Mon, 24 Mar 2025

Mon, 24 Mar 2025 What makes a rum Jamaican? Question at heart of Caribbean legal dispute

The dispute centres on whether it is acceptable to age and bottle the spirit overseas.
A dispute has erupted in Jamaica over what constitutes a "Jamaican rum". The country's six distilleries, led by the Spirits Pool Association (SPA), have successfully lobbied for an amendment to the geographical indication (GI) designation for Jamaican Rum. The main change is that ageing rum overseas is no longer permitted. The SPA argues that this will give Jamaican rum better protection against competitors and lead to more recognition as a premium product made in Jamaica. However, National Rums of Jamaica (NRJ), which owns Long Pond and 73% of Clarendon, claims the amendment would put it out of business due to its reliance on exporting rum in bulk for ageing overseas. The NRJ's parent company, Maison Ferrand, is French-owned, and the SPA suspects that this takeover has led to the objection. "What we're saying is, if you truly believe in Jamaica rum, age it in Jamaica," says Christopher Gentles, general manager of the SPA. Rum producers argue that ageing rum outside of Jamaica invalidates its authenticity and uniqueness. They also point out that exporting and ageing spirits overseas means Jamaica misses out on value-added processes like refining, bottling, labelling, and distributing. Dev Gangjee, a professor of intellectual property law at the University of Oxford, says that geographical indications (GIs) can create a price premium, anchor production in a region, and advertise the region. Examples of successful GIs include Scotch whisky, champagne, and Parma ham. The dispute has also highlighted the importance of GI protection for other Caribbean countries, including Barbados, which is seeking to establish its own rum GI but faces opposition from Wird, a company owned by Maison Ferrand. The SPA hopes that a compromise can be reached, while the Jamaican government's decision to grant the new GI has been supported by some local media outlets. The dispute is set to continue until a hearing at the Intellectual Property Office in April.
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