The creative mind behind the identity and flavor of Demon Rum: WAYNE KARLS

Wayne Karls is a founding partner of Demon Spirits LLC. In 2015, he and his business partner, Jeff Warner, set out to develop a rum that would change the way people enjoyed the spirit. One year later, they introduced their first product, Demon Spiced Rum, to Western Wisconsin. Karls’ specific role was to develop the brand, drawing on his experience as a Creative Director and Brand Strategist in the advertising industry. He embraced the opportunity to work in the spirits industry, a category he had not worked in previously—although he had certainly enjoyed consuming rum.

Besides leading the brand development for Demon Rum, Karls fully immersed himself in crafting a rum flavor profile that met all the key criteria they envisioned for their new creation. 

TRL: What was the biggest challenge you faced in launching your rum brand, and how did you overcome it?

The biggest challenge from the very beginning was learning about the industry and producing a product that differentiated us and would make consumers sit up and take notice. That coupled with understanding rum product development, distilling challenges, and production pricing to a point where we could put a product on the market that was competitive in both flavor and price.

TRL: How do you see the rum market developing in the next 5-10 years, and what trends do you think will shape the future of the industry?

I see three distinct areas for tremendous growth in the rum category.

1. Premiumization: The lower end of the market is saturated with products that pass as rum which fills the need for those who like that sort of thing. We were aiming higher, to the mid-tier and above, where a brand can create some room if it is innovative enough to capture the eye and taste buds of an eager audience. So much about the huge Bourbon boom pushes other categories to be relevant and live alongside it on the shelf. Premiumization in a category that has little of that is a big opportunity.

2. RTDs: Rum is the perfect category to build out the next big niche of RTDs with tried-and-true cocktails that have been a staple on every beach, boat, or poolside for decades. I’m talking about Rum Runners, Mai Tai’s, Hurricanes, and the like. I believe drinkers are ready to move on from the over-saturated hard seltzers to something a bit more flavorful and authentic. The challenge will achieve a fully flavored cocktail without all the sugar and calories.

3. Non-alcohol options: this is a growing segment of consumers that needs attention from every spirit category, including rum. We intend to introduce an offering here in the next year.

TRL: Can you share a personal experience or moment that significantly influenced your brand’s direction?

The biggest personal challenge came shortly after we launched our first flavor profile, Demon Spiced Rum, in 2016. In August of that year, my wife Barbie was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I immediately pulled my attention away from business and Demon Rum, to focus on trying to save her life. We did pretty well with that disease as she fought very hard and lived until her birthday in April 2019. For the Demon Rum brand, this, of course, meant that much of our momentum with Demon Rum was slowed to a crawl. I spent the next 6 months assessing if I wanted to be involved in the brand in the future, and more importantly, could I focus enough to be a benefit. In January 2020, I decided to re-engage fully and use it as a positive distraction to build something great. Enter COVID just two short months later! This put us in a tailspin again for another full year. So these two things delivered some enormous challenges.

TRL: How do you balance tradition with innovation in your approach to rum-making or marketing?

This is a big question for us, as it was so very important that we produce an authentic rum product that included all the traditions of what made rum, rum. After much exploration and learning all we could about the rum industry and distilling rum, it became abundantly clear that to be truly authentic, our best option was to tie our brand to rum made in the motherland of rum–the Caribbean! This leads us to our current source of pure Caribbean distilled rum. With this, our product can be the most authentic it can be, short of moving our company there.

TRL: What are some recent initiatives or products you’ve launched that have been impactful?

Post-COVID, we launched our second flavor profile, Demon TropiCoco. The combination of Demon Spiced rum–a rum so smooth you can sip it on the rocks, and our buttery coconut creation Demon TropiCoco–we provide two products that connect with a big swath of rum drinkers. But the biggest surprise came out of a problem we had when post-COVID glass prices rose to crazy prices. At this time, we began looking for options. Sometime later, we found it. PAPER! Yes, we now package our product in a highly sustainably produced container that is made from 94% recycled paper, is 5 times lighter, and has a carbon footprint 6 times lower than a glass bottle of the same size. We call it the Demon Rum Eco Bottle. It has an MPET liner that keeps our rum tasty and fresh. This sustainable packaging has been in the works for a couple of years and is now ready for sale. We are transitioning away from glass totally, and our decision to do so is being applauded by consumers and retailers alike.

TRL: How do you educate consumers about your rum, and what’s the most important lesson they should take away?

Our motto is “Liquid to Lips”. Once consumers taste our products, we have them. Then we follow up with ways to use it. It’s a one-two punch that is the only way we can compete against all the other options out there.

TRL: How do you manage quality and consistency as your brand grows and enters new markets?

Our decision to use rum distilled from the Caribbean ensures we can be fully scalable as we grow. It also gives us a very consistent product as the base for all our proprietary products. Our recipes are the most valuable thing we have and the way we buy and produce our rum makes every sip sinfully smooth!

TRL: Can you share a collaboration or partnership that helped elevate your brand to additional levels?

After we launched our first Spiced rum product, we introduced our rum to Las Vegas. We’ve been there since 2018. This is where we met Ronald Fenty, father of the music star Rhianna. Ron Loves our rum and our brand. He and his wife Rosemary have been supporters of our rum since we began selling in Nevada. They later became shareholders and promoted Demon Rum wherever they went. 

TRL: What is your long-term vision for your rum brand, and how do you see your role in the rum’s evolution industry?

Our long-term vision lies in our mission statement “Inject innovation and excitement into the rum category by offering all-natural, authentic, competitively priced rum products that deliver unique flavorful experiences while leading the spirits industry with sustainably conscious products that minimally affect our planet.”

Our sustainable packaging is a bold move that we believe will affect the entire industry. Our thanks to the UK company Frugalpac for that! But it is the premium flavor of Demon Rum, the unique Sinfully Smooth experience delivered, and a good price, available on a large scale, that will make the rum category relevant. 

TRL: What’s one piece of educational advice you would give rum lovers to better understand the spirit?

Real rum is made from sugar cane molasses. If your rum is not that, it’s not rum. It was first made as a very inexpensive spirit and thus has an evil reputation. But it doesn’t need to be that way. The beautifully sweet nature of it gives creators so much latitude to make something unique and good. That is what we believe Demon Rum offers.

TRL: How can people learn more about you? Website? Social media page?

Demon Rum can be found in Wisconsin, Nevada, Arizona, and more recently Georgia, California and Florida. But it can be purchased online and delivered to most places through our website https://drinkdemonrum.com/. You can also join in the fun on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drinkdemonrum/