The range is a collaboration between Appleton Estate’s master blender Joy Spence and Luca Gargano, the Italian rum collector and owner of Velier, the specialist wine and spirits importer based in Genoa.
The rums are the first single-marque pot-still rums that the Jamaican distillery has ever released and are from each a different vintage; 1994, 1995 and 1999. Three thousand bottles are available from each marque.
“I was looking for beautiful, spicy, fruity notes, something rounded with vanilla, a little coffee, and cocoa notes coming from the oak. The smell and taste are so enigmatic. It takes you into a different world,” said Spence.
“Pot still rum is such an amazing rum, it’s such an amazing base to work with –it’s the heart and soul of our blends.”
This release represents the first collaboration between Joy Spence and Luca Gargano.
“For me, the Hearts Collection is really to show how many colours– the biodiversity—of Appleton Estate in the sense that the Estate has so many different marques, so many different vintages,” said Gargano.
“The big value of Appleton Estate, in parallel with Joy’s exquisite blending techniques, is its production, heritage, and stock - which makes it the best distillery in the world.”
The Hearts Collection’s launch follows Appleton Estate’s recent brand relaunch which included a new packaging design and the release of a new eight-year-old reserve rum.
The Hearts Collection is available from November & December 2020 in selected, premium spirits retailers in global markets including Italy, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Austria, Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan and Jamaica. The collection will be available in the United States in early 2021.
