Aroma visualization from community tastings
Appleton 21 Years
"Very smooth and easily approachable" is how one taster sums it up, and that's the story of this 21-year Appleton. The nose is the highlight: vanilla, caramel, toasted oak, orange peel and a whiff of solvent, almost cognac-like. The palate is rounder and gentler than the nose promises, with dark chocolate and spice. The recurring gripe: at 43% it feels a touch light and watery for the age.
The community says- Beautiful complex nose
- Round and balanced
- Light at 43%
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Buy Appleton 21 Years:
Compare all 4 shop offers from 122.90 €
Prices & availability last updated on
The look inside the bottle
How does Appleton 21 Years taste?
Aggregated from 235 community reviews.
Elegant aged Appleton, gentle but a bit light Loved for its balance and elegant, complex nose, but many feel 43% holds it back and the palate turns thin. Several openly prefer the cheaper 12-year.
People easing into aged Jamaican rum who want smooth over funky
Fans of bold, high-ester Jamaican funk or cask-strength intensity
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
83 of 235 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
How is Appleton 21 Years rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 8.0 sits in the “Very good” band. 91% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 1% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
Live auctions
Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
Community voices
What does the community say?
49% rate it between 6 and 8. 19 selected write-ups from 235 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
One of the community's most-rated rums
Review by Stefan Persson
Most helpful positive review
As a summary it’s complex with a deep taste and a fantastic balance between sweetness and dryness. The nose is a little of everything, but mostly strong aromas of fruits. At the palate all the flavors comes to you together with a certain sweetness and roundness.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
Most helpful mixed review
This is a super good rum for the price. A little bit of Jamaica funk all the way and a real joy. You can taste the complexity of the 21 years of maturing.
Review by Jack M
Lovely sipper. Very smooth and easily approachable. Some subtly fruit flavours - orange and coconut, dark chocolate and a certain sweetness. Oak and spice notes come through, particularly in the finish.
Review by Oliver
A very good introduction to the world of unsweetened rums. Round and harmonious without the typical Jamaica ester funk.
Review by Galli33
I found it at a bar on my holiday in bibione! Great to start a holiday 😅… So it’s a very fruity interesting solid lovely rum. I can suggest to everyone, who will end a hard working day with an fruity rum to relax! try it you won't regret it. Cheers *Update: Still one of my favorite rums 🥃
Review by cigares
A rum I expected too much of? A blend of vanilla and tropical fruit with a lingering impression of caramel. On the palate, a diluted side first, then spices, caramel again and tropical fruit and prune. The finish is rather short. There's still some spice, wood and tobacco. I find it good but a little disappointing.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
if Jamaica should be easy sipping then it would be this one. Definitely one of the better old Jamaicans with a nice honey banana note! could only have a few more %😅 but for a really nice harmony of wood, sweetness, fruitiness and light ester notes.
Review by DomM
I honestly think this is outstanding quality. Only downside is the low ABV. Nevertheless the rum does not fail to deliver an intense profile. Highly recommended if excessive ABV is not (yet) your cup of tea.
Review by LukaŽiga
8:On the nose, what's immediately striking is its balance. The woodiness is toasted, the alcohol present but well blended and no single aroma takes precedence over the others. Vanilla, floral notes, almond, caramel, woodiness and orange form a winning team with all tropical fruits and funkiness and roasted aromas that emerge on airing. 8,5:On the palate, the attack is both lively and greedy, sweetness is pleasant . The batch is more present here than on the nose(long ageing), but blends very well with the molasses and brings us nutty notes, spices, caramel sweetness and overpowers that famous Jamaican funkiness with grassy and ripe tropical fruits notes. Walnut returns at the end and is a leading note through the palate. 8:The finish is relatively dry, yet long. A mixture of brown sugar and toasted woodiness accompany us for quite a while. Well rounded and smooth, yet lack of that strong omnipresent Jamaican funkiness that we find in Appleton 12 rare casks. Edit:25.4.26
Review by Timo Groeger
Strong part, you notice the 21 years almost immediately. Great nose which is rather sweetish, vanilla, caramel and burnt sugar. The palate also has a subtle sweetness, dark chocolate, vanilla and caramel. The wood only becomes noticeable in the finish.
