Aroma visualization from community tastings
Appleton 15 Years Black River Casks
Opinions land in a narrow band here: most call it a well-made, easy Jamaican, a few wish it had more punch. Expect oak, vanilla and caramel up front with gentle banana and orange, only a whisper of Appleton funk. Several tasters find the 43% a touch thin and the oak a little dominant, and more than one still prefers the 12.
The community says- Oak and vanilla
- Very smooth
- But: A touch thin
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The look inside the bottle
How does Appleton 15 Years Black River Casks taste?
Aggregated from 188 community reviews.
Smooth, oaky, gentle Jamaican evening sipper Most see a smooth, oaky evening sipper with soft fruit and light funk. The recurring catch: at 43% some find it thin, slightly bitter, and outdone by the cheaper 12.
People easing into Jamaican rum who like oak and vanilla over heavy funk
Anyone chasing bold, high-ester funk or a big-bodied cask strength
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
Which glass for which rum? The community guide →
65 of 188 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
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How is Appleton 15 Years Black River Casks rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 7.9 sits in the “Good” band. 90% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 0% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
Community voices
What does the community say?
50% rate it between 6 and 8. 38 selected write-ups from 188 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by cigares
Most helpful positive review
Caramel, cedar wood, vegetal, cinnamon, pineapple and citrus on the nose. The palate has a clean attack, the fruit is there and the aromas rise and fall gently. They fade together fairly quickly, leaving mainly caramel and cedar. A good rum for the price, very well made.
Review by Double Barrel
Most helpful critical review
Very shy nose, no texture and very short finish. Dilution simply kills it. What the use to release a 15 years old that got less character than the previous 12?
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
This new release is more on the roasted side than the other ones. Lightly fruity with vanilla and wonderful caramel. On the palate there is wonderful roasted wood and I find it nice and round with and oily feel on the tongue. Price to quality is very good in my mind.
Review by Lukas Jäger
An easy introduction to the world of Jamaican rums. From memory, I like the 12-year-old a little better, but I would have to try them in parallel. Personally, I don't like the bitterness, which I find far too dominant. All in all, a little characterless, there are stronger representatives of the Jamaican style, even in the lower price segment.
Review by Rodolphe
Great value for money. Very good jamaicain in this price range, with a woody, low-ester profile. Personally, I really like this little jamaican rum, which I find relaxed.
Review by Gunnar Böhme "Bauerngaumen" 🤓
Am after the 12th GRF still too exhausted for a proper evaluation. But nice unspectacular rum after the exciting variety of the last few days. And a worthy gentle start to the year until the next German Rum Festival.
Review by Joachim Guger
Beautiful copper color.In the nose a lot of orange and coconut. Chocolate. Easy.In the mouth then woodier and roasted.Blind I would probably have typed Fourquare. Crafted well, but new territory is not won here.A good sipper to the cigar and - if you get it cheap - a good entry rum.
Review by Nicofr
A smooth, rounded rum with a strong vanilla presence on the palate (a little too much for my taste). The value for money is good, but nothing more, and a few degrees more (it's 43) would bring a little more strength to this rum.
Review by Patrik Onderka
Love the longer finish and complexity. My favorite Jamaican rum. Really love this Appleton estate. A little bit better than its 12 year twin. Have some hearts collection. Home to taste some of them. Especially 1984 (the flagship).
Review by Oliver
Nice entry-level Appleton
Review by abaker-rum
Love the nose on this rum. It is a medium intensity nose, with a fantastically integrated mix of tropical fruit, caramel, vanilla, barrel char and oak notes. On the palate it is a vanilla bomb and then dominated by wood notes through the finish. I am a big fan of this rum.
Review by Air-one
Le rhum appelton Estate 15 ans d'âge Black River Casks est un rhum agréable. Dominante boisée, caramel, vanille et aussi pimentée. Alcool légèrement présent en bouche. La finale est moyenne et boisée, pimentée avec des notes de caramel brun.
Review by Rumpalumpa
As expected, the Jamaican funk here is essentially limited to a little banana. However, this harmonizes nicely with the warm, spicy aromas reminiscent of Christmas banana bread. At 43%, however, it is simply too thin.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Intense notes of burnt slightly bitter caramel, banana, baked apple and wood, and roasted nuts. Nice solid Appleton with a good complexity despite drinking strength and appealing appearance. Price wise it could cost 10€ less but still a solid new product from the house of Appleton!
Review by Jarrod Smith
Very well rounded and balanced rum. I was worried it would be too woody but the oak is matched with spice, esters, and subtle sweetness without too many tannins. Terrific mouthfeel.
Review by Michael Schillheim
Nice and unagitated, very pleasing, super Jamaica beginner.
