By Ayanna Kirton, Staff Reporter
Mrs. Spence examines one of her prized blends.
MASTER BLENDER and general manager for Wray & Nephew's Technical and Quality Services, Joy Spence, is a trailblazer. Joining the company as chief chemist in 1981, she studied the art of blending for 17 years before being appointed to the post of master blender, a position which no other female in the industry has ever held.
As master blender, Mrs. Spence is responsible for several areas of operation. It is her duty to maintain the integrity of all wines and spirits in the Wray & Nephew portfolio, which include rum, vodka, liqueurs and wines, by "monitoring all the components to ensure that there is no variation from batch to batch," she says.
In addition to her role as general manager for technical and quality services, Mrs. Spence's responsibilities span a range of areas, including research and development, environmental management, continuous assessment of the blends at various stages of production, external communication with export customers, quality systems and the final approval of liquids for bottling.
NOT A DESK JOB
"It is definitely not a desk job," she says, "as I am constantly on my feet from point A to B, checking the various points of the operation."
Chief among her responsibilities is that in product development. Through this, she is able to apply her creativity and sensory skills to the creation of new blends.
"Rum manufacturing is not a simple process," she said. "Out of several thousand barrels, no two barrels age the same, so the challenge lies in obtaining the same tastes and aroma every single time."
Her signature blends include the Appleton Estate Extra Jamaica Rum, which has received several gold medals in international spirits competitions; the Appleton Estate Reserve Jamaica Rum, which has earned numerous awards, including the trophy for the Best Rum Worldwide in 2003 from the International Wine & Spirits Competition; and the limited edition Appleton Estate 250th Anniversary Jamaica Rum, gold medal winner of the Monde Selection in 2000.
"I enjoy the developmental work and I take great pleasure in seeing my creations make it to the market place especially when they become award winning products internationally."
SENSORY ANALYSIS
Surprisingly, in order to develop and determine the consistency of the many stocks of wines and spirits, she is rarely required to taste the product. "Contrary to what some people believe, I do not drink all day," she says laughing. "Ninety per cent of the testing is based on sensory analysis, which involves 'nosing' (smelling) the products at the different stages of the development, picking out unwanted characteristics of the products and examining the good qualities as well. This sensory skill requires years of training to differentiate the different aromas, so it is important for the art of blending." Though on market for some 15 years, premium aged rum is considered a relatively new entrant to the category of wines and spirits by industry standards.
Premium aged rum has changed the way consumers view rum and part of her responsibility includes educating consumers on this category.
"It is still a new category so we spend a lot of time pounding the pavement, locally and in our export markets, educating consumers about it," she says. "What many people don't realise is that high-end premium aged rum such as our Appleton Estate Extra or 21 Year Rum, are appreciated in the same fashion as you would a cognac. Since we have created and defined this category we like to walk consumers through the manufacturing process and the art of appreciating premium aged rum." Currently, the leading importers of the Appleton range of premium aged rums are Mexico and Canada, followed by the United States.
To sustain that success, she says that striking a balance between sales forecasts, marketing requirements and trends is critical.
"Keeping abreast of market trends, meeting consumer's demands, while ensuring consistency from batch to batch are all important," she said.
