Beverage Dynamics

Beverage Dynamics July-August 2015

Beverage Dynamics is the largest national business magazine devoted exclusively to the needs of off-premise beverage alcohol retailers, from single liquor stores to big box chains, through coverage of the latest trends in wine, beer and spirits.

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Rum www.beveragedynamics.com July/August 2015 • Beverage Dynamics 37 GEOGRAPHY LESSONS One of the biggest challenges facing the rum category is education. Even though the industry is largely centered around the Caribbean, the spirit can be and is made just about anywhere. Even within the trop- ical sphere, it's hard to discern the differ- ences between Haitian rum and Barbados rum, Guatemalan and Nicaraguan rums. And Dictador, based in Cartagena, makes premium aged Colombian rum from cane syrup. Then there's the rhum agricole category. Even industry pros, while knowledgeable about their own products, are less conversant about other rum producing areas. Obviously, more education is needed. "Generally, most consumers do not have a broad knowl- edge of the differences between rums. Their choices tend to be driven more by brand familiarity than by production and prov- enance," Krishnan says. The launch of the "Bacardi Untam- eable Since 1862" campaign in late 2014 was the latest effort to communicate the brand's "larger-than-life heritage in a way that truly resonates with like-minded irrepressible spirits." That campaign continues to evolve this year with new content. For its part, Niche Import has hired fi ve additional people to the marketing team, and engaged mixologist and author Warren Bobrow as Mezan brand ambassador. "The problem with rum is not every country plays by the same rules," explains Eason at Don Q. Various countries' aging requirements—or lack of them—can lead to consumer confu- sion. In some countries, you can have a very small amount of 23-year-old rum in a blend and market it as 23 years old. Some companies add sugar after the fi nal distillation process to arti- fi cially sweeten their rums," he adds. For its part in educating the public, the Don Q "Unquestionable" campaign will have more TV time and a bigger digital presence this year. Appleton Estate launched its "From Jamaica with Love" campaign a year ago, which focuses on the place and the people who make the rum, from the world's fi rst female master blender to the coopers who make the barrels. "It's about the terroir and the people who have dedicated their lives to producing this rum," Floor says. The VP believes that retailers should use a geographical approach in shelving their rum sections, and use more shelf talkers to educate customers. A picture is worth a thousand words. Universal Pictures will be releasing a movie about rum runner Bill McCoy, known for never adulterating his alcohol and leading to the phrase, "The Real McCoy." Pryor authored the screen- play for the fi lm, which is coming to theatres in 2017 starring Chris Pratt. QUALITY SELLS Overall, producers are bullish on the future of top-quality rum. "We often hear how rum is poised to be the next big category, and hopefully that's true," says Cohen at Patrón Spirits. "The category is very dynamic, and there's truly so much to dis- cover in this spirit." Predicts Floor at Campari, "I think premium aged rum is going to be the next big thing." For retailers, it's still all about hand-selling, says Vaughn at Liquor Mart. "If we guide customers through the rum selec- tion, they tend to choose more of the barrel-aged and small- batch products." BD THOMAS HENRY STRENK is a Brooklyn-based freelance writer with over 20 years experience covering the beverage and restaurant industries. In his small apartment-turned-alchemist-den, he homebrews beer kombucha, and concocts his own bitters and infusions. MORE ON RUM Beverage Dynamics will cover the spiced and flavored rum markets in the September/October issue. Rum has variety greater than just about any other spirit, ranging in character from white to gold to dark.

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