A few months after the release of the Appleton Estate 15 Year Old Black River Casks , we had the chance to speak with Stéphane Cronier, Marketing Director of Campari France, to get news from the great Jamaican distillery, and to take stock of the last two years, eventful but rich in new developments. This interview will also be punctuated by a few words from Joy Spence, the house's illustrious Master Blender. A big thank you to the entire Campari and Appleton team!
Appleton Estate has recently revamped its range, and is benefiting from a phenomenal craze for rum. Do you know how this new rum boom came about?
There are several reasons why Appleton is experiencing good growth in France. Firstly, the rum culture is everywhere in the country, which makes things easier. The special relationship we have with the Antilles means that consumers know rum as a quality spirit.
Then we saw an interesting phenomenon, a generational leap where people rarely drink the same spirit as their parents or even their grandparents. Rum had fallen out of fashion for a while, but is now being propelled back into the limelight with the “Coca Cola generation,” who are getting into rum through sweet products. Appleton Estate is not that type of rum, but we want to reach out to those enthusiasts who have come through that gateway. This is done in part through education work with professionals.
Finally, was rum a “premium” spirit, for tasting, before our time?
Not really, those who knew it well were the old hands who had been to the Antilles and brought some back in their luggage, but that's all. This emergence of old rums and "dark rums" is quite recent.
I feel that the Appleton style has evolved, particularly when tasting the 21 year old, which seemed more consensual to me ten years ago.
Indeed, the Appleton style is evolving and tends to mark its identity more. The distillery is developing its own style, less consensual, under the impetus of Joy Spence, the Master Blender. It is good to remember that this 21 year old is a real age count, where 21 is the age of the youngest rum in the blend. We do not know precisely the age of all the rums that make up the blend, simply because different barrels ensure its continuity, and the proportions evolve according to these barrels. What is certain is that this 21 year old also contains much older rums.
“With Appleton Estate Nassau Valley Casks 21 Year Old , we want to honour our estate in a modern way with a sleek and sophisticated new take on our iconic bottle.” “The person you’re drinking it with should mean a lot to you. A lot.” “It could be a birthday or a very special occasion.” Joy Spence
To make 21-year-old rum blends, you need a pretty crazy number of barrels. Do you know how many barrels are currently aging at Appleton?
Today there are about 200,000 barrels aging. It is said to be one of the largest collections in the world.
Is there a policy of rotation, replacing barrels as they go?
Appleton casks are second-fill casks called “Number One Select,” which have only contained bourbon . That’s our trademark. Wild Turkey bourbon is part of the Campari group, so there are obviously casks that come from that distillery. Now, on the one hand, not all Wild Turkey casks go to Appleton, and on the other hand, in the art of aging and blending , it’s interesting to have casks that come from many different distilleries. And then there can be variations in availability, prices, depending on a need at a certain time, etc. It’s a big business, when you consider the price of casks today, so being in the same group provides some security, but it’s not enough.
Currently, demand is high and so are the constraints, are you managing to keep up with this demand?
It depends on the products. We have an incredible stock of precious rums, but like any brand, on very old qualities, we are very limited. On more accessible qualities like Appleton Signature or Appleton 8 years , we are able to supply. Today, the problems we have are not production problems, but rather logistics. These are the consequences of Covid at first, and of the Ukrainian crisis. There are major tensions on transport, and on dry materials such as glassware. It is a real headache.
As you know, to make glass, you need silica. Most of the silica comes from China, so it was already complicated during covid. Then, you also need a lot of gas because you have to heat very strongly. Some of the glass producers are in Russia or Ukraine, and are currently at a standstill. The shortages that are occurring at the moment on the market are not due to liquid problems, but really to bottling problems.
So we try to do our best. On the entry-level qualities in the brand, we are more or less successful. And then on the rare qualities, in any case, it was already the case before, by definition. On the very limited editions, these are allocations, supply and demand mean that we can only offer them to a few wine merchant customers.
How many bottles does Appleton Estate Distillery produce each year ?
Unfortunately, we cannot provide you with our internal figures for confidentiality reasons. However, we can provide you with the latest figures from the IWSR (International Wines & Spirits Record) 2020:
– Total world volume IWSR 2020: 37,156 hectoliters
– Appleton Estate Signature : 92% of the total volume
– Appleton Estate 8 years Reserve: 4.3% of the total volume
– Appleton Estate 12 years Rare Casks: 3.3% of the total volume
Older references (15 year old Black River Casks, 21 year old Nassau Valley Casks, limited editions) represent approximately 0.4% of the brand's total volume.
