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 Kingston by her adoptive parents. Her passion for chemistry began at age 13. Spence attended the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 18 English-speaking countries and territories in t ...

, graduating with First Class Honors in 1972. She earned her master's degree in analytical chemistry at

Loughborough University Loughborough University (abbreviated as ''Lough'' or ''Lboro'' for Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a public university, public research university in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. It has been a university sinc ...

in England.

Career

Spence started as a research and development chemist at Tia Maria, then was hired by J. Wray and Nephew Ltd., a rum company. In 1981, the rum distillery Appleton Estate, which was owned by Wray and Nephew, hired Spence as its chief chemist. At Appleton, Spence worked with Owen Tulloch, the master blender at the time, who recognized Spence's ability to identify and differentiate between smells, describing it as an "

organoleptic Organoleptic properties are the aspects of food, water or other substances as apprehended via the senses—including taste, sight, smell, and touch. In traditional U.S. Department of Agriculture meat and poultry inspections, inspectors p ...

talent". After working with Tulloch for 17 years, Spence was promoted to master blender on Tulloch's retirement. Her first creation as the master blender was a special rum to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Appleton Estate, which received high praise in the industry. Spence has created special rum blends for select customers, such as

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

Prince William William, Prince of Wales (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982), is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales. William was born during the reign of his p ...

, and Prince Harry. At Appleton Estate, Spence serves as a brand ambassador, travelling about 40% of the time, and is also the general manager for technical and quality service.. Spence was instrumental in achieving

geographical indication A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., a town or region). The use of a geographical indication, as an indication of the product's source, is inten ...

for Jamaican rum, which was awarded in 2016.

Distinctions

Awards

* 2017: Commander (CD) of the

Order of Distinction The Order of Distinction (OD) is a national order in the Jamaican honours system. It is the sixth in order of precedence of the Orders of Societies of Honour, which were instituted by an Act of Parliament (''The National Honours and Awards Ac ...

- Officer (OD) in 2005 * 2017: Grand Dame Award by Tales of the Cocktail * 2018: The Prime Minister's Medal for Science and Technology (now known as the National Medal for Science and Technology) * 2022: Musgrave Gold Medal * 2022: Lifetime Achievement Award by The

Distilled Spirits Council of the United States The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) is a national trade association representing producers and marketers of distilled spirits sold in the United States. DISCUS was formed in 1973 by the merger of three organizations (the B ...

Appleton Estate

Tours of the Appleton Estate distillery are named The Joy Spence Appleton Estate Rum Experience. In 2017, Appleton Estate released the Joy Anniversary Blend of rum to commemorate her 20 years as their master blender. Her 40th year at Appleton Estate was marked by the release of the Ruby Anniversary Edition in 2022.

Personal life

Spence is married and has two children.

References

External links

The First Female Master Blender Is A Black Woman
October 2023 article in ''

Essence Essence () has various meanings and uses for different thinkers and in different contexts. It is used in philosophy and theology as a designation for the property (philosophy), property or set of properties or attributes that make an entity the ...

''
The big interview: Joy Spence, Appleton Estate
''The Spirits Business'', 2022 {{DEFAULTSORT:Spence, Joy 1951 births Living people Jamaican women chemists Whisky blenders Alumni of Loughborough University University of the West Indies alumni