Gruppo Campari have released the Appleton Estate Joy Anniversary Blend, a 25-year-old limited edition rum, which celebrates Joy Spence’s 20th anniversary as Master Blender.
Joy’s prestige as the world’s first female Master Blender certainly served to shatter the spirits industry’s glass ceiling. Combining the talents of an artist and the skills of a scientist, Joy has spent the last 20 years creating some truly wonderful rums, and whilst the Appleton Estate Joy Anniversary Blend may be her greatest achievement, on behalf of rum fans everywhere, we also hope that it is not the last.
“For my anniversary blend, I simply set out to create the rum that I’d like to sip while watching the colours of my garden change in the warm glow of the Jamaican sunset,” said Joy Spence. “It includes two rum marques which are of particular sentimental significance to me: The first of these marques was laid down to age in 1981, which is the year I joined the Appleton Estate team, and the second is my favourite marque of pot still rum. The final blend is a wonderful rum that I hope will be become a cornerstone of my legacy.”
Official Appleton Tasting Notes:
This beautifully complex and elegant limited edition is the culmination of Joy’s pioneering spirit, inventive mind, and dedication to her craft. Appleton Estate Joy Anniversary Blend opens with a delicate orange peel top note, a hallmark of Appleton Estate rums, intertwined with ginger and spice and finishes with warm vanilla, butterscotch, coffee and layers of almond and toasted oak. The palate is exceptionally smooth with an elegant finish of brown sugar.
The Appleton Estate Joy Anniversary Blend is 25-year-old minimum aged rum, which also includes rums that have been aged up to 35 years. Appleton Estate Joy Anniversary Blend will be rolled out across markets starting in March 2017. The retail price is £225 (GBP).