Today I am concluding my trip through the Appleton Estate Rum line-up which was triggered by special tasting event in Edmonton hosted by Joy Spence, Master Blender for Appleton Estate Rum. At the event, the guests were not only walked though the main range of Appleton Rums (the Signature VX Blend, the Appleton Reserve, and the Rare 12 Year Old) we were also allowed to sample Joy’s stunning new Appleton Estate Joy Anniversary Blend which commemorates her 20th Anniversary as Master Blender of Appleton Estate Rum (see review here).
Appleton Estate Reserve Rum is the only rum in Appleton’s main range which has not undergone a re-branding. I am not sure why not, although perhaps it has something to do with Joy’s revelation to me that the Appleton Reserve Rum is her preferred rum for personal enjoyment. She loves all the Appleton Rums; but if she were to be stranded on a desert island with just one, the Reserve would be her rum of choice. Based upon this it is a reasonable conjecture that Appleton Estate sees no reason to tweak this particular rum blend, not even for the sake of a re-branding.
Although the Appleton Reserve Rum has apparently not changed in any material fashion since my first review seven years ago, I nevertheless took this opportunity to revisit the brand. Here is a link to my newly written review:
Review: Appleton Estate Reserve Rum
Please enjoy the review which concludes with Joy Spence’s favourite cocktail which she revealed to me in an interview in 2012. Although Joy’s Bio now calls the serving, “The Joy” (I suspect the Campari Marketing Team at work), I prefer the original name I gave the mixed drink when I first published it five years ago, The Spence Cocktail.
I have been revisiting some of those early cocktails with the idea that perhaps some of them should be polished up, and perhaps some should be dropped from my cocktail section entirely. However, after reviewing these early servings, I realized that every once in a while in those early days of my blog, I got it right. And that is the definitely the case with the recipe I am sharing today.
This year, as Winter seemed to linger well into the Spring, I turned the idea towards one of my favourite rum families, Appleton Estate Rum. My new mixed drink, Rum Février mixes Appleton’s Brash Signature VX Blended Rum with their newly re-branded Appleton Estate Rare 12 Year Old Rum again, in the style of the classic Sidecar. Although we are trending well away from Winter, my new rum cocktail also seems to suit the latter half of this cool Spring.
I decided to call my creation, the Time Traveller, as I feel that as you travel forward through time your desire for a stronger portion of Appleton Signature Blend VX Rum will grow. It would not be a quantum leap to suggest that the time will come the vodka portion will be eliminated replaced entirely by the Appleton Rum.
The Rum Howler Blog 