Appleton Rum - Cane To Cup

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Appleton Rum - Cane To Cup

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing  Willy Shine, National Brand Ambassador for Appleton Estate. Willy has worn many hats during his 20+ years in the industry, including being the founder of Willy Shine Bar & Cocktail Consulting, a Liquor.com advisor, Beverage Alcohol Resource judge & supervisor, spirits and cocktail educator, AND, a husband and father to two boys. He lives for implementing, educating and paying forward the wisdom and knowledge that have been bestowed upon him.

The Appleton Estate is the oldest distillery and sugar production facility in continuous process in all of Jamaica. The Appleton Estate is located in the Nassau Valley, which is in the parish of St. Elizabeth. The first known documentation of rum production on the Appleton Estate is dated 1749, although it is believed that the origins of the Estate date back to Sir Francis Dickenson in 1655.

The cane grown on the Appleton estate goes nowhere else but into the Appleton Estate line bottles. The terroir is unique as well to the Appleton Estate as it sits in a valley amongst the famous Cockpit region of Jamaica which has the island’s largest deposit of limestone. The Cockpit country is made up of karsts formations which are limestone hills that surround the estate. The limestone hills naturally filter rainwater before irrigating the cane fields.

Appleton Estate uses nothing but natural rainwater to irrigate as it has warm sunny mornings and cool rainy afternoons everyday of the year. The sugarcane itself, the terroir, and the growing techniques and practices all go into the uniqueness of the final product. Appleton’s rums are aged in 40-gallon number one select American oak barrels, which impart more vanilla flavor and make the rum smoother and less woody.

The rums in Appleton’s portfolio are:

• The Signature Blend - A blend of 15 select aged rums, aged for an average of 4 years (there is no age statement on the bottle). It is a full bodied rum with sweet, fruity, and woody notes, a hint of molasses, citrus, peach and apricot.

• The Reserve Blend - A blend of 20 select aged rums, aged for an average of 6 years (no age statement on the bottle). This is also a full bodied rum, with hints of spiced orange, nutmeg, hazelnut and vanilla. This one reminded me of a holiday spice cake.

Rare Blend 12 Year - This is a blend of select aged rums, all aged for a minimum of 12 years. This rum is a beautiful amber and gold color and has hints of orange and vanilla mixed with rich molasses flavor and subtle coffee and almond.

• Appleton 21 Year - A blend of select aged rums, all aged for a minimum of 21 years. The color is dark bronze and while this rum has all of the flavors of the previous rums, it is much richer and the flavors from the barrel such as vanilla really come through.

• Appleton 50 Year - This is comprised of rums that have aged for a minimum of 50 years. This was created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Jamaica’s independence, with only 800 bottles made. The color is a deep rich mahogany, and of course the oak is very prevalent in the taste as well as brownsugar, cinnamon, vanilla and maple.

Of course my favorite thing to do with rum is make cocktails with it, so I asked Willy about the mixability of Appleton, and what some of his favorite recipes are, he said:

“Joy Spence, our Master Blender (who was the first woman to carry this prestigious title) says that the Estate line was created to be sipped, stirred & shaken. That being said, for me the Signature blend loves citrus and I use it in aged daiquiris and rum bucks etc. With the Reserve Blend you start getting some elegance, so personally I like to use it in aged Rum Manhattan variations. The Rare blend loves the old fashioned. I make a Rum ‘Re-Fashioned’ to beat the band. When you know your base spirit, you will make a better drink, and your drink is only as good as the ingredients you use. 

That being said, Appleton Estate Rum isn’t an odorless, tasteless vodka that is a blank pallet. It has an amazing starting point to work with and from due to the love put into it. Rum is the best category on earth due to the fact of category versatility and the amazing amount of differences and flavor profiles. Rum has endless possibilities in that it can be made to taste like a vodka and can be made to taste like a Cognac or Armagnac. It has a huge history behind it and you can truly never stop learning.” 

My favorite cocktail to enjoy with Appleton Rum - - - and a perfect drink for all seasons- - is a classic Mai Tai. I have included the recipe below.

Cheers and Happy Holidays!

Cris

Appleton Mai Tai

1.5 oz. Appleton Signature Blend

1 oz. Fresh Lime Juice

1 oz. Almond Orgeat

Shake all ingredients well with ice, strain into short glass over fresh ice. Add two dashes of Angostura bitters and garnish with a lime twist.

Almond Orgeat Recipe

Pour 2 cups of sliced raw almonds onto a sheet tray and bake for 15 minutes at 250 degrees. The almonds will turn a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and finely chop the almonds using a food processor. In a sauce pan over low heat, dissolve 2 cups of sugar with 2 cups of water, stir ring occasionally. Add the toasted almonds and the peel of one orange and continue heating for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow syrup to cool. Pour through a fine strainer, and keep refrigerated for up to one week.

-Article by Cris Dehlavi-

My name is Cris Dehlavi and I am a native of Arizona, but have lived in Columbus, Ohio for the past 13 years with my daughter, Desi. I have been running the bar program at “M”, of the Cameron Mitchell Restaurant group since 2005. I am currently the President of Columbus USBG as well as a consultant for bars and restaurants nationally. In 2013, I at tended the rigorous B.A.R. 5 Day Spirits Certification and have been recognized as one of the top mixologists in the U.S.A. I am one of the senior managers of the prestigious apprentice program at Tales of the Cocktail and work as a mentor to many bar tenders around Ohio. My contribution to Got Rum? magazine will include everything from reviews of national cocktail events, articles on mixology, garnish trends, recipes and techniques, to interviews with some of the leading bar tenders in the industry.