Description
Appleton Estate Hearts 2002 700ml is a single-vintage Jamaican rum from the Hearts Collection, distilled at Appleton Estate in 2002 and aged for 20 years. It is made entirely from molasses-based pot still rum and bottled at a full 63% ABV, drawn from a small group of 20 casks.
Buy Appleton Estate Hearts 2002 Online in NZ
Pour a small measure neat into a tulip or nosing glass and give it a few minutes before the first sip. At 63% ABV a few drops of water make a real difference, and dark chocolate or a plain almond biscuit suits it well after a meal.
- Distilled in 2002 and aged 20 years
- 100% pot still rum from Appleton Estate, Jamaica
- Bottled at 63% ABV from 20 casks
Vanilla and caramel lead on the nose, with ripe fruit behind them. The palate brings barrel char, molasses, tobacco leaf and ground coffee, softened by red fruit and a hint of apple, and a little water draws out floral notes that carry into a long finish.
Appleton Estate sits in the Nassau Valley in St Elizabeth, Jamaica, and its history as a sugar estate goes back to 1749. The rums made there today are overseen by Joy Spence, who became the first woman to hold the title of master blender in the spirits industry. Most Appleton bottlings are blends of pot and column still rums of different ages, which is what makes the Hearts Collection stand apart.
The Hearts Collection is a joint project between Joy Spence and Luca Gargano of the Italian bottler Velier. Rather than blending, each release captures a single year’s distillation from casks laid down at the estate, bottled at a consistent 63% ABV. The 2002 is one of the more recent vintages in the series, and its 20 years in wood give it a deeper, more oak-driven character than Appleton’s everyday rums.
Pot still rum keeps more of the flavour compounds from fermentation than column still spirit, which is why Jamaican pot still rums are known for their heavy fruit and spice. Two decades in cask round that intensity out while keeping the fruit in view.
A bottle for the serious rum collector, or a considered gift for someone who already knows and enjoys aged Jamaican rum.
