March 10, 2023
Travelers flying from Jamaica’s busiest airport, Sangster International in Montego Bay, can now explore the world of APPLETON ESTATE Jamaica Rum in a new high-tech, premium boutique just opened in the airport’s main duty-free store.
A world-first for the rum brand, the shop in shop takes shoppers on a self-guided, cane-to-cup journey into the heart of what makes APPLETON ESTATE such a unique Caribbean rum, seamlessly blending physical, multisensorial and digital elements. Customers navigate their way through the boutique via a series of interactive touchpoints that express the legend, craft and personality of the island’s iconic rum.
The latest APPLETON ESTATE release, Ruby Anniversary Edition, takes pride of place in the new Sangster store. Produced to celebrate Master Blender Joy Spence’s 40 years with the distillery, APPLETON ESTATE Ruby Anniversary Edition is a rich, complex blend of five rare rums, each aged for a minimum of 35 years, carefully chosen from Appleton Estate’s stock of over 200,000 sleeping barrels.
The distinctive insignia of APPLETON ESTATE, formed of five national symbols of Jamaica, is the central feature of the store’s physical experience. It has been brought to life as a stunning modernist 3D copper sculpture in the centre of the store; a magnet for shoppers to help them learn more about the brand’s origin and terroir.
The insignia is the starting point for the shopper’s digital journey within the boutique. Travelers can scan the front label of any bottle with their mobile device to discover a detailed description about the rum they have chosen, including individual tasting notes and a cane-to-cup explanation of the distillery’s production process narrated by APPLETON ESTATE Master Blender, Joy Spence, herself.
Highlights at the new APPLETON ESTATE Sangster store include:
- A vibrant tasting bar. Expert brand ambassadors show travelers how to make delicious APPLETON ESTATE cocktails and lead guided tastings of its award-winning rum family that includes APPLETON ESTATE Signature, APPLETON ESTATE 8 Year Old Reserve, APPLETON ESTATE 12 Year Old Rare Casks, APPLETON ESTATE 15 Year Old Black River Casks and APPLETON ESTATE 21 Year Old Nassau Valley Casks.
- Home cocktail-making ideas Travelers can use the personalized digital insignia guide on their phone or tablet to discover key APPLETON ESTATE serves and classic cocktails to make at home.
- Personalized gift shopping. The shop’s brand ambassadors can create a personalised digital message for the giftee which can be accessed via a QR-code-enabled neck hanger on the purchased bottle of Appleton Estate 15 Year Old or 21 Year Old.
“We are thrilled to open the APPLETON ESTATE experience at Montego Bay Airport, just 50 miles from where our incredible rums are lovingly crafted,” said Marco Cavagnera, Managing Director of Global Travel Retail at Campari Group. “It’s a perfect premium location to engage shoppers by showcasing every facet of APPLETON ESTATE its rich history, passion for natural ingredients, local provenance, the skill of our Master Blender Joy Spence and the versatility of the award-winning portfolio created under her guidance, ensuring there is an APPLETON ESTATE rum for any elevated occasion, from premium cocktail-making to sipping rums.”
A global leader in premium aged rum, APPLETON ESTATE Rum is located just 50 miles from Montego Bay in Jamaica’s lush Nassau Valley. Aged APPLETON ESTATE Rums carry a prominent minimum age statement and Jamaican GI rum classification which guarantees no additives, ageing solely in Jamaica, and the use of pure, filtered limestone water in the production process.