It can sometimes be hard to pick a rum, because there’s just so many options, and there’s not too many that are widely loved, quite cheap, and available in most liquor stores. I guess Appleton Estate Signature was one, because I was able to walk around my neighborhood liquor stores and find someone selling it. Angostura is another one. I mostly knew them for their bitters, but I was surprised to also find their rum, and not only was it fairly inexpensive, but also had pretty positive comments on this subreddit.

Review

Smell

I feel like a broken record saying “oak”, but that’s pretty much all I sense from these very aged rums. Same thing with the Appleton 12. It just smells like bourbon.

Taste

It basically tastes like it smells. Oaky, with notes of vanilla, and a mild bitterness to it, like a burnt caramel.

In a daiquiri, I was expecting to have a similar experience to Appleton 12, where the oaky flavor overpowered the fruity lime, but that was not the case. It was actually pretty neutral when mixed. I tasted the sweet and sour of the daiquiri, and the boozyness and distinct “rummy” flavor, but otherwise the flavors of the rum didn’t stand out.

Verdict 5.5/10

(Edited from 6.5/10 on 12/14/25)

Overall, it didn’t blow me away. I am not a bourbon drinker, so the bourbon smell and flavor of the rum didn’t particularly appeal to me, but I feel like it would be an ideal candidate for a rum old fashioned. The fact that it disappeared in a daiquiri sort of speaks to its neutrality, but also its versatility as an aged rum that has some character, but doesn’t steal the spotlight. That said, for my personal tastes, I don’t see it taking the spot away from Appleton Estate Signature as my generic aged mixing rum, unless a recipe specifically calls for a longer aged column still rum.

December 14, 2025 Update:

I would disagree with my past self that it’s too bourbony. I think that was just because it was very dry and barrel-driven. The actual nose is very much just vanilla and the barrel, and it tastes dry, kinda harsh, and just not very complex or interesting. It’s very much in the Spanish style of rums, where there’s not much flavor other than the aging. It’s boring, it’s harsh, but it’s not bad. It’s a step up from bacardi, but that’s about it. I’d rather have Ron Abuelo 7 over this. 5.5/10