The Last Frontier
Amid soaring margins in the spirits world for Tequila and whisk(e)y, the equally venerable rum category has remained among the last spirits categories to truly premiumize. But we’re finally seeing some movement. The top players, for the most part, have made new commitments to upscaling in recent years, and many smaller rum brands are making dynamic moves as well. Overall, super-premium-and-above rums are showing reasonably healthy volume growth, and also making real efforts to edge into the high-end cocktail space that’s usually reserved for whisk(e)y. But rum also will never lose—and never should lose—its status as a playful, fun, and irresistible drink. The rum-based RTD space is another avenue of opportunity, just as it has been for vodka and Tequila. Read all about it in our rum feature, which starts…
