Aroma visualization from community tastings
Velier Appleton Hearts Collection - 1999
"Not your typical Jamaican funky rum," as one taster put it — and that surprises people. The nose is the star: roasted pineapple, glue, caramel and orange peel, elegant and deep. The palate turns woody and herbal, heavy on licorice, anise and dark chocolate, with 21 tropical years of depth. Several found the herbal-medicinal side or the sharp wood a bit much.
The community says- Beautiful, complex nose
- Deep tropical maturation
- Herbal-medicinal palate
View price history
Shopping safely on RumX Returns & cancellation
- Secure payment. You pay via RumX with PayPal, Klarna or card. Your payment data is encrypted and we never store your full card details.
- Clear seller. Sold and shipped directly by the partner shop. And you're never on your own: RumX handles support and communication with the shop, so you always get excellent service, whichever shop you order from.
- Honest shop ratings. The stars show your service experience with the shop, not the rum score. They come from RumX users, and critical ones stay visible.
- Returns & cancellation. Your purchase contract is with the shop, so returns and cancellations run through them under their own policy and your statutory rights. If anything goes wrong, RumX helps you sort it out.
The look inside the bottle
How does Velier Appleton Hearts Collection - 1999 taste?
Aggregated from 120 community reviews.
Woody, herbal Appleton with a gorgeous nose A cask-strength Appleton that reads more woody-herbal than fruity. Most rate the nose beautiful; opinions split on the licorice, oak bite and how well the alcohol integrates.
Experienced drinkers who like aged, woody, herbal Jamaicans
Anyone put off by licorice, herbal notes or high-proof heat
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
58 of 120 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
How is Velier Appleton Hearts Collection - 1999 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 8.6 sits in the “Very good” band. 97% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 0% 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?
16% rate it between 6 and 8. 20 selected write-ups from 120 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by Joachim Guger
Most helpful positive review
A classic Appleton is certainly not, there is certainly the 94 New Yarmouth batch much closer to it.Blind I would rather guess Demerara. The nose is beautiful and unique, Appleton also recognizable in the background. Then difficult in the mouth, very much licorice and herbs. The alcohol is super integrated, the 21 years of tropical aging resulted in a lot of depth and richness.Expectations met? No. Still a very interesting beautiful rum.Edit: The bottle is now open for a year. Licorice and herbs have given way to dried fruit. Really great to drink, an excellent rum! Yesterday enjoyed a glass with a perfectly matured Cazadores. A favorite rum that needs a while to develop in the open bottle.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Most helpful mixed review
Very unusual Appleton profile... The nose makes you want more with lots of roasted pineapple and caramel, later herbs and vinegar notes are added, taste then clearly woodier & smokier than expected with strong salty, bitter notes of olive brine, licorice, prune, burnt wood and tobacco. Overall not quite mine, also a slight acetic acid is rather disturbing for me and the alcohol content is not too well integrated.
Review by zabo
Edit Edit: It would be a dream to be able to try the whole Appleton Hearts series. 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. Edit: Tasted it again yesterday in peace and quiet with a cigar and DomM. The rum is simply amazing. Corrected upwards a little again. Franconian Tasting Gang on 19.04.2024 The first and last individual tasting this time on this very advanced evening/night. From memory, but behind the 2003 that is still present in my memory. A complete blind crosstasting of the Hearts series will follow.
Review by DomM
Heavy dark notes for wood and leather on the mos with (dried) fruits and quite some medicinal notes and herbs. Nice. Well balanced on the palate with more sweetness than expected alongside milkchoclate and toffee. Dried fruits show up here again.
Review by Tschusikowsky
19.12.21 RumX Advent calendar blind tasting: On the nose I get floral, earthy notes, geranium, grapes and nuts. The palate is peppery, spicy, fruity, medicinal, confectionery, spices. A great rum. Beautifully complex, there's a lot going on. However, it is too bitter and too sharp-edged for me to give it a higher rating. Retasting: Taste impression remains. Very tasty, like all the rums in the range: great nose. But alcohol is quite sharp-edged in the mouth, clouds it a little for me.
Review by Galli33
#19 RumXCalendar Blind tasting: Nose: fruity, woody, apricot, apple M: anise, licorice, woody, fruity, orange F: wood, anise Prediction: I had little to no time to taste so i went all in predicting this is the appleton hearts 1999, because of the fruity nose and the guyana mouth/finish, approx. 60% and approx. 21 years …. wohooo! Haha thanks for the joke yesterday rumX guys 🤪 Very pleasant to drink. Not to woody, very delicious, but it lacks in the finish. Nose: delicious, fruity, apple, apricot, floral, anise, licorice, woody, orange peal, solvents, glue, spicy Mouth: warm, complex, delicious, dry, herbal, minty, licorice, anise, oak, vanilla, fruity, herbal, spicy Finish: medium, astringend, oak, vanilla, nutty, licorice, anise
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
This was a very nice surprise. I was lucky to get my hands on all 3 releases and this is the first one I sampled yesterday. A rum that brings you to cloud 152 and never let's you down again. A super rich nose with fruit and oak. There is something elegant about the nose. The palate, once you get used to the proof, is even more wonderful than the nose. Spicy, warm, and bit herbal and medicinal. Super long finish and not your typical Jamaican funky rum!
