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pond of the new trend either by reworking their marketing
strategies or by craftwashing their offerings through acquisitions
and expansions.
Eventually, in 2021 there was a turning point on the European
Market that influenced the whole sector: the European
Union decided to set a sugar cap level for rum final composition.
The new limit became 20 g/l (previously it was 100
g/l, a limit considered useless as it was near the sugar content
of a Coca Cola), while above that value the alcoholic beverage
had to be labeled as “Spirit Drink.” Over the past year,
all producers had to adapt their bottles to the new legislation,
but such a change did not have the anticipated impact
on the market. Indeed, all new rums now offer lower sugar
levels capped at 20 g/l, but the change was mostly impossible
to detect for the common drinker. Only a few producers,
like Angostura, decided to substantially modify their rums:
for instance, the 1787 moved from 30 g/l to almost zero.
Others, like in the case of Dictador 12 and Diplomatico Mantuano,
decided to raise sugar content to 20 g/l, probably to
reposition the products in the new ranges.
It is difficult to assert if there has been an effective change
in the quality of the spirits, as only a rigorous chemical
analysis will allow evaluation of the new thresholds. There
was no push for higher clarity on the bottle labels nor
for a serious discussion about what would technically distinguish
the nature of a rum style. Aficionados must still
rely on external institutions to know the sugar content of
the new bottles. If, on the one hand, the niche of artisanal
productions have been substantially growing during these
years (and of this trend Seale’s Foursquare certainly took
advantage, along with many other pot still brands), on the
other hand, mainstream rums of smooth and “assembled”
taste did not suffer from any market loss, thanks to the
strong global presence of their brands.
Overall, it can be said that a whole new positive season came
to fruition for rums’ sales: the market trends suggest a 40%
growth of the whole sector over the next five years. The availability
of rums on international markets has been constantly
growing, and there will be opportunities for all producers.
Above all, rums can still offer a quite virtuous quality-price
ratio, if compared to the speculations over the whisky’s and
cognac’s markets. Yet, it remains to be seen how the current
international difficulties will impact on prices. In the meantime,
the best advice is to explore the various souls of this
amazing spirit to find one’s favorite bottle, especially as long
as the favorable moment gives the possibility to buy amazing
bottles at what is basically a bargain price.
#5-2022 CigarsLover Magazine
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