J. Wray & Nephew Ltd., a part of the Campari Group and producer of some of the world’s finest rums, officially opened its newly renovated Joy Spence Appleton Estate Rum Experience (JSAERE) in Siloah, St. Elizabeth on January 18, 2018.
This interactive visitor experience celebrates the Estate’s history, heritage and commitment to quality, as well as that of its namesake Joy Spence, the first woman to hold the position of Master Blender in the spirits industry.
JRA (Jack Rouse Associates) has enjoyed a partnership with J. Wray & Nephew, Ltd. and Campari Group since the initial brainstorming of JSAERE in 2012. Since that time, JRA has provided project visioning, master planning, conceptual design, design development, project management and art direction for this multi-sensory rum experience. Specific duties have included storyline development, architectural building concepts, lighting design, audio-visual hardware and software design, graphic design and production, interior finishes selections, art direction, and fabrication supervision.
“Working with the Campari Group and local J. Wray & Nephew teams has been fantastic,” said Matthew Wheeler, JRA Senior Project Director. “The Joy Spence Appleton Estate Rum Experience contains everything you want in a project. It makes for an authentic, fun, educational, memorable,‘only here’, multi-sensory day. JRA was tasked with providing an attraction that is ‘alive, raw, beautifully crafted, premium, and storied’ – all which are attributes of the brand. I think together we achieved that goal.”
J. Wray & Nephew Limited Chairman, Clement ‘Jimmy’ Lawrence said “Campari Group’s vision to expand and indeed upgrade the home of Appleton resulted in an investment of US$ 7.2 Million Dollars being poured into the project. The new JS-AERE will allow visitors to feel and taste the essence of Appleton whilst learning about the complexity and sophistication of rum. The project is truly a testament of what happens when Jamaican talent partners with international knowhow. We are pleased with the JRA’s interpretation of our concept.”
The Joy Spence Appleton Estate Rum Experience includes approximately 24,000 square feet of new building construction, as well as 27,000 square feet of outdoor historic estate grounds, which provide access to artifacts, landscaped pathways, and photo opportunities. As well as tasting an array of different rums, visitors gain insight into traditional distillation methods, try their hand at time-honored methods of cane-juicing and sugar boiling, sample fresh sugar cane juice, and visit the barrel house where the rum is aged, all while learning all about how these premium rums are produced.
SLIDESHOW:
In addition to the outdoor attractions and expansive new estate tour, visitors can experience:
• A welcomepavilion with new restrooms, a bar and seating, as well as new ticketing, artifact displays, tour maps, and guest services
• A 3,000-square-foot theater, with a newly produced custom film for the estate tour
• A 20-person VIP tasting room
• Three separate tasting rooms, each accommodating 35 guests and housing their own bar
• A new restaurant, bar, and lounge with a new authentic Jamaican Jerk barbecue pit that offers Jamaican fare prepared daily
• Three new outdoor covered pavilions with exhibit related graphics and signage, unique exhibits, and estate artifacts
• A new observation tower, where guests can view the sugar cane fields and Jamaica’s famous Cockpit Country – a unique, beautiful, and rugged terrain
• A new 2,500-square-foot retail
