J. Wray and Nephew Ltd. is a distiller, blender, and bottler of rum, originating and operating in Kingston, Jamaica.
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.[1]
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,[2] in Saint Elizabeth Parish in Cockpit Country in central Jamaica, based around a unique 400 hectare sugar plantation.[3]