Appleton Estate Signature Blend Rum. Previously known as Appleton V/X, this golden rum comes from the Appleton Estate – the oldest sugar estate and distillery in Jamaica. I’ve been talking quite a bit about Jamaican rums lately (can you tell I’m a big fan?) and I do realize that some of the ones I’ve mentioned may be harder to find. This bottle will hopefully be easier to find for those looking to add a solid golden Jamaican rum to their collection, particularly when just starting out (it was my first Jamaican rum!). While it’s not something I particularly like sipping on (I’d opt for one of the other ones in the Appleton line), it is a fantastic rum for blending and you know, tiki drinks. 😉 Oh, and it runs in the $15-25 price range in the US, so it’s an awesome deal that won’t break the bank. Appleton Signature is created with a mix of 15 different rums (hence the V/X roman numerals in the original name which for whatever reason are reversed 🤔), blended to perfection for a tasty warm, smokey yet fruity flavorful rum that is very characteristically Jamaican. It is not as intense as rums like Smith & Cross, so it’s a fabulous introductory bottle for those looking to try out the treasured rums that Jamaica has to offer.

You may notice that oftentimes rums mention which “estate” it hails from. Rum comes from sugarcane, and sugar was big business in the #Caribbean islands during the colonization period as a major cash crop. Once it was discovered that the byproduct of sugar production (molasses) could be used to create rum and generate even more $$$$, the sugar plantations also adopted rum production. Today, the remaining estates producing rum provide a glimpse into history and the once-lavish sugar plantations of the colonial West Indies.