Saturday, January 14, 2017

Ian Burrell, Global Rum Ambassador Looks at Rum for 2017

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.
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.”