Spirits Business Top 10 Rum Sales Champions

Spirits Business has announced its top 10 selling Rum Brands for 2016.  There have been some very interesting changes over the past year.

 

1.   Bacardi

2016: 17.23m Cases - 2015: 17.42m Cases – Percentage of change: -1.09% - Place last year: 2  Having lost its position as the world’s best-selling rum brand in 2014, Bacardi finally has gotten the title in 2016, despite a marginal sales decline. In recent years, the brand has been in a close battle with McDowell’s No.1 Celebration.   Bacardi is set to increase its presence in the key US market after moving distribution to the newly formed any Southern Glazer.

2.   Tanduay

2016: 16.60m Cases - 2015: 16.50m Cases - Percentage of change: +0.61%  - Place last year: 3   With McDowell’s dropping to number 3 it makes Philippines-made Tanduay Rum the world’s second-largest selling rum brand despite relatively slow sales in 2016.  The brand has had solid volume gains since 2013, but it hasn’t hit the record highs of nearly 20m cases back in 2012.   Tanduay is the best-selling rum in Asia and available in the US.

 

3. McDowell’s No.1 Celebration

2016: 14.90m Cases - 2015: 16.20m Cases – Percentage of change: -8.02% - Place last year: 1.  2015’s best-selling rum brand now finds itself in the third spot. Last year, India’s McDowell’s No.1 Celebration experienced an 8% drop to 14.90m cases, which was the lowest sales in five years.  The brand was likely hit by market difficulties in India.

4. Captain Morgan

2016: 10.70m Cases - 2015: 10.30m Cases - Percentage of change: 3.88% - Place last year: 4.   Captain Morgan rum has maintained a position as the world’s fourth best-selling rum with sales gains of nearly 4%.   Captain Morgan increased its sales with new expressions in the past year helping to increase sales.  Captain Morgan has also added some punch to its market efforts for the year ahead.

5. Havana Club

2016: 4.19m Cases - 2015: 4.01m Cases – Percentage of change: 4.49% - Place last year: 5.  Havana Club is making headlines as speculation mounted over the prospect of the US lifting its trade embargo against Cuba.  Havana Club and Bacardi are still battling over the Havana Club trademark in the US.   Havana Club experienced a 5% growth in 2016.   Alexandre Ricard, CEO of Pernod Ricard, said that a significant increase in tourism to Cuba has had an extremely positive impact on Havana Club’s sales in airports”.

6. Barceló

2016: 2.07m Cases - 2015: 2.04m Cases – Percentage of change: +1.57% - Place last year: 6.    Dominican Republic’s Ron Barceló is sold in more than 50 countries. It has continued to have a solid performance in 2016.  It hit 2.07m cases. Barceló has not experienced any declines in the last five years, even though its rate of growth has slowed.

7. Contessa

2016: 1.98 Cases - 2015: 2.70m Cases – Percentage of change: -26.67% - Place last year – Unranked  Contessa was hit hard by market factors in India, and as such experienced heavy sales losses.  Dropping the brand below the 2m case mark for the first time in many years.  Contessa has a presence in Africa, South East Asia and Middle East and is now ready to open the USA and Canada. 

8. Old Port Rum

2016: 1.69m Cases - 2015: 1.92m Cases – Percentage of change: -11.98% - Place last year: 7.  India’s Old Port Rum experienced a sudden sales drop in 2016, showing a three-year low of 1.69m cases.  Indian’s market issues last year like so many other brands.

9. Ron Medellin

 

2016: 1.39m Cases - 2015: 1.04m Cases – Percentage of change: +34.20% - Place last year: Unranked   Fabrica de Alcoholes y Licores de Antioquia has for the first time provided its sales data, showing that Ron Medellin rum is the ninth best-selling rum in the world.   Columbian made Ron Medellin made an astonishing 34.20% growth during 2016, the fastest growth rate among any million-case-selling rum brand.

10. Appleton Estate

2016: 1.22m Cases - 2015: 1.25m Cases – Percentage of change: -2.40% - Place last year: 8.  Having increased sales by 50,000 cases in 2015, Appleton Estate Rum sales had significantly different results in 2016.  Volumes have dropped by 2.40%.    The growth of Campari’s total rum portfolio was held back in 2016 by the US and Canada following the new naming classifications and packaging updates for three of its core expressions.