Rum’s the word in the on-trade for 2016, the latest Bibendum UK Market Report has found, with the supplier predicting that the sugarcane spirit could follow in the footsteps of gin.
The report found both golden and dark rum in growth in the UK on-trade, with the firm concluding that it “can see drinkers engaging with the product in new ways, suggesting that there is definitely scope for new quality-driven brands to do for rum what Hendrick’s and Sipsmith did for gin”.
Growth through premium stock was a theme throughout the spirits category in Bibendum’s report.
The firm said the gin category has been “premiumised by high quality products and boutique brands” over the past 12 months, reporting that total sales are up 12%.
The ‘super premium’ vodka category was also highlighted as a spirits success with volume sales said to be up 23% on the previous year.
Further evidence of the move to premium spirits was shown in the tequila category where ‘ultra premium golden’ was found to have seen a volume sales uplift of 133%, although Bibendum said the tequila category is still a “tiny fraction of the market”.
In the whisky category, Bibendum found a split between the on and off-trades.
The report said that imported styles are “booming” in the off-trade, but that the malt whisky sub-category is the one to watch in the on-trade, as the only category of whisky showing year-on-year growth.
