Distilled: Appleton Estate launches its longest-aged expression to date

Our latest round-up of trends from the top shelf, including a new Jamaican rum from Appleton Estate and how to make a Trouble in Mind cocktail.

Back to the source…

Appleton Estate, Jamaica’s oldest rum distillery, has launched its longest-aged expression to date. The Source 51-Year-Old (Alc 62%) was distilled from the estate’s own sugar cane and laid down in a single American oak cask by Master Blender Owen Tulloch in 1973. Subsequently watched over by Dr Joy Spence, the first-ever female Master Blender, it was drawn from the cask in January this year.

‘Tasting this beautiful expression with Owen over 40 years ago sparked my lifelong passion for the possibilities of aged rum,’ said Spence. ‘This release is a tribute to the artistry, dedication and spirit of our people; from the hand-harvested cane and traditional distillation to the stewardship of our barrels across generations. Jamaica and rum are inseparable.’

Named for the aquifer that supplies spring water for Appleton’s rums, The Source is mahogany-coloured, with aromas of honeyed raisins, vanilla, cinnamon, maple and smoky orange. The palate offers powerful citrus notes with spicy raisins, ripe figs and dark chocolate, plus an oaky, spiced finish plus hints of ginger.

The rum is presented in a heart-shaped decanter, its neck ring decorated with a copper doctor bird, Jamaica’s national bird. Just 25 decanters have been produced, with three available in the UK (£59,320/70cl Berry Bros & Rudd).

Spirited words

‘I am prepared to believe that a dry Martini slightly impairs the palate, but think what it does for the soul’ – Alec Waugh

What to drink now… Trouble in Mind

Equal Parts, London

This incredibly complex aperitif-style equal-measure cocktail was created by Michael Sager, owner of Equal Parts and Sager + Wilde. For the recipe, he meticulously selected Meinklang Weisser Mulatschak (2024, £16.50 Vintage Roots), an orange wine from Burgenland, Austria – a blend of Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer and Welschriesling.

The strikingly orange cocktail has flavours of peach, pear, rose, lychee and pink grapefruit, with a mildly bitter marmalade character from Tempus Fugit’s wine-based aperitif Kina L’Aéro d’Or (£31.95-£33.40 Amathus Drinks, The Whisky Exchange), plus rich vanilla and oak from Avallen Calvados (£35-£42.50 Widely available).

Sager says: ‘I wanted to create an equal-measures drink that could serve as a delicious, complex aperitif for autumn and winter, and that reflects my passion and expertise in wine. My favourite thing about this cocktail is that it doesn’t work with any other orange wine, which is what makes it unique.’