It’s worth remembering that consumers of craft rum and consumers of craft gin are an overlapping group.
But as market trends show rum continuing to grow as gin plateaus, why are more people turning from gin to rum, or at least showing a preference for rum, than ever before? Why are so many new entrants to the spirits market being drawn in greater numbers to rum than any other drink?
These aren’t just the opinions of Jacobite Spirits Co and other rum producers, they are facts based on market trends.
The Whisky Exchange, which sells more than 500 rums, saw rum sales grow by 165% in late 2019, making it the first time in five years that rum had registered higher growth than gin over a comparable period.
While gin is established as the second most popular spirit, behind vodka and ahead of whisky, rum is the fastest growing.
Flavoured and spiced rums, such as our 45 Scottish Spiced Rum, are driving that growth.
And studying the trajectory of similar products in the gin market show that this expansion is only just beginning.
Flavoured gin contributed to 80% of off-trade gin sales growth in the year to July 2019, and now accounts for 33% of all UK gin sales.
That manner in which the gin boom has been significantly fuelled by flavoured offerings highlights an opening for other flavoured spirits.
Who could benefit from such an opening? Consumers, first and foremost. But there’s also a gap in the market for a new craft spirits company, or even a Scottish Spiced Rum maker which offers something to consumers who don’t like the taste of juniper, or who are just keen to try something new.
The Whisky Exchange said as much in their analysis of the growth figures it noted last year. Spiced rums, with their strong, sweet or highly flavoursome taste profiles, make perfect ‘sipping rums’ to drink neat on ice. This is where The 45 is at its best and it’s one reason, among many, why Scottish Spiced Rum and similar craft rums are becoming the new gin in their market niche.