This is exactly what the company has done, condensing the “core” lineup into the following three bottles: Appleton Estate Signature Blend, Appleton Estate 8 Year Old Reserve, and Appleton Estate 12 Year Rare Casks. These brands re-debuted in the spring with a new bottle shape as well—taller and slimmer than the previously squat Appleton bottles, but with some of the same shapely curves. It’s a thoroughly modern approach, as indicated by this quote from Marsha Lumley, marketing director of J Wray and Nephew Limited, Appleton’s parent company (itself owned by Campari): Appleton Estate 8 Reserve. Whenever a new bottle design is revealed in the rum world, it’s immediately met with suspicion of price increases and changes to the liquid. Downgrading of the liquid of course no rum gets better in time you must understand! On the nose, my immediate impressions are ripe dessert banana and molasses, along with light grassiness and faint hints of oak. Sweet brown sugar is featured prominently on the palate, along with sweet, toasty baking spice and fruitiness that trends toward caramelized plantains or tostones. There’s a bright note that is something like lime citrus, and an overall profile that is nicely balanced between freshness and richness, while being slightly punchy as well.

Now most of the name changes were exactly that just changes to the name. However the “mid tier” Appleton Aged 8 Years was re-blended when it became the Appleton Reserve Blend. Still following? I’ll continue. Am Gaumen dezent und harmonisch. Tropische Früchte, Banane, Ananas und Mangos tragen das Karamell voller Respekt über die Zunge. Edle Holznoten und feinste Gewürze sind stimmig eingebunden. Records the default button state of the corresponding category & the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie. I’ll be honest and I was never all that fond on the new Reserve Blend. Now it wasn’t that it was a bad rum but it really didn’t offer enough of an upgrade on the Signature Blend to merit the extra price. The Aged 8 Years available in the UK was a worthy sipper and a lot of people preferred it over the Appleton Aged 12 Years. For me the Reserve Blend did not even come close in terms of sippability. A well-made simple rum without all the "funk / hogo" High Ester frippery. :-) Blended perfectly and harmoniously by Joy. For beginners, bartenders and whoever.

On the nose, the 8 Year Old Reserve is markedly more expressive and mature than the Signature, with notes of grilled pineapple, banana and ginger. There’s a more savory and slightly more wild dimension to this dram, with a greater oak presence and considerably more spice—the slight bump in proof makes itself felt in an appreciable way, lending heft to these flavors. This one strikes me as particularly fruity, with lots of pineapple, citrus and passionfruit notes, closing with a bit of supporting oak tannin. To prevent repeating myself I will get the whole comparison between the old bottlings out of the way now. This is much more similar to the old Aged 8 Years European bottling and to me very different to the Reserve Blend. It is I will be honest what I was hoping for. I’ll concede now that this information (particularly the bit about the US and the European blend) I came across or had a discussion with some people in a rum group a number of years ago. I cannot recall the source exactly so if anything I have said is wrong and you can find a more reputable resource please let me know. In nose soft and discreet. Caramel and fruit break through the alcoholic haze after a long open time and reveal their secret. Banana, pineapple, vanilla dance to the rhythm of the woods.

Now the bottle has been updated and the new taller bottle is much more in keeping with a premium product as is the more stylised and more sparse label and design. It definitely looks more expensive and premium then the old Reserve Blend. Previously the Reserve Blend and Aged 8 Years rum were enclosed with a screw cap we now get a synthetic wooden topped cork stopper. Appleton Estate 8 is printed on the shiny copper coloured lid of the cork. I think the prominent 8 and the sleeker profile will attract more first time consumers.

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A nice fruitiness as well with banana and some sweeter notes of green apple. Pretty much everything noted on the nose makes an appearance. The long spicy and oaked finish is wonderfully well balanced with the sweeter richer notes found in the rum. In the glass we have a dark brown spirit with a copper/reddish hue. It is a classic aged rum colour. In Nase weich und dezent. Karamell und Früchte durchbrechen nach langer offener Zeit den alkoholischen Dunst und geben ihr Geheimnis preis. Banane, Ananas, Vanille tanzen im Rhythmus der Hölzer. The consumer palate has become much more sophisticated. Appleton Estate’s range boasts some complex and elegant expressions, which inspire us to both educate and entertain on a higher level. This relaunch gives us the opportunity to illustrate Jamaica’s rich history and geography, as we reinvent our most iconic international brand to connect deeper with our existing consumers and appeal to new markets across the globe.”

I said at the time that I didn’t see much of a future for the Reserve Blend and it looks like I might have been right about that. Providing this new Reserve 8 is a genuine upgrade to the Reserve Blend. Or it might also be short-lived.Sipped the rum has a little more “fire” in its belly than the nose might have suggested. That said it is still very sippable at 43% ABV. It’s certainly not “rough” in anyway.