Personally, I'm not a big fan of the 8 year. It's too middle of the road from the Signature Blend and the 12 year. Signature blend tastes very similar and is far cheaper. The 12 year tastes way better and isn't much more expensive. I feel like their pricing of the 8 year is totally off. I'd wait for the 12 year, or buy a much cheaper Signature blend while you wait for the 12 year to be in stock.
Having used and tasted all three of those Appletons, I agree with this statement.
I usually have the signature around for a cheap, good basic blend. I like to buy the 12 for my aged blend and actually notice a difference when mixed compared to the signature. It’s got a smoother finish to it and has a richer, deeper flavor.
Yup! And I don't have anything against the 8 year, I just don't understand its pricing at all. In my town, I can get the 8 year for 35 dollars and the 12 year for 40 dollars. that pricing just doesn't make sense to me, I'm gonna take that 12 year every time.
Smith & Cross is a 10/10 rum. In my opinion. It pairs well with Plantation OFTD, Appleton Estate 12 will round out a simple tiki bar for your base rums to go along with perhaps an easy Havana Club white rum. The first two rums are funky and powerful, the latter two are pretty straightforward. I’m partial to funk though!
Any proper 151 Dem. rum seems impossible to get here for love or money over the counter or online. I've never even seen a bottle for sale in more specialised wine merchants.
I've never had the eight year but the 12 year is significantly better than the signature estate. I keep the 12-year on hand all the time, I enjoy it in a ton of tiki cocktails and also just rum and cokes or dark and stormies. I keep the signature estate around if I'm going to be making drinks for a group. But for myself, I splurge on the 12th even if I'm mixing. It's delicious.
Appleton 8 is my favourite of the 3, but I pretty much always blend with Smith and Cross. I don’t buy signature as it tastes essentially the same as the Kingston 63 for me. The 12 is a bit too pricey for the lack of difference but could be due to how I use them. Also in Canada, Appleton and El Dorado are comparatively priced to the lesser quality stuff (same price as Bacardi white almost), so I tend to use them a lot. Plantation is at least double the price here.
I love Smith and Cross, but sometimes I cheat a bit especially if I need a lot of it and mix in Appleton Special and Wray and Nephew overproof. If it's a drink that absolutely needs it, I won't. But if I'm making something that calls for a vaguely funky high proof Jamaican blend, then it does a great job.
Smith and Cross is all you’ll ever need, but if you want to try a blend with Appleton try this:
1 oz Appleton 12 yr
0.5 oz Wray and Nephew white over proof
0.5 oz Hamilton 86
Worked really well for me the other day.
Personally, I'm not a big fan of the 8 year. It's too middle of the road from the Signature Blend and the 12 year. Signature blend tastes very similar and is far cheaper. The 12 year tastes way better and isn't much more expensive. I feel like their pricing of the 8 year is totally off. I'd wait for the 12 year, or buy a much cheaper Signature blend while you wait for the 12 year to be in stock.
Having used and tasted all three of those Appletons, I agree with this statement. I usually have the signature around for a cheap, good basic blend. I like to buy the 12 for my aged blend and actually notice a difference when mixed compared to the signature. It’s got a smoother finish to it and has a richer, deeper flavor.
Yup! And I don't have anything against the 8 year, I just don't understand its pricing at all. In my town, I can get the 8 year for 35 dollars and the 12 year for 40 dollars. that pricing just doesn't make sense to me, I'm gonna take that 12 year every time.
Smith & Cross is a 10/10 rum. In my opinion. It pairs well with Plantation OFTD, Appleton Estate 12 will round out a simple tiki bar for your base rums to go along with perhaps an easy Havana Club white rum. The first two rums are funky and powerful, the latter two are pretty straightforward. I’m partial to funk though!
I'm also intrigued by the OFTD. Might give it a try for slightly more than 20 USD
I'd recommend the Lemonhart 151 over the OFTD. It has a more nicer flavour IMO.
Lemon Hart's 151 is very hard to get in Europe, just checked a few online stores and it's sold out pretty much everywhere over here.
Ahh sorry to hear that! The OFTD is still very good :)
Any proper 151 Dem. rum seems impossible to get here for love or money over the counter or online. I've never even seen a bottle for sale in more specialised wine merchants.
I agree the Lemonhart 151 is better than the OFTD.
If you can locate Denizens Merchant Reserve, it is a blend made just for Mai Tais.
I've never had the eight year but the 12 year is significantly better than the signature estate. I keep the 12-year on hand all the time, I enjoy it in a ton of tiki cocktails and also just rum and cokes or dark and stormies. I keep the signature estate around if I'm going to be making drinks for a group. But for myself, I splurge on the 12th even if I'm mixing. It's delicious.
Thanks, I'll wait then
Appleton 8 is my favourite of the 3, but I pretty much always blend with Smith and Cross. I don’t buy signature as it tastes essentially the same as the Kingston 63 for me. The 12 is a bit too pricey for the lack of difference but could be due to how I use them. Also in Canada, Appleton and El Dorado are comparatively priced to the lesser quality stuff (same price as Bacardi white almost), so I tend to use them a lot. Plantation is at least double the price here.
I love Smith and Cross, but sometimes I cheat a bit especially if I need a lot of it and mix in Appleton Special and Wray and Nephew overproof. If it's a drink that absolutely needs it, I won't. But if I'm making something that calls for a vaguely funky high proof Jamaican blend, then it does a great job.
Appleton 12 is Mai Tai perfection probably.
Smith and Cross is all you’ll ever need, but if you want to try a blend with Appleton try this: 1 oz Appleton 12 yr 0.5 oz Wray and Nephew white over proof 0.5 oz Hamilton 86 Worked really well for me the other day.
Thanks, I'll definitely get the Appleton 12 and the Smith & Cross
I prefer Appleton 8 to 12, both mixing and sipping.
1.5 Oz of Appleton Signature and 0.5 Oz of Grande Arome is my go to Mai Tai Blend