Making a rumble

By Tash McGill

Rum has been a rising star for the past 10 years, constantly on the horizon but never quite breaking through. All that looks finally set to change as both the global and domestic rum markets are exploding with category growth, expansion and new releases, writes spirits expert Tash McGill.

Heading into 2020, several global rum brands launched new packaging, new expressions and new on-premise initiatives based on predicted growth trajectories. The category saw a record 150 million cases sold in 2019. In 2020, Appleton Estate relaunched modernised packaging, a new eight-year-old expression and announced its first ever single cask programme. Bacardí moved swiftly to support on-premise in the UK and Europe with investment at a grassroots level to support the uptake of cocktails-to-go in the northern summer, and is moving ahead with plans to launch its biodegradable bottle by 2023. These examples are in addition to the fast-growing expansion of spiced, flavoured and botanical rums – of which there were just over 10.7 million bottles sold in 2020, according to the Wine and Spirits Trade Association. That puts the spiced and flavoured rum category on par with white rum, which sold 10.8 million bottles. However, in a pandemic-ruled 2020, the numbers jumped all over the map. According to Euromonitor International and company released data, off-premise sales are still yet to surge to the growth predicted for 2020, despite so many consumers drinking at home for much of the year. That is predicted to turnaround this year, with category growth predicted to boom from $15 billion in 2020 to $21 billion by 2027.

Much of this growth is expected to come from ‘non-traditional’ rum markets such as China, Japan and Germany. Unlike other expansive categories like single malt Scotch whisky, the growth in rum will be multi-faceted and utilise on-premise growth through mixologists, bottled cocktails and the RTD market, supported by category expansion into spiced, flavoured and botanical rums.

The category is expanding into spiced, flavoured and botanical rums

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Consumer engagement is really important here because for many, their first experiences of rum have been high-sugar, super-sweet and often mixed with cola. And while there is absolutely nothing wrong with a refreshing Cuba Libré on a summer’s afternoon, there’s often a considerable piece of customer education to broaden the palate expectations of what rum is and can be. Ratu Spiced five-year-old rum from the Rum Co of Fiji has surprisingly complex orange, star anise and oak character that is clean and luscious – but altogether surprising if a consumer is used to Sailor Jerry or Coruba, that lean more heavily on vanilla.

The essential global rule of rum is that it must be distilled from alcohol fermented from sugarcane, sugar or sugar byproducts, such as molasses. This provides a wide flavour pool to draw on for the initial distillate which, beyond white rum, is then influenced further by cask aging, resting or spicing. Residual and added sugars in rum play an important part in flavour, aroma and mouthfeel, but there is a huge variation between brands and expressions, often influenced by their geographic origin. When we move into the spiced rum category, there is even further variance between citrus or pepper-led variations.

This is equally an opportunity for both on-premise and off-premise customer interaction and local distributors such as Hancocks are seizing on the projected growth. Botanical rum distillery Spirited Union out of Amsterdam has released a range of botanical white rums that are a perfect bridging spirit for gin drinkers to explore a new style of white spirits. Equally suited to sipping or mixology, it’s an entirely new way for consumers to engage and explore the category. This means big opportunities behind the bar and off-premise to introduce consumers to entirely new categories and increase their spend.

KIWI CREATIONS

The growth isn’t just international and imported. In Hillcrest on the North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand’s own rum corner is infusing the air with the sweet smell of distillation.

Spirited Union has released a range of botanical white rums

For Matt Bridge and Angie Bradley of Lunatic & Lover, it’s been a five-yearlong labour of love to launch their botanical rum brand, especially in the midst of a pandemic.

Bridge says it seems that people are finally awakening to the potential of the spirit. While premium rums have been around for a long time, more people are appreciating them and actively seeking them out.

“Perhaps the coolest thing happening right now is that as people seek out more exotic and unusual rum experiences, it’s opening up some of the less well-known rum producing regions that have their own distinct history, traditions and production methods,” he says. “Places like Madeira, Mexico, Japan and South Africa are suddenly getting attention for the really unique cane spirits they’re producing. The sheer scale and variety of the category is tremendous and in that respect is pretty much without equal in the spirit world.”

While they are aging a more traditional straight rum, Lunatic & Lover launched a Silver Botanical and Gold ‘Barrel-Rested’ Botanical rum first.

