Appleton Estate Joy Anniversary Blend

Background: Showed up for friend’s birthday celebration this past weekend, which started off with a private screening of The Legend of Shang-Chi at a local AMC (the movie was decent but storyline and dialogue seemed contrived in spots. Overall good entertainment value), then back to his place for a hangout with friends. On the drink menu, a “full” bar with some wishlist-level collection. No limit to what you can sample but since I have work the next day, I kept it small and only went with 8 😉. First up, Joy Blend. To the experience we go! Nose: Rich, concentrated caramel syrup, mixed with concentrated vanilla extract. Sweet nail polish. Toffee. Fragrant tobacco. Tropical wood varnish. Palate: Follows lock step with the nose. Oily. Rich. Delicious. The experience of tasting this juice while also inhaling the incredibly fragrant vapors was almost other-worldly. Finish: Long. The wood makes its presence known. Leaves a tobacco oil coating on the tongue. In a blind taste, this could pass for a well-aged, well-made, well-integrated, honey-barrel bourbon. I have to say that I was somewhat on my way to changing my less-than-complimentary PoV on rums after trying Doorly’s 12Yr…and this here pour…pushed it way over the edge. I’m a mini convert! Take me to your [rum] dealer! I mean, I’m not switching teams but I’ll root for some “good” well-aged rum whenever my taste buds call for something other than whiskey. As mentioned, I tried this pour with a few others. See below for my first impression summaries and rough order of magnitude ranking for the rest of my choice lineup for the day… Sláinte PoD! F.I.Ds 1 - Joy Blend: 4.25 - 4.5 stars Wow! Incredible nose, incredible palate, incredible finish…delicious! Completely changed my perception of rum. Wishlist worthy. Buy on sight. 2 - Hakushi 18Yr: 4 - 4.25 stars Refined nose, refined palate, decent finish…classic. 3A - Makers Mark Private Select (LA Whisky Womxn barrel select): Solid 4 stars Balanced nose, balanced palate, nice finish. Possibly a victim of name recognition bias. Could easily be the best of the night in a blind taste. Wishlist worthy (if you can find exact stave combo and barrel select) 3B - Parker’s Heritage Promise of Hope - 3.75 - 4 stars Classic bourbon nose, classic bourbon palate, classic finish…all excellently-executed. 5 - Glendronach 21Yr Parliament: 3.75 - 4 stars Classic sherry nose and palate. Initial taste was so-so but subsequent tastes brought a balanced, well integrated sherry bomb. Pleasant finish. Need more time with this. 6 - Cowboy Balmorhea: 3 - 3.5 stars Intense nose, intense palate, intense finish. [ Acquired taste] flavor bomb. Not for the faint of heart. Hit or miss wishlist worthy. 7 - Parker’s Heritage Cognac Finish: 2 - 2.25 stars Confused nose, confused palate, confused finish…overall came across disjointed, unbalanced and not well-integrated. Possible victim of rushed, end bin tasting for the night. Surprising least favorite of the night. 8 - Michter’s Single Barrel 10Yr: No rating for fairness Smelled, tasted and finished like well-made rye but nothing stood out. To be fair, my palate was prolly tired by this point. Need to try again.

I started out drinking aged rums before I got into whiskey and other spirits primarily due to the cost. I thought I was getting a deal when I could spend less than $50 on a 15 plus year aged rum. However, a decent number of these rums ended up being too sweet. Once I got into whiskey, I sort of stopped drinking rum. It's not that I didnt like it, it just didnt offer enough complexity. Jamaican rums, however, offered just the right amount of funk without being too sweet that I still drink them every now and again. So when this rum became available I had to give it a shot. Its costly, but well worth it. The aroma starts with tropical fruit and molasses. The palate reinforces the molasses but there is a richness that coats the mouth with vanilla, banana and light oak (less so than the Appleton 21yr). The funk that is typical of most Jamaican rums is really dialed back but in no way is that a knock on it. Unlike many long aged rums it's not overly oaky or too sweet. Its actually pretty dry. The finish does not disappoint, lasting for a long while after finishing and with only a slight touch of heat going down. Joy Spence is truly one of the most accomplished master blenders around and this is a truly amazing rum. I have tasted only a couple rums better than this so while I probably should round this up to a 5, I will stick to 4.75, but either way its outstanding.

A lot of vanilla on the nose. Some oak on the back, a light light bacon note. Taste is really heavy on oak, more than I prefer. A ton of baking spice. After that watches off a lot of vanilla. Strong tannins on the tongue making it feel dried out. Light banana funk (as other people call orange) lingers for a long time and vanilla comes back.

After attaboy headed to copper and oak where my friend and I had 1 oz pours of this and el Tesoro 80 and exchanged midway through. Great rum with notes of Cherry Cola, Banana, Pineapple, Plantains, Caramel, Citrus, Grass, and a hint of chocolate, showing a hint of Jamaican funk hampden estate is known for.

When it comes to premium rums, this has to be on the top of the list. The nose is similar to the AE 21, but more refined. Notes is chocolate, tobacco are clearly noticeable. The palate gives you more velvety sweet, rich flavors with a finish that’s smooth as silk. A top spirit.

So far, the apogee of rums. Cheers to Joy Spence for blending this. Absolutely amazing. The crown jewel of my liquor cabinet. Notes of caramel and vanilla. Smoooooth! Slight touch of heat early on, but feels appropriate. Stellar rum! Waiting on a better rum....