kendrick Perkins saying, “the greatest ability is availability.” That puts the Appleton miles above the Hampden,which I have found exactly once in Colorado over the past 5 years.
Yes and no, right? The conclusion of that argument is Johnnie Walker miles above both. But I get what you mean - there's something important about having solid products that are available basically everywhere, even if they're not high-tier. See Wray & Nephew, for example!
I never paid attention to rum until a trip to Jamaica 20-some years ago. After trying some Appleton and being impressed I toured the Appleton distillery. Back then the train was running and we took it up from Montego Bay, stopping briefly in little towns along the way. It was a magical trip. The distillery tour was somewhat limited as far as access to the fermenters or stills. They were rather secretive about details but walking through the warehouse surrounded by thousands of barrels filling the air with that sweet, sweet 'angels share' was heavenly. Overproof was a real eye-opener. Not at all what I expected. Harsh, but wait, there were flavors hiding in there! The last time I was in Jamaica in the early 2000s there were too many well armed army guys guarding intersections, too many gangsters selling too many hard drugs. From your account it sounds like things have relaxed somewhat. I would love to go back if I felt it were safe.
Ha, given their focus on wood I could see Appleton primarily showing off their aging warehouses. 😂 When I visited, Hampden was all "HEY COME SEE THE FERMENTATION BUILDING." My sense of Jamaica at the moment is that the crime trouble they're having really depends on where you are. Montego Bay and especially Kingston are kind of a mess - yes, even in the walled-off mega-resort areas - and so are a bunch of other places. But there are plenty of wonderful, lower-crime spots out there that aren't hard to get to: a lot of towns in Portland parish come to mind, or Trelawny and eastern St. James (plus Hampden's there), or - yes - almost all of St. Elizabeth. It helps to do research and often to literally just ask people on the side of the road.
And you already got there ! Thrilled that you experienced this... this stained, rusty, moldy, tarred, dusty, stinking, happy, mindblowing of a place ! For the customs and laws on quantity I still suggest all people thinking about going there to buy every 200ml bottles from the big names you could get your hands on. Jamaican distilleries have a lot of expressions bottled in tiny, and batch variation is fun also. Take care of you and your familly
I remember the Hampden 8 being cheaper when I bought it maybe 2 years ago. In all cases I prefer the Younger LROKto this bottle and it’scheaper. Appleton 12 is always great, I’ve never tried their 8year.
You have a point, but 1) I sadly already reviewed the Appleton 8 and 2) I think the 12 provides a little more of a challenge for the Hampie, if what we're talking about here is lower-ester and woody.
have you had Navy Island- Overproof 57%ABV ? it's only $35 here and it's Hampden Estate, Worthy Park and I think Clarendon blend of stuff that is probably not over 5 years old but no BS done to it. I need to open mine because it may be a hidden gem for it's price. I expect it to be light funk and over light ester and a touch hot. I'm not expecting it to be Stolen Overproof but nothing really touches that for the price. I bought one and if it's better than decent I will buy a few because the price is great.
I haven't! I've seen it at some of the Euro retailers, but to be honest I tend to shy away from rums making overt British Navy sorts of references. But I'll take a report when you have one to offer! 😁
@@differentspirits4157 there are a few reviews around for it and it's worth a try at $35. hopefully it's not Clarendon with 2 drops of Hampden Estate and Worthy Park in it. It came out in 2018 or 2019 so it probably has a good amount of each in it. I think it was kind of limted in the U.S. and never sold so now it's discounted. It's over $50 in UK
a pilgrimage...you lustrate yourself in the muck pits? circle the fermenters seven times counter-clockwise? never been to the distillery, but it sounds like a world heritage site. and yes, Hampden 8 yr is overpriced. but it's gateway fodder for the curious. it's the only Hampden I own that seems to endlessly change. every week or three new notes emerge, and then vanish. there was a little while this absolutely insane floral note appeared. it smelled like these chalky violet-colored bath bombs I remember getting as a little kid in the 80's. haven't smelled that note in 30+ years-and then I smell it in a rum? mind=blown. and frankly, a good sparring partner would be anything ITP from Long Pond. there are some uncanny similarities.
