J. Wray and Nephew Ltd. is a distiller, blender, and bottler of

rum Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is often aged in barrels of oak. Rum originated in the Caribbean in the 17th century, but today it is produced i ...

, originating and operating in

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long spit (landform), sand spit which connects the town of Por ...

History

In 1825, John Wray opened "The Shakespeare Tavern" in Kingston. In 1860, Wray brought in his nephew Charles James Ward to run the business side of the company. Wray retired in 1862 and died in 1870, leaving Ward as the sole proprietor of the business. Ward developed the tavern and liquor-dealing concern into one of Jamaica's largest exporting commercial enterprises. At the International Exhibition held in London in 1862, J. Wray and Nephew won three gold medals for its 10-, 15- and 25-year-old rums. The company's rums also won several awards and prizes at international exhibitions in Paris—1878, Amsterdam—1883, New Orleans—1885 and Jamaica 1891. In 1916, Lindo Brothers & Co purchased Wray & Nephew. Almost immediately thereafter, the new company, J. Wray & Nephew Ltd., purchased the Appleton Estates, a plantation which had produced rum throughout the period of chattel slavery. The Appleton Estate distillery was established in 1749, in

Saint Elizabeth Parish Saint Elizabeth(), one of Jamaica's largest parishes, is located in the southwest of the island, in the county of Cornwall. Its capital, Black River, is located at the mouth of the Black River, the widest on the island. History Saint Elizab ...

in Cockpit Country in central Jamaica, based around a unique 400 hectare sugar plantation. In 1997,

Joy Spence Joy Spence (born 1951) is a Jamaican chemist and master blender at Appleton Estate. She was the first female master blender in the spirits industry. Early life and education Spence was born in Manchester, Jamaica in 1951 and was raised in K ...

was made the master blender at J. Wray and Nephew—the first woman ever to occupy this position in the industry. In late 2012, Wray & Nephew was purchased by the

Campari Group Davide Campari-Milano N.V., trading as Campari Group, is an Italian company active since 1860 in the branded drink industry, beverage industry. It produces Distilled beverage, spirits, wines, and non-alcoholic apéritifs. From its signature produ ...

. In 2021, the company launched Wray Forward, a program to support UK Black founders and businesses.

Brands

Rums currently produced by J. Wray & Nephew include: Rare 1940s bottles of Wray and Nephew rum are valued at $54,000 a bottle.

References

{{Reflist, 30em Campari brands Companies established in 1825 Distilleries Food and drink companies of Jamaica Jamaican brands Rum produced in Jamaica