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Spirits Pool Association Limited, which represents most of Jamaica’s rum distilleries, has pushed back against lawyer and rum consultant Howard Mitchell’s support for ageing Jamaican rum abroad.
It comes amid an industry dispute centred on whether rum made in Jamaica, but aged elsewhere may be called ‘Jamaican’ in its branding and marketing. The debate has divided the spirits industry, which exports more than US$200 million worth of rum, annually.
“Permitting foreign ageing under the ‘Jamaica Rum’ label would erode this distinctiveness. It would invite competitors to manipulate Jamaican-distilled bulk rum into products with different profiles that do not represent Jamaican craft or conditions,” said Spirits Pool Chairman Clement ‘Jimmy’ Lawrence in response to Mitchell’s statements on the weekend.
In 2016, Jamaica’s spirits businesses collaborated to establish a geographical indicator or GI for rum, outlining the specific steps needed to label it as Jamaican. The GI was recently updated by the country’s IP body, the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office, JIPO, to include specify that ageing can occur “only” in Jamaica.
National Rums of Jamaica Limited, NRJ, a medium-sized player, objected to this outcome and is seeking to overturn the decision via legal proceedings in the Supreme Court. National Rums, which has three owners, has also filed a complaint with the Fair Trade Commission over possible anti-competitive practices.