Jamaican Rum  83.5/100
a review by Chip Dykstra (Aka Arctic Wolf)
Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 6, 2010

I have been told that Appleton Dark overproof rum is one of the most favoured rums on the Isle of Jamaica.   This knowledge  intrigues me as I often prefer cask strength offerings when I drink whisky.  I do not believe this is due necessarily to the higher alcohol content, but rather due to the concentrated flavours in a spirit bottled at a higher than 40 percent alcohol volume.  Now a rum at  75 plus percent alcohol by volume is another story entirely.  At this strength we have a spirit which is much higher in alcohol volume than any cask strength whisky I have tried, and rum already having a vigorous flavour profile will be extremely concentrated at this strength.

In the Bottle 4/5

We have a tall clear glass rum bottle which displays the extremely dark brown spirit inside.  I have made my point about the inferiority of pressed on screw caps in the past and will not belabour it here.  Because the rum is reasonably priced I will not quibble unnecessarily with the presentation.

In the Glass 9/10

When I swirl the rum in my glass I see nice legs trailing back in the rum.  I get a sense of power and richness  from the nose which I like.  The aroma from the glass is very strong with molasses, brown sugar spices and a heavy alcohol updraft.  I do not believe this rum is meant to be sipped or enjoyed neat as I am about to do.  But I must admit I was not expecting such a nice smell from the glass.  The alcohol masks the individual scents to some degree, but I can identify  spices akin to cinnamon and nutmeg, as well as a vague imprint orange and banana peel.

In The Mouth 50/60

I had to prepare myself for the first sip.  It was a somewhat numbing experience.  Sweet burly molasses and spice is about all I can say at this point as the strength of the alcohol numbs the palate before much else can be deciphered.   I let everything sit in my mouth for a little while and decide that the flavour is quite complicated, but as I mentioned, the heavy alcohol strength has numbed my ability to distinguish anything individual.  The rum is not meant to be drank this way, and I decide not attempt much more with a straight spirit.  I added Coca Cola to the sipping glass in about a fifty-fifty mixture.  This is a strong drink but fairly close to the typical strength of a normal rum now.  I also mixed a fruit drink with fifty percent Appleton Dark and fifty percent of a grapefruit and pineapple juice mixture.

Both the rum and coke, and the fruit cocktail I mixed were very nice.  They have more sweetness and more caramel flavour than I have noticed when mixing with other Appleton rums.  A vague sort of nuttiness as well which I want to say is reminiscent of walnuts.

In the Throat 12/15

That first sip I took earlier had  me gasping for breath for a few seconds.  The intensity of flavour and alcohol was just too much for me to handle straight up.  But I let my palate and throat rest and actually enjoyed the caramel and spice afterglow.  My two cocktails each produced a thumping burn and a strong caramel aftertaste.

The Afterburn 8.5/10

The Appleton 151 Dark Jamaican Rum is an intense, rich rum.  If your preference is for a strong mixed drink, then there is a place in your bar for the rum, especially if you like burly molasses and strong caramel flavours.  Although I found its flavours rich and intense, I did not find them overly complex.  Brown sugar spices and caramel prevail with the alcohol bite  masking the other flavours.

If you are interested in comparing more scores, here is a link to my other published Rum Reviews.

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Rum Punch

I am avoiding suggesting a cocktail entirely and moving instead to suggest that this rum will be at home in most rum punch recipes that call for dark rum.  Its not that I do not think Appleton Dark 151 Proof rum should not be used in cocktails, its just that I think the strong nature of the rum will make a great base for Rum Punch.

I did a bit of research for punch recipes and the earliest recipe construction I could find was in the form of a poem from the New York Times in 1908.  The poem does not give ingredients rather it gives an overall suggested form of ingredient types:

Here is the poem and its suggested recipe construction:

PLANTER’S PUNCH

This recipe I give to thee,
Dear brother in the heat.
Take two of sour (lime let it be)
To one and a half of sweet,
Of Old Jamaica pour three strong,
And add four parts of weak.
Then mix and drink. I do no wrong —
I know whereof I speak.

From this poem, and in the spirit of poetic license, I have designed a Jamaican Rum Punch using the ingredient construction from the poem in the New York Times from 1908.

Arctic Wolf’s JAMAICAN RUM PUNCH
(using the 1908 New York Times Poem Version)

1 cup of Lemon Juice & 1 cup Lime Juice  (Take two of sour)
1 1/4 cup Pineapple Juice & 1/4 cup Grenadine (To one and a half of sweet)
1 !/2 cup Appleton 151 Dark Jamaican Rum & 1 1/2 cups Appleton Estate VX Rum (Of Old Jamaica pour three strong)
3 cups Ginger ale; 1 Cups Orange juice ; a dash of bitters  & Ice cubes (And add four parts of weak)

Garnish the punch bowl with tropical flowers, and a variety fruit slices, pieces and chunks.

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My research also turned up a new version of this old poem which I found on many websites.  No one seems quote the origin of this bit of poetry, so I’ll throw it out for anyone who can enlighten me so that I can give proper credit for this sparking dactylic gem:

“One of sour, two of sweet, three of strong, and four of weak.”

Using this cadence, the same recipe above will be changed slightly, and now the recipe is:

Arctic Wolf’s JAMAICAN RUM PUNCH
(using the more modern poem version)

1/2 cup of Lemon Juice & 1/2 cup Lime Juice (One of sour)
7/8 cup Pineapple Juice & 7/8  cup orange Juice & 1/4 cup Grenadine (two of sweet)
1 1/2 cup Appleton 151 Dark Jamaican Rum & 1 1/2 cup Appleton Estate VX Rum ( three of strong)
4 cups Ginger ale; a dash of bitters & Ice cubes (and four of weak)

Again garnish the punch bowl with tropical flowers, and a variety fruit slices, pieces and chunks.

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My Final Score is out of 100 and you may (loosely) interpret the score as follows:

0-25     A spirit with a rating this low would actually kill you.
26-49   Depending upon your fortitude you might actually survive this.
50 -59  You are safe to drink this…but you shouldn’t.
60-69   Substandard swill which you may offer to people you do not want to see again.
70-74    Now we have a fair mixing rum or whisky.  Accept this but make sure it is mixed into a cocktail.
75-79    You may begin to serve this to friends, again probably still cocktail territory.
80-84    We begin to enjoy this spirit neat or on the rocks. (I will still primarily mix cocktails)
85-89    Excellent for sipping or for mixing!
90-94    Definitely a primary sipping spirit, in fact you may want to hoard this for yourself.
95-97.5 The Cream of the Crop
98+       I haven’t met this bottle yet…but I want to.

Very loosely we may put my scores into terms that you may be familiar with on a Gold, Silver, and  Bronze medal  scale as follows:

70 – 79.5    Bronze Medal (Recommended only as a mixer)
80 – 89.5     Silver Medal (Recommended for sipping and or a high quality mixer)
90 – 95         Gold Medal (Highly recommended for sipping and for sublime cocktails.)
95.5+            Platinum Award (Highest Recommendation)