•spiced RUM••• •• •• •• ••RUM, THE SECOND LARGESTSPIRIT CATEGORY AFTERVODKA, GREW A MODEST1.5% BY VOLUME IN 2012;BUT WITHOUT SPICED RUM’SROBUST CONTRIBUTION, THEOVERALL U.S. RUM MARKETMIGHT HAVE SHRUNK.•• •• •• •• ••rum on a dollar contribution basis. However,they move to other spirits perceivedto be more sophisticated as they progressin life,” says Gerard Thoukis, senior directorof marketing for Shellback. To gatherthem before they graduate to other brownspirits, Shellback Spiced was developed tobe smooth, easy to drink, sweet and fruity,with a less vanilla characteristic prominentin many spiced rums.On the other hand, Oakheart is beingpositioned as a sippable rum that’s morerefined and mature, with a slight smokyflavor profile. Captain Morgan SherryOak Finish aims for complexity was well,showing notes of oak, sherry, vanilla, caramel,dark cherry and cocoa with a slightfloral undertone.While females make up half the spicedrum demographic, the volume is greateramong young males, and that’s w<strong>here</strong> twobrands owned by Heaven Hill, AdmiralNelson’s and Blackheart, operate, sayscompany spokesman Josh Hafer. Blackheartappeals to those seeking higherproof and an edgier image, while AdmiralNelson’s consumers are more price-sensitiveand less into premium imagery.As the spiced choices increase, researchreveals that consumers think ofspiced as simply dark rum, which encouragesbrands like Sailor Jerry to eye competingfor drinking occasions with highlybranded whiskies and other brown spirits.It’s even showing up in cocktails, as Diageo’sTom Herbst points out. “As mixologycontinues to evolve and diversify,the demand for spiced rum has increasedsteadily,” says Herbst. “Overall, consumersare becoming more receptive to brownspirits, which includes spiced rum, whetherin cocktails or enjoying on the rocks.”So, high proof or low, strong or mild,bold or easy, premium or value, spiced rumbuyers have a range of choices. And that’slikely to continue as the category stretches;it’s clear that right now, spice is right.“Spiced rum is a significant segment of theoverall rum category and its going to continueto expand, and t<strong>here</strong> will continueto be innovation whether it’s marching upthrough different tiers of aging or proof orflavors,” says Whitmoyer.It will be interesting to see the extentto which the heightened attentionto spiced rum spills over into flavoredrums. Bacardi has happily extended intomultiple flavors—some, such as DragonBarry, quite exotic—as well as lower-proofready-to-serve cocktails. Brands JumbieBay and Caribaya have forged identitiesthat keep their tropical flavors and imageryfront and c<strong>enter</strong>.Vanilla rums, in particular, seempoised for attention, as they straddle thespiced and flavored categories. Notablevanilla expressions include Pink Pigeon,an Anchor Distilling Co. import fromMauritius, tinged with vanilla, nutmegand orange peel. And direct from Madagascar,the world’s most famous vanillasupplier, comes Dzama. This line includesmultiple bottlings; Dzama’s 80 proof, $35vanilla expression has a whole bean in everybottle.SIPPABILITY ANOTHER TARGETSpiced rums may be the current volumedrivers, but when the palates of rumdrinkers mature, many refined and complexpleasures await them. The trick is,getting consumers to understand whatgood rum really is.Rum consultant Luis Ayala believesthe search for breakthrough spiced brandshas led the industry down a narrow andwrong path. “Rum has not been considereda ‘serious distillate’ due mainly to thespiced and flavored rums that dominatethe industry,” says Ayala. “For every consumerwho enjoys sipping aged rums neat,from a snifter or other specialty glass,t<strong>here</strong> are hundreds of consumers who mixspiced rums without regard to the qualityof the neutral alcohol they are drinking.”T<strong>here</strong>’s no lack of brands or presence—forone, Appleton in the past fewrum | SELECTION•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•spiced RUM•years made a big point of showing theiraged expressions as sippable as whiskey.Says Brand Manager Katherine Lewis,that’s w<strong>here</strong> the customers are: “Goingbeyond the rum consumer—tappingin to the aged brown spirit consumer,who appreciates aged tequila, singlemalt Scotch, bourbon, etc., we’ll speakto them with a message that emphasizesliquid quality and premium lifestyle.”The movement is definitely t<strong>here</strong>,says Bacardi’s Toby Whitmoyer: “Wedefinitely see interest in dark and agedrums picking up, for us with Bacardi 8 andReserva Limitada. But rums haven’t beenpremiumized at the rate of other spirits.”Some brands are aiming more activelyto