Growth & Jobs | RJ Rums and Spirits back with a beer in a ‘lion’ bottle

ON TUESDAY, December 12, 2023 The Gleaner published an article headlined, ‘RJ Rums and Spirits growing and exuding the essence of Jamaica’. Among other things it exposed two flavours (ginger and sorrel) of beer brewed by Royal Jamaica Rums and Spirits. They are two in the company’s line of products, and are manufactured right here in Jamaica.

“But, for Royal Jamaican Rums and Spirits Ltd, there is no disappearing act. They are in it for the long haul, constantly expanding the range of their products, which include Royal Jamaican Ginger Alcoholic Beer, Royal Jamaican Sorrel Beer, and a variety of rums,” The Gleaner says in reference to similar businesses that had died for whatever reasons.

And recently, Royal Jamaica Rums & Spirits has added another beer, Kingzton Lager, contained in an irregularly shaped bottle with the image of the face of a lion moulded on one side.

The craft brewed beverage itself is a crisp, full-bodied lager with 4.8 per cent alcohol by volume “with no aftertaste”. It is brewed and bottled in Kingston, and made of imported malts and hops, all natural ingredients, and local water. Craft beer is manufactured by craft breweries, which typically produce smaller amounts of beer than larger macro breweries and are often independently owned.

Malt is any cereal grain that has been made to germinate by soaking in water and then stopped from germinating further by drying with hot air, a process known as ‘malting’. Malted grain is used to make beer, whisky, malted milk, malt vinegar, confections, etc.

Hops are the flowers (also called seed cones or strobiles) of the hop plant Humulus lupulus, a member of the Cannabaceae family of flowering plants. They are used primarily as a bittering, flavouring, and stability agent in beer.

Kingzton Lager, of course, has its own unique taste, but it is the uniquely shaped bottle at first glance that is screaming, ‘Buy me!” It is quite a conversation piece, a keepsake if you may.

“The lion bottle symbolises Jamaica and translates to our proud culture. RJ Rums & Spirits Ltd created this bottle to show the world what Jamaica is capable of manufacturing. This bottle took three years of testing and tooling, then a mould was developed,” the company told The Gleaner.

It also took a lot of money to get it right. But, it is not the first time RJ Rums & Spirit has got creative with its bottles. Two of its premium products – ‘Skullery Dark’ and ‘Skullery Silver’ are bottled in a 3D transparent skull. And, its Jamaica Lion Gold Rum, too, has a moulded image of the face of a lion on one side. And now, Kingzton Lager beer, is ‘Born in Jamaica’ in a ‘lion’ bottle.