Velier Appleton Hearts Collection - 1993

Tasted and enjoyed at the 1802 bar in Paris with good advice! Then in 2024 a nice sample! Nose: very fresh. fine wood, red fruits, menthol, light camphor, a few notes of dark chocolate; milk chocolate... Grapefruit, glue, dried herbs, tea... It's crazy, heady, like a perfume. Mouth: explosive, peppery, spicy. Then fruit returns under a very strong menthol. Finally, chocolate that coats the tongue. Almost unprecedented intensity. Alcohol very slightly present. Finish: big menthol, outrageous woodiness, big tannins, and dark chocolate again!

On the nose a really nice tropical matured rum at an advanced age. You don't often find such blatant tropical maturations and the risk that such rums are already a little over the top is very high, if you take the Appleton 84, for example. And yes, it is extremely mature, but for me it is by no means over the top. The nose is pleasantly warm. First comes some glue, followed by blood orange, grapefruit, orange peel and tropical fruit. However, spicy aromas such as aniseed, pepper, ginger, herbs and fresh mint are somewhat stronger. The barrel influence is enormous, both on the nose and in the mouth. It becomes noticeably tannic, especially in the mouth, but to my surprise only slightly bitter. For me, it's a harmonious thing overall, I really like it. I'm definitely going to get a whole bottle of this

Tasted against the 2002 Appleton Hearts (RX15475). And if I thought it was a dream at the first tasting, I have to say that I like this one a tick better. It's a little less alcoholic and earthier and spicier on the nose and palate, more KFM-like (which, as you know, I really like). 😉

Update: in direct comparison with the 94 Platzhirsch, it really did extremely well. The 94 is somewhat fruitier and sweeter in my opinion and the 93 has the nicer tannin, wood and mint mixture. Very nice bottling - I'll have to try it again against the 1994 to see which one suits me better, but it's already very good. With the 1994 definitely my favorite of this delicious series. More on the woody-bitter side ... but I don't mind. The nose opens up wonderfully fruity after a while and everything seems a bit like REV and TDL as mentioned before ... but also somehow like the old EMBs. Exactly mine.

#4023 Had a little time to line up the three new Heart Collection releases before going to a tasting event at Romdeluxe later today. This particular rum is really nice and it's well balanced and fruity with roasted wood notes. Pretty close to saying this is an elegant release and the price is pretty OK at time of release. The empty glass reveals nice coffee and nutty notes and it draws really nice curtains in the glass.

The nose is surprisingly spicy and intense. The 63% alcohol is so well integrated and does not bring any spiciness to the nose apart from glue. The same is confirmed on the palate. The 29-year-old is buttery smooth and yet spicy/intense in the mouth. It reminds me very strongly of an older Armagnac. Great notes of wood, leather, mint and other herbs emerge alongside black tea, caramel and liquorice. There is no trace of the 63% and it is extremely complex. The long finish is wonderfully spicy with herbs, roasted aromas and pineapple. As on the palate, all the flavors are accompanied by black tea, caramel and vanilla. A very well matured and varied product.

Great balance in this Appleton!Despite the 29 years of aging the barrel integrates nicely and there is a swing of flavors between bitter, sweet and medicinal herbs!In the finish I am very intrigued by the hint of blackberries and raspberries that make you end the drink on a high note!Definitely worth trying again!

A nose that blends wood and glue. You can tell you're in Jamaica, but the profile is old-fashioned and not exuberant. On the palate, it's eose all over the place. Wood, menthol, bitter orange, licorice, leather, cigar leaf. Incredibly rich and complex. Superb length, with notes of mentholated tobacco. Exceptional.

Little fruit on the nose, but more herbs, glue, spices, a little lavender and wood. Wood was also what I expected from the key data and I was not disappointed. But in a very pleasant way. On the palate, the Hearts reminds me slightly of a T.D.L. due to the mint. Some tea, liquorice, coffee, spices and that pleasant woody note again. The familiar aromas dominate the long finish, along with a little red berries. This is the first Hearts for me and I am surprised at how well the alcohol is integrated and how round this rum is. I like it very much.

Stratospheric rum! I recommend oxygenating it about 20/25 minutes before drinking. One of the best releases of 2023. A product with enormous character! Exceptional on both nose and palate. Complex but balanced. Let it open a bit in the glass and it will surprise you!

Jamaican who was issued a fake plane ticket to Guyana. Wonderful roasted notes, heavy oak - dry and somewhat bitter at the end. In blind tastings, always a guarantee that more than half are completely wrong.

After walking through vineyards all day and fortunately being able to avoid drinking for the most part, now a very fine drop. Actually almost perfect for me. Minty like a good TDL, but also somehow fruity, toasty and everything you like. Just a little less cask wouldn't have done it any harm. It's a little too bitter as a result.

Dégustation Singapore Toulouse with Benbrt ! Very nice Nose is super intense - cherry / leather / strangely some apple - hints of pineapple First sip is a kick ! Quite strong but very smooth - tarte tatin feeling, leather, hints of yellow fruits Very long finish - leathery / earthy

Starts off with a soft nose similar to 2002, with this cherry and vanilla notes. But after a while and on palate it's much more intense with herbs, mint, coffee. Quite enjoyable with a long finish with a bit of a raspberry. Thanks Tobias for sharing the sample.

Ui I should have struck with a bottle...Wonderfully fruity and fresh 😯😯I had not expected. Parallels to Guyana REV the balanced heavy fruit, herbs with wood one recognizes here again. ... also mint and even some funk is to smell and taste, great !!! Nice surprise!