Joy Spence
APPLETON ESTATE RUM EXPERIENCE
JOY SPENCE Appleton Estate Rum Experience has gotten a 100 per cent vote of approval from locals.
Since reopening its doors four months ago, the multibilliondollars refurbished and renamed a Joy Spence Appleton Estate Rum Experience (JS-AERE) has seen a 35 per cent jump in local business, as Jamaicans gravitate towards their culture.
Formerly, the Appleton Estate Rum Tour, the JS-AERE, which is named for the company’s master blender, is not only serving as a gateway to the rising tourism boom on the island’s southern coast, but has gotten a 100 per cent vote of approval from locals with a full appreciation of the business of rum and its heritage.
Recognising the support, JSAERE’s senior manager, Debbian Spence-Minott, announced a summer special for Jamaicans, which will see them getting a 20 per cent discount on entry into the attraction, from July 1 to August 31.
“We want to ensure that Jamaicans experience what is theirs; what is a rich part of our culture and rum is that part of our culture,” she told Hospitality
Jamaica, explaining that J Wray and Nephew Limited, the parent company owned by Campari Group, has been making rum since 1749 – over 269 years.
Predating the expansion, Spence-Minott said that up to 2016, only 20 per cent of their business came from locals visiting the Siloah, St Elizabeth – located attraction.
PROUD TO SHOWCASE
“Since the expansion we have seen tremendous growth. The business has shifted, and our reviews speak for the experience. It is an attraction that Jamaicans are proud to showcase.”
Redesigned with an aesthetic that is authentically Jamaican and a true reflection of the Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum brand, the facility is so diverse, it has wide variety of offerings. However, those who visit will tell you that the new theatre on property is one of the most talked-about features.
Visitors get to see a six-minute video presentation on the history of rum production, noted SpenceMinott, adding that Paz, the donkey, demonstrating the 16thcentury extraction method of the juice from the cane, remains everybody’s favourite.
As contemporary meets traditional, the JS-AERE is ensuring the preservation of the Jamaican history, and another aspect of this is evidenced in the Prime Ministers Reserve, in the ageing house – nine barrels of rum are being aged for Jamaica’s 100th year of Independence.
In 2012, when Jamaica celebrated its 50th anniversary of Independence, all prime ministers or their living relatives poured 50year-old rums in barrels for further ageing. These bottles will be bottled in 2062, during the country’s Independence.
As proud as the senior manager is, the Jamaicans who visit seem to be the attraction’s busiest ambassadors, and the commendations on TripAdvisor, Instagram and Facebook speak volumes.
Social media comment gleaned from TripAdvisor shows Monalisa A, based in Kingston, writing of a ‘Joy-ful’ experience. “I had the most relaxing and enjoying tour at
the Joy Spence Appleton Estate Rum Tour. The customer service was first-class, the atmosphere was spirit-filled and the environs were immaculate. It was a good vibe. The food was divine. The gift shop had really nice memorabilia.”
She described it as a hotspot and a “must visit” for visitors as well as Jamaicans.
Andrew W, also of Kingston, commended the tour guide as being exceptional in his knowledge. “He had our group laughing all throughout his time with us. The tasting of rum punch, molasses, fresh-squeezed sugar cane that I helped to produce in a cane crusher,” he said.
Meanwhile, Rosalee Thomas of Mandeville, in her review, said JSAERE was a ‘Tour with a difference’. “The journey in the countryside was very exhilarating and peaceful. The tour with the refreshment was so good and educative. The storage of the different ages of rum was good.”
For Thomas, it was a day well spent!