American Rum Producers Have Organized: The Rum Wars are on Home Soil

Source: ARA

October 26, 2012

Ms. Kelly Railean, Founder and President of the American Rum Association announced the establishment of the first trade association to unite American rum manufacturers in the USA.

The American Rum Association is a non-profit trade organization for the manufacturers of rum with production facilities and headquarters located in the United States of America (excludes US territories such as Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Guam, Philippines, etc.).

The mission of the organization is to grow the domestic rum category to one that rivals the world's imports by promoting the production and appreciation of American rum through education, marketing, and regulatory influence. For the first time in history, the American rum industry will have a cohesive marketing strategy that will differentiate American rum from imported brands. This trade association will also provide a unified voice for media, politics, and regulatory agencies.

Kelly Railean, President of Railean Distillers, LLC, said "there are over 80 American manufacturers of rum operating in the USA and it is time to establish quality standards for "American Rum". Ask any American rum manufacturer and they will tell you that the main obstacle to growing the domestic rum category and their small business is the unfair tax subsidies offered exclusively to rum companies operating in U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico and USVI. These subsidies restrict free market competition and give global manufactures such as Bacardi and Diageo an unwarranted hold on the American rum market. The American Rum Association is fully committed to exposing these unfair practices and providing products Made in the U.S.A.; thus providing jobs, fueling our American economy and aiding in the recovery of our economic system."

     This is interesting that we kind of have a rum civil war, of out own government subsidising foreign companies against American companies producing the same products and paying them to sell them in the United States.     I'm all for the subsidies as long as they are helping "American" interests, but when they are benefiting global giant's like the British based Diageo, I have to question how these tax dollars are being spent.   It is election year and time to ask the questions of  the politicians on this issue that has started a global war in the rum industry.   ;o)