Appleton Estate 12 year old Jamaican Rum

CONTINUING my mini series on rum, today I have the Appleton Estate 12 year old.
    Now, this isn't my first experience of Appleton's rums - I have previously tried their 8 year old, but the experience wasn't entirely positive. I ordered the rum from a bar and was given the dregs of a dust covered old bottle - not the best start - and the rum really didn't taste great. It had an overpowering spirit scent and the taste was equally nasty. I put this down to just an unfortunate experience, so I was really interested to try this 12-year-old from the comfort of my sofa. Happily, this particular drop left a much more favourable impression.
    On the nose, there's brown sugar, orange marmalade, raisins, cigar tobacco, caramel, dessicated coconut and walnuts, while the scent of lemon rind is ever present.
    The rum has a rich taste and coats the mouth beautifully. There's an unmistakable alcohol kick, which then gives way to fruity caramel and sweet wood. The finish is dry, sweet and spicy, with vanilla notes coming to the fore after a minute or so.
    The Appleton Estate is a robust and tasty rum. However, it can't hold a candle to either the mouthwatering El Dorado 12 or the elegant and refined Plantation XO in my opinion. It would, dare I say it, be rather good in a cocktail though.
    Thanks again to Steven James at Rum Diaries Blog for sending me a sample of the Appleton Estate 12 year old.