Making History Through Rum with Joy Spence
Key Points From This Episode:
• This year is Joy’s 40th anniversary at Appleton Estate Rum as their master blender.
• Joy’s upbringing in Jamaica, as an adopted child.
• The woman who fostered Joy’s love for chemistry, and her devastating death.
• Joy’s education and professional background, leading up to her current role.
• Paths that Joy’s children have taken career-wise.
• Skills that are vital for the work that Joy does.
• How the heat in Jamaica impacts the rum being produced there.
• The huge difference between standard rum and premium aged rum.
• What makes Jamaican rum unique.
• Admirable work that Joy is doing to help others.
• Advice for anyone out there who is hoping to pursue a career as a master blender.
• The new, very limited, collections that Joy has been working on, one of which sold out within two hours when it was released in Europe!
• What the Joy Spence Appleton Estate Rum Experience entails.
• How Joy likes to drink rum, what specific rums should be paired with, and an explanation of how to make Joy’s Cocktail. Key Points From This Episode:
Joy Spence was the first female master blender in the entire spirits industry and today, 40 years later, she is still creating exceptional rum. Joy’s journey into the world of spirits began with a passion for chemistry in high school and a teacher who helped her to reach her full potential. Her intellect, combined with her endearing and tenacious personality, makes her an unstoppable force. According to Joy, the main element that sets Jamaican rum apart is that when you drink it you can feel the spirit of the country; and Joy herself oozes that spirit too. Not only is Joy a world-class blender, but she also dedicates a lot of her time to helping other young women discover their passions and follow their dreams. Joy has so much fascinating knowledge to share, and by the end of this episode, you’ll know if you have what it takes to be a master blender and the proper way to drink rum!
Appleton Estate’s Master Blender, Joy Spence, has the honour of being the first woman to hold the position of Master Blender in the spirits industry. In this role, Joy is responsible for ensuring the quality and consistency of existing blends, creating new rum blends, and monitoring the company’s inventory of aging rum stocks. Simply put, it is Joy’s job to ensure that that all Appleton Estate rum blends meet the high standards that consumers have grown to love and expect. Joy joined Appleton Estate as Chief Chemist in 1981 where her passion for the art of creating rum-blends was inspired by her predecessor and mentor at the company, then Master Blender, Owen Tulloch. When Owen retired Joy was appointed the Master Blender in 1997.