correct that. Cruzan will roll out its Distiller’sCollection this fall, with CruzanEstate Diamond Light Rum and EstateDiamond Dark Rum joining Cruzan SingleBarrel. Mount Gay just launched BlackBarrel, the only Mount Gay rum finishedin charred bourbon barrels, and made witha higher proportion of double distillates.Some other fairly young brandswith complex flavor profiles and superpremiumpositioning, such as Banks andAtlantico, have pegged their growth tothe bar community and consumers whoa few years ago might have gravitated toZacapa, the dark and rich Guatemalanrum. Atlantico, in particular, is one towatch; on top of the star power providedby Enrique Iglesias, the brand has twoexpertly crafted sip-worthy expressions:a solera-style Reserva and Atlantico PrivateCask, a blend of small-batched rumsaged up to 25 years.The allure of being regarded as asipping rum is clear, although theseRONABUELODUTCH THYMECOCKTAIL• RUM 101 •Rum is made from sugarcane byproducts—suchas molasses, or directly fromsugarcane juice—which are fermented andthen distilled. After distillation, the spirit isaged in oak barrels. The following pointscover variations of the final product:Light rum (sometimes called silveror white), named for its clear appearance,spends little time in barrel andemerges with a milder flavor profilemarked by general sweetness. Most lightrums hail from Puerto Rico and are idealfor mixing in cocktails.Golden (aka amber) rums are agedlonger and disply a darker hue as well assome wood character.Dark rums are typically aged for three to12 years in barrel and take on both a darkercolor (described variously as red, brown orblack) and stronger flavor with hints of spiceor molasses. Commonly produced in Haitiand Jamaica, dark rum is more likely to beenjoyed as a sipping rum, and is used incooking thanks to its richer flavor.Spiced rums gain character throughthe introduction of actual spices whilethe rum is aging. Most of these rums aredarker in color and are based on goldenrums; spices may include include bakingspices (vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon), ginger,rosemary and pepper. Cheaper expressionsare made of white rum later darkened withcaramel.Flavored rums are infused with differentflavors. Common fruits used are tropical(banana, coconut, pineapple, mango) andcitrus (orange, lime). Vanilla is also usedquite successfully. Typically 80 proof orless, flavored rums can be enjoyed neat, onthe rocks or as an ingredient in cocktails.Rum usually has about 40% alcohol(80 proof); however, many expressionsare bottled at a higher strength. Among thebest-known examples is Bacardi 151.Rum grades used for designationdepend on w<strong>here</strong> the rum was produced.Generally, premium bottlings feature higherprices due to longer aging and higher standards.They are often enjoyed straight.Young cane at the Appleton Estate in Jamaicarums themselves are not. Gosling’s,whose Black Seal Rum made the Darkand Stormy famous, scored a coupwhen Caribbean Journal named Gosling’sFamily Reserve Old Rum their2012 Rum of the Year.Based on its name and packaging, VizcayaVXOP borrows a page from Cognacto declare its commitment to sippability.Made with fragrant sugarcane juice fermentedand aged in oak barrels, VizcayaVXOP emerges with a thick texture anddeep flavor profile that includes notes ofspice, butterscotch, honey and caramel.Rhum Clément, perhaps the bestknownrhum agricole sold in the U.S.,to that end has mostly been promoted inhigh-end cocktail bars and brown spiritlounges, and recently has increased itsexpressions to include a 6-year-old and a10-year-old. Soon, according to managingdirector of Clément USA Ben Jones, thecompany will add a white rum made froma single-varietal sugar cane a single caskaged in all French oak for eight years.Other brands too have focused on thecocktail crowd, like Venezuela’s Santa Teresa.Says Commercial Director HenriqueVollmer, “Santa Teresa has effectivelydemonstrated that its aged expressions areworthy of sipping on their own and cango head-to-head against the finest whiskiesand brandies.”T<strong>here</strong>’s an array of rums, like Panama’sRon Abuelo and Nicaragua’s Florde Caña, that offer more refined and interestingaged expressions, but buildinginterest for super- and ultra-premiumrums has always needed a big push fromone of the major players to establishconsumer awareness of rum as a qualitybeverage. As Ayala says, “The premiumand super-premium segments have themost potential, and those distillers whoare able to deliver a good quality/costoffering at these levels will see theirbusinesses grow.” ■
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