Review by Serge
Leckerer Rum mit toller Nase mit Kleber und etwas medizinischem. Habe mein Sample auf zwei Tastings verteilt … die zweite Runde nach gut 2-3 Wochen deutlich besser. Die Oxidation hat dem Rum gut getan.
Review by Stylo
Nose: the alcohol burn kinda covers most of the initial flavors..although I get some light fruity notes (plums and maybe figs?) then toffee, vanilla, licorice. It slowly develops a very gentle note of wood and leather (I guess..). A couple of drops of water release more of those fruity notes (raisins), together with some herbal/earthy flavors. Palate: wow, unexpected to say the least..it jumps at you with salted caramel notes, then the alcohol burn kicks in, followed by a spicy, peppery note. For me, the best of the initial set!
Review by Basti
Appleton Hearts Crosstasting mit den Jahrgängen 2002, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1999 (RX15475, RX15474, TBD) 2002: Fruchtig und würzig mit einem Hauch Menthol. Am Gaumen viel Holz und Gewürze, leicht adstringend und bitter, Fruchtnoten ganz dezent. 1993: Deutlich intensiver mit mehr Gewürze und mehr vom Fass, dazu auch dreckige Noten, die mich an TDL oder Chairmans erinnern. Am Gaumen extrem trocken und bitter mit ordentlichen Fasseinschlag, leicht verkohlt. Mir fehlt hier etwas das Fruchtige. Abgang ist sehr lang! 1994: Ähnlich 1993, jedoch mehr Frucht und eine deutliche Minznote. Auch am Gaumen deutliche Parallelen, jedoch nicht ganz so bitter und dreckig und Fruchnoten sind noch dezent vorhanden. 1999: Viel Holz und Gewürze, mit Trockenfrüchten und trop. Früchten im Hintergrund. Am Gaumen jede Menge Gewürze und Holz, dafür kaum Fruchtnoten, aber auch keine verkohlten/bitteren Noten. 1995: Auch hier wieder dreckige Aromen mit Teer, Leder und Lack. Ähnlich wie 1993/1994. Die holzigen, bitteren Aromen dominieren auch hier am Gaumen. Für mich: 1994 ->8.8 2002 + 1999 ->8.7 1993 + 1995 ->8.6
Review by LukaŽiga
8,8:On the nose, the first impression we get is medicinal with esters and glue, tropical fruits like pineapple, banana, herbaceous molasses and roasted wood notes like leather and caramel, spicy. On aeration, citrus fruits are out, among them also an orange peel, yellow ones, a lot of spices like anise, vanilla and baking spices, the wood is more toasted with notes like pastry and burnt sugar...very balanced with prunes help, flowery and grassy tones. 8,6:On the palate, the attack is quite intense, bitter with esters, glue, herbaceous molasses, tropical, yellow fruits and pretty spicy with allspice, perhaps ginger, the wood is nicely roasted with chocolate, caramel, leather, when rested with salted pastry, grassy and flowery molasses and citrus fruits. 8,8:The finish is round, dry, a bit tannic, as the smoky roasted wood notes complement tropical and dried fruits and some tobacco, with a touch of spices...
Review by Tom Buteneers
RumXmas #19, blind: I have to stop reading here (RumX forum) before I taste, it’s highly influential. I can’t get past everything you’ve described (@Stylo) and agree with most of it. A little bit less salted caramel and more burnt sugar for me. And maybe some orange, orange peel, orange marmelade? A bit like Jaffa cakes? As it sits in the glass, the alcohol fades away in the nose. On the palate however, it remains very present. ABV in the sixties. Guyana or Appleton 1999 seems to me like a good conclusion . The orange thingy does makes me look more towards Appleton 1999. 🥳🙌🏼😎
Review by Benoit Mahe
Le meilleur des trois. Un beau carré de chocolat
Review by Frank
RumX Advent calendar, 19.12., blind. First impression: could be Guyana, but the palate tends towards Jamaica. Woody, fruity and slightly vinegary on the nose. Intense and complex. As with the other two, beautifully orange and caramel and a little maple syrup. Here a little more in the direction of sour cherry and papaya, slightly malty and a hint of licorice at the back. Fresher on the palate than the other two. Woody but with something like saffron and nutmeg. Some caramel here too, but with more bite. Slightly bitter-salty. A fruitiness reminiscent of yellow apple. Clearly lychee and some caramel at the very back of the finish. The second best of the three Hearts after the 94. But I also really like it.
