ometimes, a spirit category can seem to be heading in many different directions at once. That seems to be the case with rum today: white rum has been losing a bit of its massive attraction, though it's still responsi- ble for more than half the rum business. Spiced rum sales are going through the roof, with new brands, line extensions and packaging signaling a lively interest among both consumers and suppliers. Flavored rums continue to be a source for innovation, and aged and superpremium rums are developing a fan base among the cocktail cognoscenti.
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As with the different subcategories, the results among rum brands were mixed last year; according to numbers gathered by the Beverage Group for 2011; the category overall volume was up a modest 1.3% nation- ally (up 1.6% in the control states). Malibu showed the largest percentage and volume gain nationally among the leading brands (up 6.6% nationally to 1.74 million cases), while category leader Bacardi added 0.5%
Bacardi added OakHeart Spiced Rum to its line- up last fall; the brand's recent flavored rums include Wolf Berry and Black Razz.
20 StateWays s www.stateways.com s July/August 2012