Speaking of older and limited editions, when we look at the Appleton 21, we see that its price has remained low, or at least has not followed the general increase of very old rums. So we imagine that the demand is increasingly strong for this product in particular…
Absolutely, but where we had ultra-rapid success was with the launch of the Hearts Collection range. The first series (1994 – 1995 – 1999) sold out in a few days. I remember very well the moment when we made the sales forecasts for France, and we would never have predicted that. Of course the Velier effect also came into play.
For the second series, with the 1984 and the 2003 launched last year, it was the same. We sold out very, very quickly. This collection is really a great success.
However, in France, Appleton is not very well known to the general public...
Yes, the brand identity is not very strong there. It languished for a few years, then the relaunch of the 2020s with the new bottle and a number of innovations means that it is increasingly present. Today, at the French level, it remains a small brand in terms of volumes, but it is a brand for connoisseurs.
I have the impression that for the general public, in mass distribution in particular, we find either agricultural rums or "Latino" rums. There is still a place to be taken for traditional English rums .
Exactly, we are working on it. It is a commercial, distribution work. The fact that we (Campari, editor's note) now have a real portfolio of rums, with Trois Rivières, La Mauny and Appleton, allows us to have commercial synergies. Indirectly, Appleton must benefit from the strike force of Trois Rivières and Maison La Mauny .
It's funny because at first you might think the opposite.
Yes! But Trois Rivières in France represents more than a million and a half liters. It is one of the big brands of agricultural rum, so it is a locomotive. It also allows us to increase the distribution of Appleton, and that is where it is interesting to have a portfolio that can touch on several styles, several geographical origins. In any case, we already have two styles!
There is a work of prescription, of education. This is what we do with Joy with professionals, blogs, influencers, to make this brand known. We want to make it known that Jamaica is a land of rum, not only for enlightened amateurs.
Appleton is a pretty exceptional distillery, with Joy Spence being the first female Master Blender. There is work on both pot-stills and columns, a style of its own, a history. On the French market, we have a lot of work to do to raise our profile, but we are making progress year after year.
What has been the impact of Covid on Appleton Estate?
To look at things positively, this allowed us to "recruit" a lot of new customers. At the beginning of 2020, we were in the middle of positioning the brand, with new bottles, new expressions, but that didn't slow us down, quite the contrary. We took the opportunity to rework our communication, develop new content via the different platforms and social networks. On the one hand, there were educational sessions, masterclasses, and then on the other, home cocktails. We had to be ingenious to relay new messages to consumers. This is something that had not been done before in Appleton, even on a global level. So there was an acceleration phenomenon.
In summary, Covid has not slowed down the distillery's capacity for innovation. This is essential, because it is a key element in this market. Connoisseurs regularly look for new products, new finishes, new blends, new age accounts. At no time have we slowed down these innovations. The launch of the Appleton 15 year old Black River Casks is proof of this.
"For the 15 year old, we chose a rare blend of rums from pot-stills and column stills for a full-bodied finish," "Its delicately spicy notes evolving towards subtly fruity woody aromas reflect the lushness and fertility of the lands crossed by the Black River in the Nassau Valley." Joy Spence
We've lost track of time a bit over the last couple of years, but these launches have given us a certain rhythm. We're on a dynamic that will continue. We can't reveal anything for now, but it will continue.
The Hearts Collection may not be finished…
Maybe not, it would be a shame to stop there! There are other things in the drawers, but especially in the cellars and in Joy's head. This innovation policy is clearly anchored in Appleton's strategy.
How does Appleton get its molasses?
We grow more than 10 varieties of cane on approximately 11,000 hectares. With 300 partner farmers, we control our entire molasses supply, we are 100% autonomous.
"We produce all the ingredients that go into our rum." "From the sugar cane that we grow ourselves to the water filtered through the limestone from our source, each step is followed with the greatest care to deliver this superb rum." Joy Spence
Can you tell us about the assembly process?
The barrels are assembled in vats and the rum rests for a few weeks, or even a few months in the vat. For the oldest blends, the recipe is constantly evolving. The number of barrels is naturally smaller, so the profile of the blend is more complex to maintain.
The reduction is done using very pure water, drawn from a pond fed by the Black River which flows in the Nassau Valley.
"Kingston can be in a severe drought, but as soon as you get over that hill, you feel like you're living in a utopia," Joy Spence, speaking of the Nassau Valley.
Are column and pot-till rums aged separately, or are they blended in the barrel?
Appleton Estate rums are aged separately following distillation. Blending is done only before bottling.
“Pot still rums are extremely smooth, bold and flavourful. They are an extraordinary base to work with, which is the heart and DNA of our blends” Joy Spence
