The Appleton Estate is the oldest sugar plantation and distillery in Jamaica. Its sugar fields cover 11,000 acres of the Nassau Valley, located in the Saint Elizabeth parish, and it has been in operation since 1749. The distillery was bought by J. Wray & Nephew in 1916, which as of 2012 became a subsidiary of global drinks giant, Gruppo Campari. It operates five double-retort pot stills alongside a column still, and generally produces single blended rums by vatting the two distillates. In 1997, Appleton Estate became the first distillery in the entire spirits industry to employ a female master blender, Joy Spence.
Formerly known as the "Extra," the Rare Blend 12 year old is distilled by J. Wray and Nephew at the Appleton Estate on their pot and column stills.