Appleton Jamaica Rum

Cocktale: In preparation for snowmageddon 2012 I found myself running low on the most essential element that sustains life in snowy weather, rum. I visited a liquor store outside of my regular stomping grounds and I need to note - this liquor store is actually half liquor, half hardware store. The gentleman next to me was looking for Jack Daniels, and the store didn't carry it. I figured I wouldn't be able to snag one of my go-to rums for this occasion and set my eyes on a familiar name in a different bottle. I have had the more expensive Appleton rums on occasion, I know that they range from around $35 bucks and up depending on the age. This bottle was not that kind of Appleton rum. This bottle had a fancy sticker on it that said $14.95 however, and I was game. The snow lasted for three more days, and so did this bottle, that should be a telling sign of the review to follow.

Review:
Taste:  Appleton Jamaica rum had the smokey barrel flavor that you would expect from a Jamaican rum, but it was almost too powerful. For the bottle and the price, you wouldn't think this is something you would drink straight, but I would recommend that. Mixing this rum with anything would just get overpowered by the smokey flavor. "2"
Drunk: I would call this "sleepy time drunk". The heavy flavor made it hard to put them back one by one and added to slower, sleepy time drinking. "2"
Hangover Factor: Slightly higher than expected, the darker the rum the more hangover is what I find, don't drink this rum all night, mix it up with something else. "3"
Price: $14.95 for a fifth seemed really decent and I would regularly give high marks for that, but in this case you are better off with a $10-$12 bottle and better taste. A little overpriced for the Appleton name. "2.5"
Novelty: If you brought this to a party and people didn't know better, you could probably try to pass this off for a nice rum because the bottle says "special". Just don't bring this to my house, I'll call you out as a cheap little bitch. "2"

If rums were a family, as I have been describing lately with the twin brothers Montego Bay and Ron Rio, then Appleton Jamaica rum is that snooty bitch uncle that claims to have gone to a prestigeous university to his friends and co-workers, roots for the football team as "we" and has an alumni sticker on his car, but he actually only went to community college. Shhh, don't tell anybody. "2.3"