I find that a lot of Hampdens do that! 😁 It's a hallmark of great spirits. And no actual rituals involved in my visit, I was mostly just stunned into giddy silence.
Glad i bought up a bunch of Hampden Estate Overproof for $60 to $65 a couple of years ago and it's way better than the standard 46% and a different blend that is much more funky and estery. I have stock piled so much Hampden Estate the last 2 years that I shouldn't have to ever buy any more. I knew this was coming with the price hike and the change of ages.
If you're telling me that you're somehow going to resist buying whatever awesome gimmicks Hampden Estate puts out next... well, you have more willpower than I! 😂
I didn't buy a bunch of their things like the Younger and LROK and some others because I'm good with the Overproof and Great House. I'm done with Foursquare yearly vintages and will only buy certain finished things but won't be buying another sherry or madeira finished release because of the redundance. the Touchstone 14 Cognac is $140 and I may pass on it. i didn't buy any of the El Dorado CS single still releases and they are around $130 and there has been next to know feedback on them which tells me they aren't worth anymore than about $80
oh I forgot to mention...in my own unsolicited opinion: Appleton needs to do itself a massive favor and consider doing a single barrel program. how about age-stated/uncut/unfiltered single barrel picks? can you imagine? I CAN. aside from the hideously expensive, strictly for European market-monopolization offerings they've done (Hearts stuff) nothing like this exists from them. what is up with that? I know they have the stocks. I mean, if they can bottle stuff that's been aging since 1984 for the bougie euro collectors they sure as hell can do a program like this.
It's a good idea, and you're not alone in having it. I think they figure they'll make more money by avoiding a complicated barrel pick program and instead just throwing out ultra-premium collector-bait... and annoyingly, they're likely not wrong. E.g., with the hype involved they can and will price the upcoming W&N17 homage anywhere they want. I think that might hurt them with regular drinkers in the long run, but they may not care.
We have a very worthless government here in Jamaica and i literally mean that,its terrible when even tourists is talking about the road conditions..They don't care and the mayor of Trelawny is the worst.. When The community starts to shout then they see how seriously this problem is. Collen Gager should be ashamed of himself,worthless mayor..
Just like many metal bands have pulled some seriously mellow ballads, I hope hampden can come up with oaky but still funky monsters! And kudos to appleton for keeping it going here, at an affordable price no less, where rum scene is still almost nonexistent.
I especially enjoyed your perspective during the for first 10 and half minutes. Cool stuff.
Thanks. It really was a wonderful trip, I wish we'd had time to stay a little longer (and especially to explore Hampden a bit more).
I'm from Scotland, and have had a passion for premium rums for over 15 years now. I know Appleton 12 well, as this has also been readily available in the UK since i discovered rum.
I'm lucky to have 2 great online spirit companies, that have a extensive selection of rums for delivery. both production rums and 1 off bottlings from single casks, and many new bottlers doing blended rums, making new and unique rums.
Great review. The best i've seen for rum on TH-cam. More rum please.
Many thanks! More rum reviews, you say?? Be careful what you wish for... th-cam.com/play/PLFHV0w3OA0nbb3QPTocTy2BQcciSLnYdr.html
"I'm smelling gravel, and I'm enjoying it." Big fan of your channel, love your depth of tasting notes. That comment did give me a chuckle though.
Thanks! I do try to have a little fun with the notes sometimes. 😅
You have motivated me to pick up a bottle of Appleton Estates 12. I used to always have a bottle in stock but have sadly neglected it in recent years. A blind tasting with the Doorly’s 12 would be interesting. Thanks for the travelogue. We were just in Ecuador and had similar experiences.
