APPLETON Estate’s portfolio of rums flew the Jamaica flag high at the world’s most prestigious spirits and cocktail competition, where its 21-year-old copped the beverage industry’s most coveted award, the Chairman’s Trophy, at the 2019 Ultimate Spirits Challenge (USC).

The taste of Appleton Estate 21-year-old whipped up a near-perfect 98 points, from a possible 100, according to results released last Monday for the 2019 USC, which provides accurate, meaningful and useful results in recognising and promoting the quality of beverage alcohol products. The competition took place throughout March and early April at the USC Evaluation Center in Hawthorne, New York.

Besides the 21-year-old, three other premium brands from the Appleton Estate range scored highly. They are Appleton Estate Rare (12-year-old), Appleton Signature and Appleton Estate Reserve.

“We are elated with this victory. For many years, prior to its acquisition in 2012, the Campari Group courted the owners of the Appleton rum brands because we were absolutely certain that it was the best in the world,” said Jean-Philippe Beyer, managing director, J Wray & Nephew Ltd, a subsidiary of the Campari Group.

Beyer added: “This award is affirming our belief in the brand and the people behind it. Our rums are without a doubt unique and special because of the skills of our people, our high-quality standards and the compelling Jamaican heritage.”

The USC was first staged in 2010 and for the ninth year in succession, there were record entries from the more than 45 spirits-producing nations.

Over the years, organisers have managed to raise the standard for competitive beverage evaluation by instituting more rigorous judging. Each product is reviewed under ideal tasting conditions over a period of time that allows the product to express its best characteristics.

Importantly, each product is evaluated blind by panels in multi-stage assessments, to remove any inherent or individual bias. Thus, results are the most credible and relevant in the industry.

Tasting notes for Appleton Estate 21-year-old said it was ‘extraordinary’ and deserved ‘ultimate recommendation’, which was the Chairman’s Trophy.

Tasters stenciled sumptuously: “Sweet grass and notes of leather waft up from this beautifully aged rum. In the mouth, white pepper dustiness punctuates creamy papaya, while the luscious molasses in the background steadily takes over the long and enjoyable finish.”

Appleton Rare (12-year-old) was rated as excellent with 94 points, and highly recommended in the ‘Finalist’ category, while the Appleton Estate Signature Blend got similar ratings, but ended with a grade of 92. Appleton Estate Reserve was also accounted for with 92 marks and came in ‘highly recommended’ for ‘Great Value’.

The USC’s Chairman Award and other accolades are encouraging signals, as the Campari Group, has indicated that it is committed to growing Appleton into a major brand internationally and in so doing, growing brand Jamaica.

Last year the Campari Group invested US$7.5-million to upgrade the Joy Spence Appleton Estate Rum Experience (JS-AERE). The rum tour caters to tourists and local visitors alike and is a major attraction to Jamaica’s south coast. The tour highlights Appleton’s heritage, unique terroir and provides an education about the rum-making journey from ‘cane to cocktail’. This substantial investment has been followed by the hugely successful inaugural Jamaica Rum Festival in March 2019. The two-day event was oversubscribed and saw patrons learning everything about rum, including a sampling of blends from Appleton Estate and its 21-year-old that rocked USC.

“This year’s USC was genuinely international with a dazzling array of quality distillates from 46 countries. Producers look to us for the fairest, most accurate analytical data in the industry,” said F Paul Pacult, the USC’s founder and judging director, in a USC release.

Pacult added: “USC is the only international spirits competition that evaluates spirits in cocktails to assess their mixability. The responsibility for our judges to render reliable results is paramount to USC’s mission of no shortcuts. Just honest, impartial judging.”