Loving You...Appleton Rum

For centuries, J. Wray & Nephew has produced the world famous, Appleton Rum, and has walked away with coveted medals and awards for its hand-blended 'gold'.

So you can imagine Meg's excitement when the opportunity presented itself to join family friends on the Appleton Estate Rum Tour in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica! You'll see from our video clip below some of the 'awesomeness' found.

Yup, we had a ball! And so will YOU!...Ask for Hugh, a warm and happy Appleton Tour Guide. In fact, we found ALL team members to be very hospitable. So book your ticket and come to Jamaica, man :-)

Here's a bit of new Green info - Appleton has been known to recycle byproducts such as bagasse ('trash' after extracting the juice from sugarcane) along with having their own electricity supply. In 2010, Appleton will be taking one step further to transitioning from a mechanical&manual operation to 'Green Cane Harvesting'! This eco-friendly technique does away with burning the sugar cane fields prior to harvesting that will help to preserve the environment and reduce the company's carbon footprint. Plus, the distillery plant will be enhanced since plants and external doors are often covered in 'black soot' left behind from the burning of sugarcane fields nearby. Appleton Estate and its parent, J. Wray and Nephew, are to be commended and we are sure Jamaica's ECCO Magazine will be pleased.

Overall MEG recommends the Appleton Estate tour as an incentive for staff at companies - locally or abroad, as a family 'staycation', excursion with friends, high-school & university chemistry students or just because. And hey if non-alcohol fans think a trip to the makers of premium liquor would be unappealing, think again...There is much history to learn, demonstrations to see and one would feel satisfied especially for Caribbean 'connectedness'. Besides, you will see beautiful resident peacocks and even a red-headed pheasant.

For an enhanced experience, pre-book for the Appleton tour lunch package and if you are so lucky participate in the Appleton Academy where you can have the chance to meet the Master Blender, Mrs. Joy Spence, under whose guidance you will learn to make your blend of rum! How do you like 'em apples? :-)) For scouts or production people, the Appleton Estate is the perfect location for a movie or commercial. Just don't forget to send a megalicious finder's fee :-))

Also, did you know MEG does customized Ciggiez 'N' Rum packages? Share with us your price point, delivery location and we'll help to make an indelible impression for your client, supplier or special occasion. Place your order at myelitegrocer.com, e-mail info@myelitegrocer.com or give us a call. Guess what? Rum from J. Wray & Nephew especially Appleton Rum Cream, Appleton V/X and 21-year old Appleton are the most requested rum products! Having sampled their newest liqueur called Rumona, we can hardly wait for it to hit the international market as we feel Rumona will be equally popular.

Quick tip: Miniature Appleton Special or Rum Cream liqueur bottles are great for wedding giveaways and guests will fall in love with Jamaican Rum Punch during a cocktail hour.

On another note, we apologize for the absence of last week's blog. Unfortunately we had technical issues and will soon be transferring to Word Press. We'll keep you posted. As a make-up offering, comment below or on today's video blog (on youtube) and have a chance of winning 1-dozen freshly baked authentic Jamaican plantain tarts!

What's required? Simply be the first to correctly name the fruit shown below.

Megalicious hint: It's tastes similar to 'coolie' plum but has 4-seeds :-)

The offer noted above expires at 4p.m, Aug 20th (EST) and is limited to Kingston delivery locations. The winner will be made known on our twitter page at 8p.m (EST) Friday, Aug 20th.