Velier Appleton Hearts Collection - 1984

"I love this oak forest. There are other unicorns besides the 1986 WIRD. You walk in a very old oak forest, fresh resin on the nose (the couch potato could also say glue), some orange keeps in the background, humus-rich forest floor on which grows damp moss. The taste continues with a pleasant bitterness for wood lovers, dried fruits keep in the background. Too much fruit here would also destroy the flair of the forest. With time in the glass, leather and vanilla come through more strongly. The finish is extremely long lasting, complemented by tobacco. Disappointed here who expects a maximum of complexity which is simply not very pronounced."

"Incredible intense and complex animal. The smell occupies the whole room with the nose changing considerably over a couple of hours. Wood and bitter notes are very dominat alongside some fruits. All in all not unlike a very long aged Demerara."

"Rarely seen such a strong red cast. Solvent, polish and then naturally a lot of wood and bitter coffee. But to this, a perfectly inserted counterpoint of a wonderful cocoa note and dried fruit. Great. In the mouth, it is then over with the balance. Woody, bitter, furry, all very intense and nothing else. The finish is then also corresponding. The 1994 Caroni with the yellow box seems lovely in contrast.😀 With a little water the nose seems a bit fresher, then on the palate a touch of dried fruit and a touch less furry. Difficult, hammer nose 🔨🔨, but drinking is no fun."

"Once wood soup with garnish - while there are also some restrained fruit, rubber and earth notes, apart from that the barrel influence is quite heavy. Of course, there is liquid history in the glass here, but unfortunately this episode was written a bit too long."

"Probably the oldest tropical aged Jamaica rum on the market to date. Absolutely crazy stuff. Wood to the abwinken, bitter, spicy intense and especially bitter. For me personally clearly too bitter and too much wood, but the longer you keep it in the mouth the more the typical notes of banana, coconut and milk chocolate come to the fore if rather in the background ...About the price can be argued I would never spend money on this but to have tried the product is an absolute sensation and should have tried!For just under 1500€ I would get me but 10 bottles of other horny Jamaican rum!🤷🏼♂️😜Thank you Jimmy for this super present! 😍💣🇯🇲🤯"

"The nose is really good with tropical glue notes, wood, almost reminiscent of Guyana Diamond. On the palate then but quite bitter, almost only barrel and bitterness, virtually no fruit, thus lacking some complexity."

"This week I feel like I drank a flask of Felix Felicis: a moment in my life when thousand of little jigsaw pieces seem to fall together to create a work of art. So tonight I’m finishing a sample the first rum I ever drank from my birth year. Dreaming about times to come. Honestly a lot of wood (duh). After airing for an hour too much wood for my liking. Added a drop of water and the profile finally starts to open up. Heavy Appleton flavors. A bit astringent but not too much."

"I had expected this one to be far better than the first release, but it is kind of disappointing especially when looking at the price tag. Very intense and heavy from nose to finish and though the nose reveals more and more notes as it is rested, the longer it rests the more unbalanced the palate and finish gets. I'd say this bottle stayed for too long in the barrel and thus got "well done". Price to quality is very bad in my mind."

"It would be a dream to be able to try the whole Appleton Hearts range. My conclusion would be that this is a really high-quality range. All in all, they are all great bottlings. I personally find it difficult to choose a true winner here. Only the 84 falls a little short. Both it and the 02 can't quite keep up, although that's complaining at a high level. However, if I had to choose one, it would probably be the 03 because it was the first one I tasted from the series."

"The nose is extraordinary, difficult to describe everything: Floor wax, caramel, but also glue, orange peel, pipe tobacco, leather, dried dates and herbs. I really like that! Dried fruit, caramel and leather grow on the palate. But then the bitter wood barrel takes over very quickly and doesn't let up on the finish either, with a slight menthol note and a hint of kumquat. If the barrel impact wasn't quite so extreme, it would certainly be in my top 5."

"Great rum with an insanely delicious nose that screams wood in perfection. On the palate, the woodiness pays tribute to its age. Overall, I don't think it's worth its market price, but it's still quite tasty. Not so good in terms of market value performance."

"A nose with old varnished wood, spices, pear and orange, very fruity with marked but not dominant wood. The palate is soft with wood, bitterness and a clear note of kiwi with green apple. The finish is rather long, still with bitter, toasty wood, but also with lovely fruity notes of apple and kiwi supported by a light varnish. The empty glass is entirely consistent with the finish. A much better, less woody rum than I expected. Not super-complex, but very good and very pleasant to drink."

"The oldest piece of today's Hearts Four. Again, everything is different. Intense wood, hints of rubber and mustiness. So I wouldn't blindly pick an Appleton. Maybe just a hint of polish, but that goes right down to the glue. On the palate, brutal wood, nice bitterness and age. A very pleasant and intense piece with a palate-scrubbing finish. A big hit for me, a flat rum that is definitely not a simple rum. And the price is what it is."

"Flüssige Eiche!!"

"The nose is fantastic but the mouth is too biter, lost the fruits"