Ecuador is on the list somewhere! But yeah, the Appleton is one of those reliable old classics that's gotten a bit lost with so many other distilleries now in the spotlight!
@differentspirits4157 the nicest thing about Appleton 12 Rare Blend is the consistent quality, funky pot stilled rum, bottled at 43 %, and sold at a fair price ($52 at Ontario LCBOs)
Love your content.
Thanks!!
Bro. Great reviews!
Thanks dogg!
As I recall Kendrick Perkins saying, “the greatest ability is availability.” That puts the Appleton miles above the Hampden,which I have found exactly once in Colorado over the past 5 years.
Yes and no, right? The conclusion of that argument is Johnnie Walker miles above both. But I get what you mean - there's something important about having solid products that are available basically everywhere, even if they're not high-tier. See Wray & Nephew, for example!
I never paid attention to rum until a trip to Jamaica 20-some years ago. After trying some Appleton and being impressed I toured the Appleton distillery. Back then the train was running and we took it up from Montego Bay, stopping briefly in little towns along the way. It was a magical trip. The distillery tour was somewhat limited as far as access to the fermenters or stills. They were rather secretive about details but walking through the warehouse surrounded by thousands of barrels filling the air with that sweet, sweet 'angels share' was heavenly. Overproof was a real eye-opener. Not at all what I expected. Harsh, but wait, there were flavors hiding in there!
The last time I was in Jamaica in the early 2000s there were too many well armed army guys guarding intersections, too many gangsters selling too many hard drugs. From your account it sounds like things have relaxed somewhat. I would love to go back if I felt it were safe.
Ha, given their focus on wood I could see Appleton primarily showing off their aging warehouses. 😂 When I visited, Hampden was all "HEY COME SEE THE FERMENTATION BUILDING."
My sense of Jamaica at the moment is that the crime trouble they're having really depends on where you are. Montego Bay and especially Kingston are kind of a mess - yes, even in the walled-off mega-resort areas - and so are a bunch of other places. But there are plenty of wonderful, lower-crime spots out there that aren't hard to get to: a lot of towns in Portland parish come to mind, or Trelawny and eastern St. James (plus Hampden's there), or - yes - almost all of St. Elizabeth. It helps to do research and often to literally just ask people on the side of the road.
And you already got there ! Thrilled that you experienced this... this stained, rusty, moldy, tarred, dusty, stinking, happy, mindblowing of a place ! For the customs and laws on quantity I still suggest all people thinking about going there to buy every 200ml bottles from the big names you could get your hands on. Jamaican distilleries have a lot of expressions bottled in tiny, and batch variation is fun also. Take care of you and your familly
Thanks! No checked bags, sadly, so a bottle of Charley's was all ..
70 dollars is cheaper than the 70 pounds which we get it at. Which is a real shame because I've tried it and its delicious.
And it's going to get worse, probably... remember, outside of Europe and the UK no one really knows about Hampden yet. 😩
I remember the Hampden 8 being cheaper when I bought it maybe 2 years ago. In all cases I prefer the Younger LROKto this bottle and it’scheaper. Appleton 12 is always great, I’ve never tried their 8year.
It _was_ cheaper two years ago... 😭
Love these two rums, but I would've thought the Appleton 8 would be a good sparring partner: I find it a bit funkier and the aging matches
You have a point, but 1) I sadly already reviewed the Appleton 8 and 2) I think the 12 provides a little more of a challenge for the Hampie, if what we're talking about here is lower-ester and woody.
@@differentspirits4157 Good points! I missed the Appleton 8 review 🤷
have you had Navy Island- Overproof 57%ABV ? it's only $35 here and it's Hampden Estate, Worthy Park and I think Clarendon blend of stuff that is probably not over 5 years old but no BS done to it. I need to open mine because it may be a hidden gem for it's price. I expect it to be light funk and over light ester and a touch hot. I'm not expecting it to be Stolen Overproof but nothing really touches that for the price. I bought one and if it's better than decent I will buy a few because the price is great.
