Distillers frown on Govt for delaying coveted indicator of rum as Bajan product

Barbados, the acknowledged birthplace of rum, continues to lose precious economic earnings while Government delays on seeking a geographical indication (GI), rum producers have charged.

But Barbados TODAY has learned that Government’s proposal for a GI through its export promotion agency was halted over the objections of a prominent distiller.

Export Barbados is now in the process of reviewing amendments for the GI and is expected to put forward a new one soon.

As champagne is to the northeastern region of France where it originated, rum would be to Barbados under a GI, a sign that specifies that a project originated from a particular place. The qualities, characteristics or reputation of the product depends on the place of origin of the product.

Distillers complained that as the country delays putting the GI certification in place, other parts of the world were making significant earnings by indicating “Barbados rum” on their products although they were not produced on the island.

“Right now without a GI, you see, you have nothing to protect you,” said Richard Seale, Master Distiller and owner of Foursquare Rum Distillery at the inaugural hosting of the Barbados Rum Experiences at the Radisson Aquatica Hotel on Wednesday evening. The initiative was designed primarily to educate about, and showcase, Barbadian rums.

He was joined on a panel that included Larry Warren, owner of St Nicholas Abbey plantation and rum distillery and Raphaël Grisoni, Managing Director of Mount Gay Distilleries Ltd.

Seale said: “So all three of us having the right philosophy it means nothing if in the future it could be changed. The idea with the GI is that you lay down that marker. What then happens is that you then attract the right kinds of investment”.

He explained that the Barbados name was used by others to get an advantage with rum sales given the spirit’s weight with the Barbados brand.

“There is a reason why bourbon is protected, there is a reason why scotch is protected, there is a reason why champagne is protected. Those are benchmarks,” he said.

But the owner of the wholly Barbadian distillery, in an apparent nod to the foreign ownership of such iconic brands as Mount Gay and Cockspur, suggested foreign investment in, and ownership of, Barbadian rum as a positive development.

He said it was time Barbadians stop worrying about foreign ownership and start thinking more about what value-added was being achieved.

“If you have foreign investment then you have local value being added, that is to your economic benefit, that is going to benefit your entire community,” he said.

The GI puts no restriction on the type of stills used during the distillation and both short and long-term fermentation but outlines several specifications.

“What that means is that anyone else using the word ‘Barbados rum’ must meet the various standards, so you now protect it. It is about protecting your investment,” said Seale, who dismissed the notion that having a GI for Barbados-produced rum would stifle innovation.

Grisoni later told Barbados TODAY he was hoping that a new GI would be approved soon “hopefully according to our proposition”, adding that it was about “bringing the maximum value here in Barbados for the benefit of the community and the country”.

“I hope this application will be back at the registrar sooner rather than later,” he said. “We would love to see it as soon as possible.”

The GI proposal by Government was prepared by the Barbados Investment and Development Corporation (Export Barbados) and presented to the registrar about two years ago. But it was blocked after it reportedly did not get the approval of one of the island’s main rum producers, now under foreign ownership.

Among the stipulations outlined in the proposed GI are that rum distillers must use Barbadian water to make their rum and that the rum must be aged here.

The three distillers on the panel said they had no idea why the last application for the GI was stopped. But in an interview with Barbados TODAY over a year ago, an official of West Indies Rum Distillery, makers of the Cockspur brand, said that while it supports a GI, there should be more inclusivity.

The French-owned West Indies Distillery Ltd. ages most of its rum in Bridgetown, but some of its rums undergo multi-ageing, where it is first done here and then finished in France.

But St Nicholas’ Warren declared he was most frustrated at the seeming lack of education among lawmakers of the importance of having the GI in place.

“One of the things we always ask each other is ‘how can we educate the politicians, the government, as to what we are doing for the long-term of rum in this country”, he said.

Warren told Barbados TODAY: The first thing I think we need to do in terms of the GI and getting in place is for not only the government but for everyone to understand the value that a GI gives to a premium product like rum.

“The whole notion of creating the GI is to leverage more value in the island for employment, for production and for foreign exchange. When you can do that the GI itself will drive that along. It is the GI itself that will demand that our molasses is not made to produce bulk rum for export, but made to produce premium quality
Barbados rum for added-value bottling in Barbados.”

Barbados TODAY has reached out to Export Barbados Chief Executive Officer Mark Hill for further comment on the development.

marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb