Even while rum appears to be headed for great things, 2023 has shown that the established heavyweights aren’t exactly winning all the time.
The recent spike in popularity of rum has been widely discussed. It appears that consumers are beginning to embrace the spirit made from sugar cane, as evidenced by the creative premium expressions and the growing interest in travel retail.
The category’s volume was expected to rise from 157.9 million nine-liter cases in 2022 to 164.9 million in 2023, a bigger positive swing than either vodka or tequila, according to Euromonitor International. Furthermore, rum has significantly impacted the UK, where its value in the on-trade has surpassed that of whiskey, reaching £1.1 billion (US$1.4 billion).
Nevertheless, despite all the good news, a lot of brands will be unhappy with their performance from the previous year, as many of them saw negative growth. Our 2024 Rum Brand Champion is 1965 Spirit of Victory from Radico Khaitan, a brand that wasn’t in the top 10. After moving 900,000 cases in 2022, the Indian rum increased by 31.8% and comfortably surpassed the 1 million sales threshold with 1.2 million. The growth of Indian spirits and the market for high-end goods from the nation, according to Sanjeev Banga, president of international business at Radico Khaitan, are the reasons for the company’s success.
However, the top three rums that are still in high demand are the same as they were in prior years, making it extremely difficult for any other brand to overtake one of them.
The top rum brands by volume in 2023 are shown here, compiled from the firms that provided information for The Brand Champions 2024 report, which can be read online right now.
For readability, all data has been reported to one decimal place; however, the percentage changes were computed using the complete data set provided. Millions of nine-liter cases are used to store all of the data.
In 2023, Kraken sold 1.3 million cases, the most in Brand Champions’ history, and for the first time, it was in the top 10.
The spiced rum, which is owned by Proximo Spirits, is now consistently sold in millions of cases. It recently made an appearance with a Kraken installation all around the UK, including one in Leicester Square, London. Such marketing strategies can elevate it even more on the list for the next year.
It’s difficult to characterize 2023 as a poor year for Contessa given that 1.27 million nine-liter cases were sold; yet, 2023 was the brand’s lowest volume sales since 2020, when it sold 1.1 million cases.
When the Indian rum industry peaked in 2017, there were 1.8 million cases—a far way from pre-pandemic times. In order to keep it in the top 10, owner Radico Khaitan will be considering how to turn things around the next year.
Božkov deserves a hearty applause. Only three brands in this year’s top 10 had positive percentages (9.4%) amidst a sea of decreases, including the rum owned by Stock Spirits Group. The fact that the brand recovered quickly from a downturn in 2022 was even more encouraging.
Next year’s goal? Maybe going back to the 1.6 million square meters it reached in 2019. Why not, given that its owner Stock Spirits hopes to overtake all other European spirits companies by 2027 as the industry leader?
After two years of 2.4 million cases, the eponymous rum of Ron Barceló fell alarmingly to 2.1 million cases in 2023.
The brand is unique in that it comes from the Dominican Republic and is made entirely from sugarcane juice that has been fermented and directly distilled. Expanding into Asia is the brand’s primary priority, according to Otto Flores, global head of brand ambassadors, who believes this could be crucial to reviving the company.
Old Port Rum from Amrut Distillery was the greatest mover, and it was moving in the right direction, rising by an incredible 42%. Not only did the brand surpass its 40.6% growth in 2022, but it also passed through the 2 million barrier for the first time since 2019.
In addition to ranking seventh on our list of the fastest-growing spirits for 2023, the brand had a memorable year.
For the first time since The Brand Champions’ founding, Havana Club’s sales fell below 4 million cases, raising concerns for Pernod Ricard.
Nonetheless, the Cuban brand has been making every effort to halt the decay, including team-based bartending competitions, updated range refreshes, and vibrant new designs for both the on- and off-trade.
Like CEO Christian Barré told us at the end of last year, there’s no doubt that the US-Cuba trade embargo had a significant influence as well.
Owned by United Spirits, Diageo’s Indian division, poor old McDowell’s Rum had the worst decline of any rum brand selling million cases or more, falling from 8.8 million to 6.5 million cases, or 27%.
The brand was on the edge of 11 million cases in 2019, but as of right moment, its performance is essentially nonexistent. However, McDowell’s is not without hope; its Indian whisky continues to be the best-selling product in that category.
With a 6.5% decline, Captain Morgan came closer to falling below 12 meters last year after toying with 13 meters in 2022.
Diageo, the company’s owner, will be hoping that 2023 was an anomaly; actions like focusing on the RTD and alcohol-free sectors should help ensure that. Being over 9 million cases behind Bacardí makes it difficult to catch up.
Similar to Tanduay above and Captain Morgan below, Bacardí had a decrease, albeit a minor one at 2.3%.
For the second year in a row, the brand was able to move over 20 million cases, and initiatives like using pop singer Camila Cabello in the company’s most recent campaign are encouraging for the future.
CEO Mahesh Madhaven states that a focus on the on-trade and the creation of new products, particularly with flavorful expressions, are also on the plan. All things considered, 2024 seems like it will be a thrilling year for Bacardí.
Once again, Tanduay reclaimed its throne as the biggest-selling rum brand, but perhaps not in the way it would have liked.
The Philippine brand’s 14.7% fall was concerning, but there still should be enough space between its nearest competitor Bacardí to remain in the top spot for next year. Its decline was the steepest out of any of the top 10 world’s biggest-selling spirits brands.
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