Ron Zacapa 23 Centenario Rum comes from Diageo North America, Inc. in the US. It has a big “23” on the front of the bottle. According to the complaint for this class action, reasonable consumers will take that to mean that the rum in the bottle has been aged for twenty-three years. But this is not true, the complaint says. In fact, it claims, “it is a blend of rums aged between 6 and 23 years.”
The class for this action is all residents of the US who bought the product for personal, family, or household use and not for resale, from the applicable statute of limitations to the date the notice is disseminated in this case. The complaint also suggests a California Class, a North Carolina Class, and a Multi-State Class, according to the states of residence of the purchasers.
The plaintiff for this class action, Perry Michael Fischer, bought the rum in both Torrance, California and Raleigh, North Carolina. He took into consideration the number “23” and the statement on the bottle,” Aged at a High Altitude in Oak Barrels,” and he believed, the complaint says, that either the rum had been aged for 23 years or that the bottle would not contain rum that had been aged for less time than that.
Diageo North America is the fifth largest spirits company in the world measured by revenue. The Ron Zacapa rum is a distilled drink made in Guatemala. It is one of the company’s “Reserve” brands for North America.
Rums are made from fermented sugarcane, sugarcane syrup, or other sugarcane products. Sales of rum have increased in the US in recent years.
Page 7 of the complaint shows the Ron Zacapa product in a locked, liquor-store case, along with other bottles of alcohol with numerical designations like “12” and “21” on their fronts. Page 8 shows the packaging of two Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch Whiskeys, showing the numbers “14” and “15” on their fronts, indicating the products have been aged for that many years.
The Ron Zacapa bottle also shows the words “Sistema Solera” bracketing the top and bottom of the number “23,” indicating that the product uses the solera system of aging and blending.
The complaint quotes the rumsocialclub.com website’s explanation of the method: “The concept of the solera method is based on stacking multiple layers of aging barrels (called ‘criaderas’) on top of each other, with each layer progressively topping up the next one down and blending with it year after year.” Because of this process, the complaint alleges, the Ron Zacapa bottle of rum contains a combination of rums that have been aged from between six and twenty-three years.
The complaint claims, “The age of rum is material to … reasonable consumers as a higher age signifies a higher quality rum.” It claims that the rum is sold at a higher price than rums that have not been aged or have not been aged as long.
The counts include violations of state laws on false advertising and breach of express warranty, among other things.
Article Type: LawsuitTopic: Consumer
Most Recent Case Event
Ron Zacapa 23 Centenario Rum Not Aged 23 Years Complaint
September 9, 2021
Ron Zacapa 23 Centenario Rum comes from Diageo North America, Inc. in the US. It has a big “23” on the front of the bottle. According to the complaint for this class action, reasonable consumers will take that to mean that the rum in the bottle has been aged for twenty-three years. But this is not true, the complaint says. In fact, it claims, “it is a blend of rums aged between 6 and 23 years.”
Ron Zacapa 23 Centenario Rum Not Aged 23 Years ComplaintCase Event History
Ron Zacapa 23 Centenario Rum Not Aged 23 Years Complaint
September 9, 2021
Ron Zacapa 23 Centenario Rum comes from Diageo North America, Inc. in the US. It has a big “23” on the front of the bottle. According to the complaint for this class action, reasonable consumers will take that to mean that the rum in the bottle has been aged for twenty-three years. But this is not true, the complaint says. In fact, it claims, “it is a blend of rums aged between 6 and 23 years.”
Ron Zacapa 23 Centenario Rum Not Aged 23 Years Complaint