Review by Werner10
Very smooth but not weak at all. Fruity with a tiny bit af esters and also a nice woody touch. I like it a lot.
Review by Martin Ekrt
Decentní vůně banánů, vanilky, trocha karamelu a jemně esterů a technických tónů. Chuťově je to už víc karamelové, dost vanilky, tříslovin, trochu banán. Závěr už spíš vanilkový a lehce banánový a citrusový. Nenáročný kousek.
Review by Hans-Peter Jank
Angenehmer Appleton zum exzellenten Preis- Leistungsverhältnis. Man schmeckt geröstete Mandeln, Haselnüsse, Vanille, Kaffee und Tropische Früchte.
Review by Santo
A little too sweet for my taste, but it has lovely aromas on both the nose and the palate. Good relaxing rum
Review by rumiub
Easy. Jamaica direkt erkennbar. Fruchtig leicht. Nase sehr gut. Leider wenig Körper, insbesondere für das Alter.
Review by Jacques etdom
Appleton pour débutants. Pas mauvais, mais presque noyé tellement la réduction est trop importante.
Review by Solidfunk
Caramel and a sheen of soft leather—almost suede. Breath of air is pretty pleasant after, bring soft florals and maybe some passion fruit. Copper pour. Very smooth and drinkable. The hogo is there enough to give this some character without a complete kick in the nut sack.
Review by TheTobias
I am a little disappointed by this 15-year old Appleton rum because I expected more after having had the 12-year old. The fruit has nearly disappeared completely and a sharpness and bitterness dominates the palate.
Review by martin slezák
Farba tmavá, tmavý jantár Vôňa drevo, korenie , vanilka, oriešok, ovocná sladkosť, krémovosť Chuť drevo, korenie, mierna horkosť ale aj nasladlosť, vanilka, oriešok Záver mierne dlhý drevo, korenie, vanilka
Review by ChrisPro
Overly oaked. Hids almost everything else. Super smooth though
Review by Janda
Some of the most beautiful spirit I’ve tasted. A very relaxed and easy going rum. An ideal evening sipper.
Review by Balian
Nice rum for beginners.
Review by Cedric Ries
very soft and pleasant finish
Review by Rum Runner Labs - Will
Relatively little oak on the nose given the age, instead leaning more towards caramel and orange. Quite sweet on the palate, with sort of black tea astringency. The finish leaves something to be desired, primarily indexing on leather but leaving quickly. I need to taste this side by side with the Appleton 12, because at first encounter I have fonder memories of that bottle. Side note—I’ve never commented on the color of a rum before but this one does have a very nice copper look.
Review by R Wehner
Nose spicy Jamaican, 'darker' than the Hampden; spicy, woody, funky, good.
Review by Balu
Von der Nase eher nicht so typisch Jamaica, aber auf der Zuge schon auf die Insel zuzuordnen, mit typischen Aromen ,leichte Esternoten
Review by Kieron Wood
Sampled at UK rumfest 2024
Review by Fifulek
Nose: 12+ 8 but wd-40 is substituted by fermenting vegetables Taste: 12+ 8 Finnish: shorter than 12 but more intense
Review by Andreas Wachtel
Toller milder Jamaikaner , schöner Mix aus Frucht, Holz und Würze, eine leichte Süße und ein schöner mittel langer Abgang.
Review by Rado Vito
It is more complex and oaky than previous version. Definitely step forward from Appleton 12.
Review by Kari Kovalainen
A very decent jamaican style rum for an ok price
Review by JonasTh
Heel zacht. Lekker, maar iets te zacht
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Expert reviews
2 critics scored it, averaging 8.2/10. Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by Rum nagykövet
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Expert review by RumRock
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Live auctions
Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
Market value
What this bottle last achieved at auction. A research indicator, not a forecast.
Auction results 69 € – 77 €
from 3 sales, latest 06/2026
Prices incl. buyer's premium — what a buyer pays, not what a sale nets you.
Avg. community purchase price 56 €
What members paid for this bottle, self-reported. Not a market value — the purchases are over three years old at the median and unverified.
Details about Appleton 15 Years Black River Casks
A Pot & Column Still Rum from Jamaica, distilled by Appleton Estate, at 43%.
Community purchases
260 bottles logged by 233 collectors.
A drinker & collector.
31% opened, 34 emptied and repurchased.
What does Appleton 15 Years Black River Casks cost?
Community paid 48–66 €.
Current best price: 57.90 € – 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+ →
+15 purchases in the last 3 months.
Added to collections, last 12 months — dark bars are the last 3.
260 purchased · 199 tasted · 111 wishlist · as of
Read on in the RumX Guide
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