Nov 12, 2023
Great experience, big up Janine Hanson and tour guide Danielle - Great experience from start to finish, world class, great history lesson, refreshing to see the transition from slavery to a business that employees thousands and a significant contributor to the Jamaican economy and Tourism product. Ask for the Manager Janine Hanson and tour guide Danielle they were great. The gift shop is loaded as well, if you are a rummer you will love it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Oct 27, 2022
Great way to see a different part of the island! - We booked this tour last minute before leaving the U.S. to head to Negril, Jamaica. We are so glad we did! We were picked up at our hotel (unfortunately I can't remember our driver's name, but he was from Reggae Tours) and taken the two hours to Appleton Estate. Along the way our driver told us about the history of Jamaica, its agriculture (he stopped to point different things out like coconut trees, plantains, banana trees, etc), and its food. We stopped for pattis (my partner and I both got the chicken pattis) and they were delicious!
At Appleton, our driver got us checked in and wristbanded. We had a welcome drink while waiting for the tour. A cruise group came in and needed to go before us (they were on a tight timeline), which was fine because the staff came over and explained it to us. Plus the delay allowed us to get a second drink to take on the tour with us!
Our tour guide was Romain who was excellent. When he told us he had only been working there 3 months, it was hard to believe because how great of a tour guide he was. The tour is very informative and fun - along the way you get to try sugarcane, sugarcane juice, and molasses. Of course, the highlight is the rum tasting at the end! We tried three different types of rum - the signature, the 8 year, and the 12 year.
After the tour at Appleton, we reunited with our driver and were taken back the two hours to Negril. I recommend this tour if you want to see a different part of the island. The views of the mountains, especially on the drive back, are incredible.
Review provided by Viator
Mar 22, 2021
Incredible experience at Appleton! - My husband and I went on the run tour and tasting at Appleton Estates, and it was absolutely amazing! Our tour guide, Peter, was knowledgeable, friendly, and made the tour so much fun. It is an interactive and in-depth tour, and it includes a tasting at the end. What could be better?? We have been on dozens of brewery and distillery tours, and this is the best one we have experienced. We would definitely recommend it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mar 15, 2020
Appleton Estate Day Trip - February 29,2020 we went on a day trip from our resort in Negril to Appleton Estate we were so excited to see a sign and been told it is a non-smoking property and that was great not to suck in smoke . When we arrived we were sent to the bar for a complimentary rum and ginger beer drink which tasted great . We waited around 20-25 minutes for the tour to start they showed all the old ways things were done as they spoke of the history of the estate and showed how they make their rum, there was a group from Kingston that were loud and over did it with the noise as this was getting annoying as the host tried in a very nice way to quite down a couple of them as they felt they were running the tour and making themselves look like jerks, at last the host halfway into the tour got them acting like adults. We went into the plan seen the large pots distilling the rum to the barrel warehouse where hundreds of rum filled barrels were aging . This was a interesting tour where we learned the history and how they distill the rum to the finished product until we moved back inside for some tasting which was great to lean for us as will love Appleton rum a tour well worth it for us.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Oct 12, 2019
Amazing - We decided to do this trip combined with the YS Falls and it was a great trip. You are greeted with the chance to have a free drink from the bar which was lovely. The guide was knowledgeable and great fun to show us around and tell us all about the process. The tasting afterwards of the different blends was a great eye opener in how it changes over the years of being stored. We chose to eat in the restaurant and were not disappointed even for a fussy eater like me and was very reasonably priced .
Review provided by Tripadvisor
May 21, 2018
Native Jamaican's not welcome! - Poor experience. Drove 2 and a half hours, was not greeted with warmly by the ticket office customer service. We experienced being asked to pay an international rate when we are locals- and simply did not have ID (although using Jamaican bank card and clearly identifying as local - whereas the group of people ahead of us, a party of 4, were only asked to show the ID of the person who headed the group. A local taxi driver was permitted entry at a local rate with no ID. Although we paid the rate, when we challenged the difference in approach we were treated in a way that I can only say was not becoming of an establishment representing Jamaican's finest. The general manager was rude, and unsympathetic - only repeating that policy had to be followed - which of course it wasn't. We were simply asked to leave by him, and given a refund. Shame on you Appleton!
Review provided by Tripadvisor