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| Ian Burrell |
Ian Burrell, a global rum ambassador friend of
mine offers his feelings of where the rum category is headed in 2017. The rum category this year is at a point
where the consumers will start to
question more about what type of rum is in their glass and are they
getting real value for money? “With an
increase in true premium rums being launched in 2017 by such producers as
Diplomatico, Foursquare, Appleton
and even Bacardi’s acquisition of Santa Teresa’s distribution rights will be
the center of conversation at rum
festivals, rum clubs and online. A shift in how premium rums are being made,
marketed and sold is also expected. Most
people in the industry will be focusing on the Bacardi vs Havana Club trademark
war in the US. There will be a few
other Cuban rum brands like Santiago de Cuba, Ron Varadero, Ron Caney and Ron
Mulata will be getting ready to make their presents on the international stage
during 2017.
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| Peter Holland |
Peter Holland of The Floating Rum Shack, thinks that there are plenty of gains to be made at the top end with a more educated consumer demanding authentically produced rums, with the emphasis on the contents rather than the packaging. You can expect a greater demand for genuine aged products and the cost of the “juice” will surely go up as well. There is a risk that the middle ground products will lose out a bit without age statement blends being reduced a bit to compensate for the improvements at the high in.
“Rum cocktails will also continue to
drive the category as bartenders seek to use premium rums in their creations.” The spiced and flavored end of the market
will continue to expand. I’m expecting releases from major players this year,
but I’m a bit worried that we’ll have too much ‘Sugar & Spice’ and end up
with rum having nothing as far as the “nice image” goes. “There may be a touch of desire for amazing
expressions like cachaça and agricole to hit the market! “Education is still very much needed throughout
the category.”
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