Rum argument over what can be called true Jamaican spirit rumbles on…

Jamaican rum producers are involved in a spirited dispute over what can properly be called Jamaican Rum.

At the request of the Spirits Pool Association (SPA), the Caribbean island nation’s trade organisation representing Jamaica's six major rum distilleries, the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO) changed the rules on what can legally be called Jamaican Rum in 2020.

JIPO approved amendments to the geographical indication (GI) designation for Jamaica Rum that was originally set up in 2016, with the biggest change being that to be called Jamaican Rum, the spirit has to be aged in Jamaica, not overseas.

The SPA's argument for the change is that it will strengthen the case for the GI appellation, Jamaican Rum, to be officially recognised in its two key export markets, the EU and the US.

The SPA members are Appleton Estate and New Yarmouth (both owned by J Wray & Nephew Ltd); Long Pond Distillers (owned by National Rums of Jamaica - NRJ); Clarendon Distillers (owned 73% by NRJ); Everglades Farms; and Worthy Park Estate.

However, NRJ, one of the island’s biggest rum producers (and a member of the SPA) then tried to have the GI rules changed again, to allow for rum aged outside Jamaica to still use the Jamaican Rum GI.

There are suggestions that this may be because NRJ is owned by three shareholders: the government of Jamaica, Demerara Distillers of Guyana and the Barbados-based West Indies Rum Distillery (Wird). Wird was bought in 2017 by French spirits firm Maison Ferrand and its business model relies heavily on exporting rum in bulk and ageing overseas, which would no longer be allowed under Jamaica's new GI rules.

Apparently, according to Drinks International, attempts to create a GI for Barbados rum have been frustrated by Wird, while the other major rum producers on the island are pushing for it.

In Jamaica, about 80% of rum produced by NRJ is exported and it is apparently the country’s largest rum exporter, accounting for between 30% and 40% of Jamaica’s foreign exchange earnings from rum.

NRJ says the new rules would mean it would have to change the way it operates which could potentially put it out of business. NRJ argues that rum aged outside of Jamaica is still Jamaican rum, and that the island has exported and aged rum abroad for centuries. It had argued for a change to the new JIPO rules which would allow rum aged off the island to still use the Jamaica Rum GI. But in a hearing in October 2024, JIPO sided with the SPA and upheld the changes.

NRJ is appealing the JIPO ruling, with a hearing scheduled for 28 April. It has suggested it may have to shut down if the new ruling is enforced.

The BBC reports that the SPA wants the country's rum producers “to apply for the EU's Protected Geographical Indication classification, but this cannot happen until the proceedings at the JIPO have concluded.”

In an article from Jamaican news site, Loop News, Martha Miller, CEO of NRJ, is quoted as saying: “The ability to continue to grow Brand Jamaica through rum as it has been done for centuries will be impacted. For centuries we have been exporting rum to the world and sharing Brand Jamaica. When it reaches overseas, they put it in a barrel and it is aged. This will now limit our ability to do so.”

However, Jamaican media and the BBC report that The Spirits Pool Association claims that Wird only started to have issues with the geographical indication after its takeover by Maison Ferrand.

General Manager of the Spirits Pool Association Limited, Christopher Gentles told Jamaican media after the October ruling: “We are relieved at the ruling, because we believe it is in the best interest of Jamaica and goes a long way in protecting intellectual property and Jamaican rum… What we're saying is, if you truly believe in Jamaica rum, age it in Jamaica.”

And Jamaican newspaper, The Gleaner, welcomed JIPO’s decision, saying there were many examples of firms "with no association to Jamaica attempting to appropriate the mystique of the island's brand…. When foreign entities become owners of uniquely Jamaican products, there should be a commitment to robustly maintain the integrity of the brand."