Lunatic & Lover founders Angie Bradley and Matt Bridge

“First and foremost, I wanted to create something different and interesting that pushed the boundaries of what rum could be,” says Bridge. “I chose ‘botanical’ as a way to highlight the difference with ‘spiced’ rum which, let’s be honest, can be a bit of a mixed bag in terms of quality. Much of what is available is heavily sweetened and seems to focus a lot on vanilla. It struck me that rum was clearly a spirit well adapted to taking on additional flavourings and I thought that there must be a better way to achieve this using a more interesting variety of flavour components, without a tonne of sugar and via a non-traditional method.”

Bridge says there are a few heroes and favourites in the botanical mix. “The orange peel definitely brings a brightness to the party, the Horopito follows with a herbal, green pepper note to the palate and the Dandelion and Burdock really comes through with a roasted nuttiness in the finish.”

Bridge says choosing the botanicals was a long, exhaustive process. “Unlike developing a gin where there are some fairly tried-and-true recipes you can start from and tweak, no template existed for what we were trying to do,” he says. “Firstly, the base spirit is far from neutral, so I had to look for flavours that would work with it rather than on top of it. Once I had a list of potentials, I began distilling each one individually on a small test still to figure out how each one came over and how to get the best out of it. I must have tried about 50 different botanicals over the course of a year or so! Once I had a library built up, I then started to try blends and from there to build a recipe to use in the single shot method I now use in production.”

Lunatic & Lover launched mid-pandemic in 2020

Bridge shares a background in sailing with his neighbour Rob O’Connell of The NZ Rum Co. Working and sailing in the Caribbean was the opportunity to experience and learn more about premium and less well-known rum brands. “I still remember my first exposure to a true ‘sipping’ rum - a Ron Del Barrilito out of Puerto Rico. Magic!”, says Bridge. For O’Connell, it was curiosity about the process of fermentation and distillation to make rum that started over a conversation in a Caribbean bar.

While Lunatic & Lover is using molasses, The NZ Rum Co. is looking for a point of difference, making its white rum from Jaggery sugar, the least processed of all sugars and what is left from boiling sugarcane juice. This means it retains a lot of the natural nutrients and minerals to feed a healthy fermentation. It produces more tropical and citrus notes with a clean mouthfeel.

Both brands are working to break down preconceptions about rum for consumers. “My inspiration has come from trying to give people a new perspective on rum and break the stigma or bad experiences they may have once had,” says O’Connell.

When introducing consumers to Lunatic & Lover, Bridge says he always starts a tasting with the silver and the initial reaction is generally one of surprise. “There’s often a bit of consternation, especially from drinkers of standard rums and then the intrigue builds as they try and figure what’s in it,” he says. “It’s actually quite fun watching people go through the process. The silver tends to be more of a hit with gin drinkers looking for something different and the Barrel Rested is probably more accessible to traditional rum drinkers, thanks to the oak influence.

“We’ve done our best to reward people’s curiosity with a spirit that is genuinely thought-provoking and yet thoroughly enjoyable. We want people to leave their preconceptions behind and enjoy the creativity and care that went into making it.”

The NZ Rum Co.’s Rob O’Connell

Of course, it’s not the first time that a New Zealand rum has made a splash, following on the success of Stolen Rum and recent newcomers Helmsman, which also released a spiced rum. The major difference is that rather than using imported rum and either bottling or spicing it here, now we’re making rum in New Zealand. The number of rum distillers operating in New Zealand has increased four-fold in the last four years, including LWF Distilling, which just picked up an award for its white rum at the London Spirits Show. It bodes well for the ongoing growth of the local market, especially as some of those importing the spirit look to begin manufacture onshore also.

There are plenty of challenges, including distribution and engaging with customers, the long and slow process of setting up a distillery and trying to do something different enough to stand out but still foster curiosity and imagination with consumers. There are lessons from yachting life to be applied, which seems appropriate given the historical association with sailing (and piracy) says O’Connell. “The ability to change course when you need to and paying attention to details. You’ve got to have high standards.” ■

Tash McGill is a spirits and hospitality writer who regularly hosts tastings and education classes for those wanting to know more about spirits and their uses - from cocktails to culinary food matches. She has been in the spirits and cocktail industry for more than 10 years, writing, tasting and judging competitions.