The Business Research Company’s Rum Global Market Report 2024 suggests that the world rum market size will grow from $13.94 billion in 2023 to $14.74 in 2024 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.7%). Here we take a look at some of the market highlights.
Outlaw rum is aged in the oak Whisky casks of Scotland’s finest Single Malts. It develops its complex flavour and character from a premium aged Rum born on the Island of Trinidad, in the famed stills of Port of Spain. Steeped in Rum-making heritage, the original yeast strain and rich sugarcane molasses give Outlaw Rum its trademark rich and robust palate. Tasting wise, it is described as “vanilla and citrus notes come forward, complementing the Rums sweet fruitiness. In body, Outlaw is creamy and buttery, with a slight hint of spicy yet subtle woody notes.”
Tanduay (Founded in 1854 in the Philippines) was the leading brand of rum in the world in 2022, with sales of 27.5 million cases. Bacardi was the second largest global rum brand that year, with a sales volume of about 21.1 million-9 litre cases* *Statista.
RUMA, EDINBURGH
Newly opened Ruma, which is Scots Gaelic for rum, is based on Edinburgh’s Broughton Street and is home to over 100 bottles of rum. It is owned by Jamie Shields and Steven Aitken. The bar has a great Scottish rum selection as well listing rums from the likes of Barbados, Guyana and Fiji. Its Top 5 sales of neat rum for the last month were: Chairmans Reserve Spiced Brugal 1888 Black Tot Finest Caribbean Rum Islay Rum Peat Spiced Doorly’s XO
Rum is included in 23% of all cocktails served – The Rum Report 2022 by The Campari Group
BALLACHULISH GOLDEN RUM
Ballachulish Golden Rum is a Scottish craft rum – made in Scotland from start to finish. It is double distilled, aged in casks, hand bottled and hand labelled at Pixel Spirits distillery, next to the iconic Ballachulish Bridge which appears on the labels. It promises “prominent notes of caramel and vanilla that lead through to autumnal soft fruit and winter spice. A decadent aged rum best served neat or with a splash of ginger ale.”
BANDITTI CLUB GLASGOW SPICED RUM
Banditti Club Glasgow Spiced Rum is an all-natural product crafted and spiced in Glasgow. It is The Glasgow Distillery’s flagship rum and is made from rum distilled from freshly pressed sugar cane juice on the Island of Madeira. It is aged for 12 months in oak casks and is spiced with a blend of fresh tropical fruit and exotic spices, including pineapple, orange, cacao, and allspice. Banditti rum’s tasting notes suggest that “On the nose it offers natural sweetness and warm spice, while the palate reveals toasted pineapple and orange with notes of clove and anise, leading to a long, spicy finish.”
TOP PERFORMING RUMS IN THE UK
According to CGA by NIQ data the top ten performing rums in the UK On Trade from October 2022 to October 2023 by volume (h1) were:
- Captain Morgans Spiced
- Bacardi Carta Bianca
- Kraken Black Spiced
- Captain Morgan
- Bacardi Spiced
- Havana Club 3 Year Old
- Sailor Jerry Spiced
- Havana Club Especial
- Wray and Nephew Overproof White Rum
- Captain Morgans Tiki
The Royal Navy stopped issuing rum rations on the 31st of July 1970 and even now members of the Royal Navy know this date as ‘Black Tot Day’. Navy strength rum remains a popular term though and refers to rum bottled at 57% that tends to have rich flavour and dark colour.
THE RUM SHACK
This specialist rum bar in Pollockshaws Road in Glasgow, owned by Lewis Macaulay, is celebrating its 10th birthday this year! It serves up authentic Caribbean cuisine, bespoke and classic cocktails and has a selection of over 100 rums! Its current Top 5 bestselling rums are: Goslings Black Seal (Bermuda), Island Slice (Scotland), Havana Especial (Cuba), Red Leg Spiced (Caribbean Blend), Appleton Estate Signature (Jamaica).
According to Guinness World Records, the world’s oldest rum is Rhum Ancienne année 1772, which was acquired in a private sale by Nguyen Dinh Tuan Viet (Vietnam) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on 6 March 2024.
There are a couple of theories as to where the name rum came from. The first is that it is from the West Country word ‘rumbullion’ meaning fight or disturbance. The second is that it comes from ‘saccharum’, the Latin for sugarcane. We prefer the first!
DRAM Magazine World Rum Explorers
In the past six months the DRAM has been on some fantastic rum adventures! The Editor headed to The Philippines and specifically to the island of Negros to learn all about Don Papa Rum and we headed out to Barbados to catch up with Global Brand Ambassador, Gayle Seale, at Foursquare Rum Distillery.
DON PAPA RUM
Don Papa was founded in 2012 on the island of Negros in the Philippines by Stephen Carroll and co-founders Andrew John Garcia and Monica Llamas. It was launched in the UK in 2015, and last year was sold to Diageo. It is a premium aged, singleisland rum made from the molasses from the sweet sugarcane which grows abundantly in Negros due to the quality of the fertile soil at the foot of active volcano, Mount Kanlaon. The rum is named after the unsung hero and mystic, Dionisio Magbuelas, best known as Papa Isio, a leading figure in the late 19th century Philippine revolution, who helped banish the Spanish. Papa Isio’s image features on every bottle of Don Papa alongside the flora and fauna of Negros.
FOURSQUARE RUM DISTILLERY – FOURSQUARE, DOORLYS AND R.L. SEALES
Foursquare Rum Distillery, on the Caribbean Island of Barbados, is located on a former sugar plantation that dates back to approximately 1720. The distillery was re-opened by the Seale family in 1996. Distilling operations and blending are currently directed by Richard Seale, 4th Generation Trader/ Distiller of R.L. Seale & Co and Nicola was lucky enough to be shown around the distillery by his wife Gayle Seale who is the company’s Global Brand Ambassador who was born in South Queensferry.
The Seale family have been bottling rum in Barbados for over five generations and feature several brands which use Foursquare rum as their main component. These include Doorlys, R.L. Seale’s, John D. Taylors Velvet Falernum and a series of limited-edition rums called ‘The Exceptional Cask Series’. You can purchase some of their great rums from Royal Mile Whiskies.