StateWays is the only magazine exclusively covering the control state system within the beverage alcohol industry, with annual updates from liquor control commissions and alcohol control boards and yearly fiscal reporting from control jurisdictions
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you can on premise via training. You can train retail staff but most retail environments are not staffed with personally equipped to hand-sell. Securing acclaim is critical so it can be shared at the point-of-sale with the consumer. Sampling also is an option, however, it's tricky to hile commercial focus has lingered do tastefully so more thought is required than if you are on the growth of flavored and sampling a rum mixed as a Mojito or Rum and Coke," spiced, serious rums are still being she says. Of course, not all premium and up rums are dark, marketed. Whitmoyer notes the current onpremise trend toward brown spirits is but even those with a lighter hue have found it difficult revealing itself across all dark rums. "We're to expand the U.S. palate much. Moet Hennessey's 10 Cane is a prime example. The brand number one in dark rum as recently shifted production from well, and the dark side of our Trinidad to Barbados, amid claims by port is doing quite nicely – previous producer Angostura that it we're seeing solid growth declined to renew its contract because the across the board on all." premium rum was not generating suffiThose brands – including cient business. Barbados's Foursquare brands that do well in Mexico Rum Distillery will now handle the disand also in strong Mexicantilling, blending and bottling for 10 Cane American U.S. markets like Bacardi going forward. Introduced as white rum Solera and Añejo, and Bacardi 8 and in 2005, 10 Cane was reformulated in Reserva Limitada – are generating new 2011 with a more golden color and a interest across the board, he says. price point lowered 15% to 25%. Gary Ross, director of rums and corMore traditional rums, full-flavored dials at Beam Global, says aged rums offer rums are still working the narrow but potential for growth for brands like growing niche. Venezulean rum Santa Cruzan, partially the basis for the expanTeresa's solera method superpremium sion of the Distiller's Collection. "There entry is positioned as a sipping rum with have been some brands that have made cocktail potential, according to commercial some good headway at the higher end, director Henrique Vollmer. Later this year and as Cruzan has always been positioned RumChata, the cream liqueur made with the brand launching a "Sip a Nightcap" as a quality brand, we feel we have a rep- Caribbean rum, more cocktail competition for bartenders, spotutation for aged rums and that there is than quadrupled its sales last year to lighting Santa Teresa "1796" as a contemdefinitely an opportunity there." plative and relaxing late-night sipper and a Katherine Lewis, brand manager 365,000 cases nationally. One of its summerfor Appleton rums, points out themed cocktails is the base spirit for nightcap-style cocktails. According to Alex Mejido, vice presithat the opportunities for better RumChata Iced Coffee. dent of Blend Wine & Spirits, rums these days lie in tapping in to the aged brown spirit consumer, who appre- US agent for Venezuela's Diplomatico rum, ciates aged tequila, single malt Scotch and rums that can compete in the general brown bourbon. "Such consumers drink aged, pre- spirits arena have a golden opportunity today, mium brands not just for the taste but for it and like other brands, Diplomatico is countsays about them, [and we] will speak to ing on a recently-launched bartender comthem with a message that emphasizes liquid petition to boost its image here. "I see a significant rise in the bourbon and quality and premium lifestyle." She notes there's a handicap in the off- brown spirits in general. The consumer premise knowledge of rums, where training is more intrigued that ever with age of a has not kept pace with that of other brown product, for rum and smaller artisan spirits. "It's difficult to truly educate the way brands. It is the right time for us." SW Blackheart Spiced Rum, from Heaven Hill Distilleries, has shown success in the market after debuting a few years ago. Older and Richer W One of the top-selling spiced rums that had another outstanding year (up 10.3% to 800,000 cases nationally in 2012) is Admiral Nelson. StateWays I www.stateways.com I July/August 2013 Appleton's lineup of superpremium rums hopes to benefit from the consumer's move toward aged brown spirits. 27