I haven't! I've seen it at some of the Euro retailers, but to be honest I tend to shy away from rums making overt British Navy sorts of references. But I'll take a report when you have one to offer! 😁
@@differentspirits4157 there are a few reviews around for it and it's worth a try at $35. hopefully it's not Clarendon with 2 drops of Hampden Estate and Worthy Park in it. It came out in 2018 or 2019 so it probably has a good amount of each in it. I think it was kind of limted in the U.S. and never sold so now it's discounted. It's over $50 in UK
a pilgrimage...you lustrate yourself in the muck pits? circle the fermenters seven times counter-clockwise? never been to the distillery, but it sounds like a world heritage site. and yes, Hampden 8 yr is overpriced. but it's gateway fodder for the curious. it's the only Hampden I own that seems to endlessly change. every week or three new notes emerge, and then vanish. there was a little while this absolutely insane floral note appeared. it smelled like these chalky violet-colored bath bombs I remember getting as a little kid in the 80's. haven't smelled that note in 30+ years-and then I smell it in a rum? mind=blown. and frankly, a good sparring partner would be anything ITP from Long Pond. there are some uncanny similarities.
I find that a lot of Hampdens do that! 😁 It's a hallmark of great spirits. And no actual rituals involved in my visit, I was mostly just stunned into giddy silence.
Glad i bought up a bunch of Hampden Estate Overproof for $60 to $65 a couple of years ago and it's way better than the standard 46% and a different blend that is much more funky and estery. I have stock piled so much Hampden Estate the last 2 years that I shouldn't have to ever buy any more. I knew this was coming with the price hike and the change of ages.
If you're telling me that you're somehow going to resist buying whatever awesome gimmicks Hampden Estate puts out next... well, you have more willpower than I! 😂
I didn't buy a bunch of their things like the Younger and LROK and some others because I'm good with the Overproof and Great House. I'm done with Foursquare yearly vintages and will only buy certain finished things but won't be buying another sherry or madeira finished release because of the redundance. the Touchstone 14 Cognac is $140 and I may pass on it. i didn't buy any of the El Dorado CS single still releases and they are around $130 and there has been next to know feedback on them which tells me they aren't worth anymore than about $80
oh I forgot to mention...in my own unsolicited opinion: Appleton needs to do itself a massive favor and consider doing a single barrel program. how about age-stated/uncut/unfiltered single barrel picks? can you imagine? I CAN. aside from the hideously expensive, strictly for European market-monopolization offerings they've done (Hearts stuff) nothing like this exists from them. what is up with that? I know they have the stocks. I mean, if they can bottle stuff that's been aging since 1984 for the bougie euro collectors they sure as hell can do a program like this.
It's a good idea, and you're not alone in having it. I think they figure they'll make more money by avoiding a complicated barrel pick program and instead just throwing out ultra-premium collector-bait... and annoyingly, they're likely not wrong. E.g., with the hype involved they can and will price the upcoming W&N17 homage anywhere they want. I think that might hurt them with regular drinkers in the long run, but they may not care.
We have a very worthless government here in Jamaica and i literally mean that,its terrible when even tourists is talking about the road conditions..They don't care and the mayor of Trelawny is the worst.. When The community starts to shout then they see how seriously this problem is. Collen Gager should be ashamed of himself,worthless mayor..
The South Side of Chicago and our pothole-damaged cars stand in solidarity with you!
I tried Hampden 8 and it is ok but not really worth nearly £60. It is funky but not wray and nephew funky.
It really isn't the best QPR in the world, you're not wrong. (That said, I've paid more for whiskies that weren't this good...)
Volume …….
Just like many metal bands have pulled some seriously mellow ballads, I hope hampden can come up with oaky but still funky monsters!
And kudos to appleton for keeping it going here, at an affordable price no less, where rum scene is still almost nonexistent.
Hopefully the future of this style will be more like the Charles Bradley cover of Changes! And not the Kelly Osbourne one!