As rum takes slow steps up the ladder of
premiumization, The Spirits Business forecasts the brands to
watch in the category next year. At the start of this
year, the Caribbean rum industry continued its recovery from the battering it
endured from hurricanes Irma and Maria, which both landed in the final quarter
of 2017. Distilleries such as Cruzan, Captain Morgan, Destileria Serrallés and
Bacardi temporarily halted production, but, luckily, none have reported a
significant impact on their businesses.
Speaking to The Spirits Business following
the disasters, Roberto Serrallés, sixth-generation distiller of Puerto Rico’s
Don Q Rum, said: “We’ve been distilling for 152 years and have seen lots of
strong storms. This was different. It took us four days just to get a message
through because all communications were down, and it took eight days to make
sure all our employees were fine. Once everyone was accounted for, there was
then the process of getting back to business.”
As the year
progressed, the pace of rum innovation accelerated, with more cask-finished
expressions, new flavors and intriguing styles hitting the market. The distilling
footprint of rum also grew as new production sites opened up around the world –
Scotland, surprisingly, entered something of a rum-distilling boom.
“Innovation in the world of spirits in general is very
important,” says Edouard Beaslay, global marketing director at Diplomático Rum.
“Consumers want to explore and try different things, but at the same time we
are proud of our tradition and we are true to our history.” Diplomático has highlighted its artisanal
production through a range of new products. Last year, the Venezuelan rum brand
launched the Distillery Collection to showcase the diverse distillation
processes it uses. In April 2018, the distillery released a 2004 vintage, which
has been finished in ex-oloroso Sherry casks.
Another brand keen on
barrel experimentation is Trinidad and Tobago-based Angostura, which in
September unveiled the third expression in its Cask Collection, created using a
combination of techniques from the Old World and New World of rum. “The House of Angostura has been
experimenting with ageing rum in different types of casks and techniques for
many years, but this is the first time we have used oloroso Sherry casks to
mature one of our rums,” Natasha Mustapha-Scott, Angostura’s marketing
executive, said at the time.
For Richard Davies,
founder of Barbados-made Neptune Rum, additional education efforts are boosting
the sector. “Consumer knowledge has expanded beyond – dare I say it – the
spiced rum category. The education element will help the on- and off-trade,
business to consumer, and the home consumer. Interest in rum has been tipped to
take off for a few years, but now the messaging is finally filtering through.”
Bacardi
The world’s largest international rum brand has had
a tough time in recent years as it struggled to claw back sales. However, speaking to The Spirits
Business this year, Bacardi Limited CEO Mahesh Madhavan said
the next 10 years will be the brand’s best as it focuses on a more consistent
marketing strategy and enhances its ladder of price points.
Neptune Rum
After completing its funding round through private
investment, Neptune Rum launched in the UK this year and is lining up its
expansion to the US and France. After
recruiting a raft of key personnel, the brand has big things planned for the
coming year.
Appleton Estate
Jamaican rum’s GI was agreed this year, and it will
be interesting to see how its key proponent, Appleton Estate, benefits.
The brand is also continuing its premiumization
mission, having launched a “rare” and “complex” 30-year-old blend last month.
