Flor de Caña Rum Isn’t Aged 18 Years, Class Action Lawsuit Claims

The makers of Flor de Caña rum misrepresent the number of years it’s been aged, according to a class action lawsuit. 

Named plaintiff Richard Alonzo says he bought bottles of Flor de Caña believing it had been aged 18 years because it says so on the label.

In the class action lawsuit, he points out the word choices used in the aged rum branding: Tradition, artisanal, slow aged and single estate rum.

He says he interpreted the number 18 printed front and center to mean it was a rum aged for at least 18 years. 

Alonzo explains how rum’s quality hinges on its age and why enthusiasts seek it out. An aged rum develops its complex flavor over time, according to the complaint, by absorbing the natural tannins present in the wood barrels it’s aged in.

As these tannins develop the aged rum’s amber color, the flavor mellows and gets infused with spice and oak tones, Alonzo says. Aged rum’s unique flavor profile becomes more pronounced with more years. 

“Because the amount of time a rum is aged impacts its quality, there is a strong interest in truthfully stating the age of product,” Alonzo says in the complaint. 

In reality, according to the distiller, William Grant & Sons’ Flor de Caña aged rum is a blend of different barrels with an average age of 18 years.   

The class action lawsuit claims the aged rum maker doesn’t tell its customers of this accounting trick and cites published reports on the controversial method used to determine the rum’s age. 

Misleading statements on aged rum has been a continuing issue, industry-wide, according to Forbes. Flor de Caña in particular, according to Cocktail Wonk, features a number on their labels surrounded by messaging suggesting an age. 

Alonzo says in the class action lawsuit that this is fraudulent. While the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau do not require age statements on rum, they do require any claims on age to be truthful.

The “age of the youngest distilled spirits in the product” must be used, according to the regulation, and the words “years old” must be included next to the number. 

The class action lawsuit claims William Grant & Sons skirts this by not including the words “years old” on the label, leaving consumers to assume. 

“Consumers are entitled to transparent and unambiguous statements describing a product’s attributes,” Alonzo says in the complaint. 

Aged rum standards requiring blends only use the youngest year on their bottles is upheld by global organizations, according to the class action lawsuit. 

Both the West Indies Rum and Spirits Producers’ Association and the Caribbean Community require distillers to label their aged rum by the youngest barrel. 

Alonzo is looking to form a Class of New York state residents who’ve purchased the Flor de Caña aged rum within the statute of limitations.

Formally, the class action lawsuit accuses William Grant & Sons of violating New York’s General Business Law. Plaintiffs are also alleging fraud and unjust enrichment. They are seeking monetary and statutory damages. 

Have you purchased Flor de Caña aged rum? What do you think about how they label their blends? Let us know in the comments below. 

Counsel representing the plaintiffs in this class action lawsuit is Spencer Sheehan of Sheehan & Associates PC. 

The Aged Rum Class Action Lawsuit is Alonzo v. William Grant & Sons Inc., Case No. 1:20-cv-10937-JMF, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. 

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