The battle over Jamaican rum

In Jamaica, rum is "more than just a drink", said Caribbean National Weekly. It's an essential part of the island's identity and culture – "a symbol of national pride and craftsmanship".

So, it's no surprise that a legal dispute over what makes a rum an "authentic" Jamaican rum is causing quite a stir.

National Rums of Jamaica (NRJ) is appealing a ruling made last year by the island's Intellectual Property Office that rum made on the island but "aged outside of Jamaica" can "no longer be called Jamaica Rum".

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A 'premium product'

The amendment to prohibit overseas ageing was pushed forward by the Spirits Pool Association (SPA), the trade organisation that "seeks to speak" for the island's six rum distilleries. It argues that a stronger geographical indication (GI) designation is needed for the Jamaica Rum "to be officially recognised in the US and EU" as a "premium product", securing it "better protection against competitors", said the BBC.

It's true that strong GIs can "anchor production in that region", preventing a product from "becoming generic and losing its value". Across the world, "successful and longstanding GIs" have benefited such products as "Scotch whisky, champagne and Parma ham". The idea was that the same would happen for Jamaica Rum, boosting "acclaim and business" and "pride in product so intimately linked to Jamaica's history".

But "not everyone is on board", said Caribbean National Weekly. NRJ, which owns Long Pond and 73% of Clarendon, has a business model that's dependent on "exporting rum in bulk and ageing it overseas". Claiming that the amendment threatens the end of its business, it argues that rum aged outside Jamaica is still Jamaican rum, and that "the island has exported and aged rum abroad for centuries", said the BBC.

Business and heritage

Rum is "sewn into the DNA of Caribbean life", said National Geographic Traveller in 2023. For locals, it's there "for life's big moments", from christenings to the "ninth night" tradition of toasting a loved one after their death. And, for tourists, it's "liquid sunshine", as quintessentially Jamaican as the "slap of domino tiles on tables" and the "breeze gently riffling through the palm fronds".

The fight over the definition of Jamaican rum, then, is not overblown. It's about heritage as much as it's about business.

SPA wants Jamaican rum to be "globally recognised and safeguarded" for generations to come, said Caribbean National Weekly. But, for now, it's hopeful that a "compromise can be reached", said the BBC, even if the outcome is that both sides are "not totally happy".