Review by Joachim Guger
Verkostet in der Dino’s Aphotecary Bar 16.12.2025. Er riecht sehr gut, Lösungsmittel, Lack, gebrannter Zucker, getrocknete Früchte, ein Hauch Kokos, Vanille, Gewürze. Ausgewogen, warm, trocken, wenig komplex. Im Mund dann würzig und etwas Schärfe. Langweiliger Abgang. Insgesamt ein guter, trockener Sipper, mehr aber auch nicht. Die Empfehlung geht da klar an den 12-Jährigen, der ist günstiger, besser und aufregender.
Review by Pavel Spacek
Nice drinking rum of my style - sweet taste, caramel, nuts
Review by Tim
Tastes much better to me now than when I first tasted it, probably because I now also noticed a toasty chocolate note alongside all the fruit and caramel/honey.
Review by Leo Krüper
Very nice Appleton, which unfortunately lacks 10-15% power. Do not understand why this release runs so under the radar.
Review by Johannes
Sehr gutes Jamaica Profil. Sehr guter rum für Jamaica Anfänger mit Anhängen von estern.
Review by Godspeed
It is very good but it does not excel beyond its price point. Better integration of alcohol than its younger counterparts. One of those “you get exactly the level you paid for” kind of rums.
Review by Chrischi78
Beautifully complex Jamaican rum, beautifully balanced. Beautiful ester notes and the smell of vanilla and banana on the nose. This continues on the palate. Overall a rum with a lot of body and depth.
Review by Gyuli
Scent: It has an oaky base with a winey, cognacy aroma. However, if you rub a drop in your palm, you can taste brown sugar or honey. There is a light savory flavor of almond and cacao. After swirling the glass and aging, the alcohol is cool and subtle, which, combined with the fruity flavors, reminds me of a cool concentrated pear juice. Taste: Moderately sweet, not too much sugar for a moderately chewy texture. After some oak and light tannins, brown sugar and nuts dominate. There is also a hint of leather. A green grape flavor similar to cognac also comes to mind, but more honeyed. Finish: Smooth, but with a spicy finish that lingers for a few seconds afterward. The finish is medium-long with dark, bittersweet flavors like dark chocolate, caramel, and some roasted coffee.
Review by Roman Lelek
I tasted AE21 for the first time and I wouldn't classify it as Jamaican at all. Sweet vanilla in the aroma, taste reminiscent of solera, relatively short body, not much finish either...the rum is very smooth and rounded, no wildness.
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Expert reviews
4 critics scored it, averaging 8.5/10. Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by Single Cask Rum
Read full review →
Expert review by Rhummer
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Expert review by The Fat Rum Pirate
Read full review →If you are an enthusiast of Appleton Estate's rums then trying the 21 will be a must. Its not hugely better than the 12, it is similar just slightly sweeter and with a little bit more going on. You could pay £100-140 for a rum half as good as this!
Expert review by Zucker und Zeste
Noble and elegant. A Jamaican that is not demanding and yet presents typical flavors. Ideal for the ambitious beginner.
Details about Appleton 21 Years
A Pot & Column Still Rum from Jamaica, distilled by Appleton Estate, at 43%.
Community purchases
484 bottles logged by 431 collectors.
A drinker & collector.
30% opened, 55 emptied and repurchased.
What does Appleton 21 Years cost?
Community paid 70–125 €.
Current best price: 122.90 € – within the typical community range.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
+5 purchases in the last 3 months.
Added to collections, last 12 months — dark bars are the last 3.
484 purchased · 252 tasted · 307 wishlist · as of
About the Appleton Estate distillery
The Appleton Estate distillery is located in Jamaica. Rums from Appleton Estate have been reviewed 4,294 times with an average of 7.8/10.
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