Review by SaibotZtar
RumX Advent Calendar 2021 Day 19
Review by Gunnar Böhme "Bauerngaumen" 🤓
So, nachdem ich gestern den "neuen" Appleton 1999 (RX26144) im Glas hatte und er mich überraschenderweise nicht überzeugt hat, musste ich ihn heute natürlich noch mal verkosten, und zwar gegen den "alten" Appleton 1999 (RX7801). Und jetzt, nach der Verkostung, bleibe ich (fast) bei meinem gestrigen Verdikt: RX26144 ist ein solider Rum für Fortgeschrittene, der am Gaumen aber leider nicht nur ein Säureproblem hat (nasses Holz), sondern bei dem auch der Alkohol nicht besonders gut eingebunden ist. Ganz anders dagegen RX7801: Ausgewogen, optimal "motorisiert", mit einer tollen und seltenen Wacholdernote sowie Fenchel (?) - Kräuter, wie ich sie im Rum mag. Bitte probiert die beiden Rums selbst mal gegeneinander aus, dann könnt ihr vielleicht verstehen, warum der "neue" Appleton 1999 bei mir nicht ganz so gut abschneidet, wie es angesichts der Eckdaten zu erwarten wäre.
Review by Christian Rudt
After the rum has opened beautiful tropical fruit notes come through accompanied by pleasant spice. Develops a soothing warmth in the finish, which I like very much
Review by MarcT
Damn you, Adrian!
Review by Mike H.
Better in the nose than in the mouth. The herbal taste here is something that I dislike in almost all rums, luckily the wood overshadows it a bit. The chocolate and ester save this rum from a 72 or 73 point note.
Review by mto75
im direkten Vergleich den 94er, 95er und 99er. Nase: der 94er im Hintergrund mit leichter Minze/Mentholnote, der 99er etwas kräutriger und im Hintergrund Apfelessig (vielleicht auch Balsamico) und Zimtstange. Der 95er mit Orangenschale und Möbelpolitur, die ich auch oft bei 96er Caronis in der Nase habe. Am Gaumen wiederum ist der 95er der ‚Außenseiter’ mit sehr ausgeprägten, verkohlten Noten; der 94er gefällt mir hier am besten.
No reviews match this filter.
Expert reviews
5 critics scored it, averaging 8.1/10. Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by Barrel Aged Thoughts
Read full review →Expert review by Rum nagykövet
Read full review →Expert review by Le Blog À Roger
Read full review →Expert review by Who Rhum The World
Read full review →Expert review by The Fat Rum Pirate
Read full review →They don't produce a rum like Hampden for example. No that Hampden don't produce great rum - far from it. This is a lovely rum. It's typical in some ways of Appleton Estate's older vintages but at the same time with it being a single marque it has little nuances...
Expert review by Tasting Bro's
Read full review →Details about Velier Appleton Hearts Collection - 1999
A Pot Still Rum from Jamaica, bottled by Velier, at 63%.
Community purchases
210 bottles logged by 160 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
8% opened, 8 emptied and repurchased.
What did the community pay for Velier Appleton Hearts Collection - 1999?
Community paid 185–323 €.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
210 purchased · 124 tasted · 49 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.
To Appleton Estate →You may also enjoy
Rum enthusiasts who like this rum have also given the following rums high ratings:
Velier Caroni 34th Release 100 Proof Heavy Trinidad Rum 1996
Velier Caroni 34th Release 100 Proof Heavy Trinidad Rum 1996Balanced, dirty-sweet 1996 Caroni, softened
Velier Appleton Hearts Collection - 1995
Velier Appleton Hearts Collection - 1995Dark, woody 25-year Jamaican with dirty funk
Velier Appleton Hearts Collection - 1994
Velier Appleton Hearts Collection - 1994Deep, oaky, minty aged Jamaican
Velier Appleton Hearts Collection - 2003
Velier Appleton Hearts Collection - 2003Balanced, oaky Jamaican with tamed funk
Velier Appleton Hearts Collection - 1984
Velier Appleton Hearts Collection - 1984Gorgeous nose, brutally woody palate
Velier Appleton Hearts Collection - 1998
Velier Appleton Hearts Collection - 1998Rich tropical Jamaican with beautifully tamed 63%
Never miss a price drop.
Set a target price in the app, and we'll let you know as soon as the rum becomes available at that price from one of our partner stores. This works for any rum on your wish list.
Oliver · FounderBy rum lovers, for rum lovers
I'm Oliver, and RumX began in 2018 as a small passion project in Stuttgart, back then under the name Rum Tasting Notes.
What began as my digital tasting diary is now the world's most comprehensive platform for rum fans, today carried by a small team with Jakob, Lukas and Katharina, with Robert supporting us as a freelancer. We combine the collective intelligence of our community with an integrated marketplace, so you can choose with confidence, without paperwork, detours, or expert jargon.
Oliver, Stuttgart
About RumX →






