I know that I'm not writing this column on a regular basis anymore, but this is an important development in the rum world and worth reporting on. This is a story issued in "The Spirits Business" email and worth reading.
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| Foursquare Aging Warehouse |
Following a
disagreement over the terms of a geographical indication (GI) for Barbados rum,
Richard Seale, proprietor of Foursquare Distillery, said the regulations would
place “now restrictions” on production methods.
Three distillers, Foursquare, Mount Gay and Saint Nicholas Abbey, said
they have collectively agreed a GI for Barbados rum as prepared by the Barbados
Investment and Development Corporation (BIDC) in consultation with its legal
counsel. Foursquare, Mount Gay and
Saint Nicholas Abbey added that they are the largest bottlers of Barbados rum,
and together hold more than 90% of the island’s aged liquid.
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| St. Nicholas Abbey Still |
Part of the proposed
GI would require any Barbados rum to be fully matured on the island. Larry Warren, proprietor of Saint Nicholas
Abbey, said: “The value of rum increases as it matures. We cannot afford the
loss of Forex earnings by letting this production step happen outside of
Barbados.” However, a fourth distillery
in Barbados, the West Indies Rum Distillery (WIRD), has previously expressed
that it would like to see greater flexibility within GI rules. The WIRD agreed a GI was important to protect
the future of Barbados rum, but called for what it described as an “inclusive,
not exclusive” set of regulations. As such, it has not lent its support to the
proposed GI.
The Barbados
government asked the BIDC to collect each producer’s view on the GI and to
outline a common proposal. However, the government will not approve the
legislation for a GI until all four distilleries agree on its terms. Foursquare, Mount Gay and Saint Nicholas
Abbey all argue that the proposed GI “gives ample room for innovation”. They
highlighted that there are no restrictions on the type of stills that can be
used to make Barbados rum, and that long and short fermantations would be
permitted. Furthermore, producers would
be able to use fresh juice, syrup or molasses. Any yeast strain can be used,
but non-saccharomyces strains must be native, while only Barbados water would
be permitted in rum production.
Regarding maturation,
producers would have to use new oak or refill casks from a list of recognized
wine and
spirits denominations to age Barbados rum. Age statements would have
to refer to the youngest spirit used and vats would not be acceptable for age
statements. Any addition of sugar syrup
or flavorings would be prohibited, but caramel coloring “under strict
guidelines” would be allowed for consistency.
Seale said: “At Foursquare, we have gained a reputation for innovation.
I am happy to say the Barbados GI places no restrictions on our rum-making
methods.”
Foursquare, Mount Gay
and Saint Nicholas Abbey also noted that under their proposed GI regulations,
there would be no ban on making non-compliant rums. The group of distillers
added that under EU spirits regulations, a Barbados distillate aged in France
and sweetened using sugar syrup, or any sort of sweetening agent, would gain
French provenance.
Disagreement
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| West Indies Rum Distillery (WIRD) Pot Still |
While WIRD has
expressed its support for several points within the proposed GI – including the
requirement for Barbadian rum to be fermented and distilled only in Barbados –
it disagreed with the maturation requirements.
WIRD said it favored “mandatory tropical ageing” in Barbados for at
least one year, but argued the “historical practice” of ‘double-ageing’ –
involving a secondary maturation period in another country – “must also be
preserved”, as long as brands are transparent about this process.
WIRD issued a
statement on behalf of its managing director, Andrew Hassell, and Alexandre
Gabriel, owner and master blender at French drinks maker Maison Ferrand, which
acquired WIRD in 2017. The statement,
given exclusively to The Spirits Business in December, said:
“Our take [is] the GI is protecting the entire history of Barbados rum-making.
There are techniques that have been documented and used for hundreds of years
and we at West Indies Rum Distillery have been making rums this way for over a
century.
“There are also many
external documents [that] prove rum has been made in diverse, innovate ways and
we encourage you to read them. Why should we handcuff future generations of rum
makers to one particular style of rum and lead to rum standardization in
Barbados? “We at West Indies Rum
Distillery are all for an inclusive GI, not an exclusive GI. We are fighting to
protect the heritage of rum and its future.”
The distillery was also in favor of using “every type of
food-grade wood”. It said that historically, rum was matured in a variety of
woods, such as chestnut, mulberry and acacia.
“We need to be able to revive this unique heritage, which offers
fascinating taste profiles to be rediscovered,” said WIRD. “Limiting Barbados
to American oak barrels or to oak barrels would be a great mistake that would
obliterate historic practices.”
