Appleton Estate: 51 Years Old
The oldest tropically aged rum ever released — 51 years old and bottled at a remarkable cask strength of 62%. A historic milestone not only for Appleton Estate, but for the entire rum industry.
You may be familiar with the angel’s share — the romantic term used in whisky to describe the natural evaporation of spirit during cask ageing. In the world of rum, however, a different term applies: the devil’s share.
Evaporation rates for casks maturing in tropical climates average around 10% per year — two to three times the rate in regions such as Scotland. To put that into perspective, 51 years of tropical ageing is roughly equivalent to 153 years of Scotch maturation. Not only is it extraordinary for any rum to endure for such a time, but it also speaks to the immense skill of the rum-makers who nurtured its development over five decades.
To honour this single cask, which spent its entire lifetime within the Estate — geographically located in the heart of Jamaica — Burgess Studio designed a bespoke heart-shaped decanter. Its glass transitions from clear, revealing the dark rum within, to crystalline aquamarine blue, celebrating the Estate’s vivid natural water source. Each decanter is finished with a solid copper stopper and collar, the latter adorned with Jamaica’s iconic doctor bird — a symbol synonymous with Appleton.
Limited to just 25 decanters, each is presented in a sunburst-patterned Appleton Estate blue straw-marquetry case. The dark exterior texture evokes sugarcane leaves, while the lighter interior represents the cane fields — framing and amplifying the rich colour of this incredibly rare liquid. Each case also includes a book chronicling the story of the rum and commemorating the Estate’s 275th anniversary.