Highly decorated local architect Clifton Yap has been recommissioned by J Wray & Nephew Limited to design its $1-billion renovation and upgrade of the Appleton Estate Rum Tour Visitor Centre in Siloah, St Elizabeth.

Yap, who designed the original rum tour for the popular Jamaican attraction, won the Jamaican Institute of Architects Governor General Award in 1989 for Best Commercial Project.

“An important and non-negotiable element of this renovation project is for the redesigned rum tour to maintain an aesthetic that is authentically Jamaican and a true reflection of the Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum Brand,” J Wray & Nephew Chairman Clement “Jimmy” Lawrence said.

He noted that it was Yap’s amazingly impressive body of work that made the reunion possible.

“Also, it is this desire for authenticity that led us to collaborate with a local designer and not just any designer but the one who had designed the original Appleton Estate Rum Tour,” Lawrence added.

“We are excited about the vision that Mr Yap brings and we know that his creativity and expertise will help to bring to life this world-class tourist attraction right here in the heart of Jamaica. We know that our visitors will be pleased with the enhanced experience at the Appleton Estate Rum Tour and will also appreciate that the heritage and spirit of the tour are still intact,” Lawrence said.

For his part, Yap said he has every confident the finished product will not only be well received, but will also be the centrepiece of tourism-related activities on the island’s southern coast.

“The $1-billion investment not only demonstrates the confidence which J Wray & Nephew and its parent company Gruppo Campari has in Jamaica, but will be solidly looked at as money well spent,” he said.

“My relationship with Appleton began in the late 1980s when they called me in to discuss the renovation of a space in their factory compound where they had been accommodating tourists who were going there by train to tour the factory,” Yap explained.

The current work, he said, includes the renovation of the existing property and surrounding landscape, the addition of modern rooms to facilitate the tasting of rum, an expansive retail store, and a restaurant and lounge offering Appleton-infused Jamaican cuisine.

“The centrepiece of the restaurant will be an authentic Jamaican jerk pit,” he added. “There will also be an impressive state-of-the-art bar featuring both classic and modern rum cocktails.”

Yap further recounted that when he was called in to renovate the existing space on the factory compound, it was his suggestion to remove the facility from the factory compound itself and place it by the train line on the adjoining playing field where the first facility was built.

“The original project won the award for Best Commercial Project and the Appleton tour experience by train became a special feature,” he noted.