Tomorrow (16th August) is National Rum Day, so if anyone in the office is looking a bit sluggish on Wednesday morning – now you know why! 

But the day is more than just an excuse for consumers to justify cocktails on a weeknight, it also offers brands the opportunity to connect with their customer base through promotions and communications to tap into one of the fastest growing spirit markets in the UK.

The origins of National Rum Day

The origins of the day are unclear (one blogger suggests it began as a marketing campaign for a Caribbean rum) however a peak in Google searches in August 2005 indicates it’s been going for at least eleven years, however it’s only in the last three or four that it has really begun to gain traction.

The ‘National’ in ‘National Rum Day’ actually refers to the United States where the concept originated, however as with many trends it quickly made the journey across the Atlantic, with many British publications embracing the day and offering cocktail ideas to celebrate. 

Beyond National Rum Day

But it’s not just for one day! Whilst the current trend for gin still has plenty more mileage, rum is one of the key growth areas within the UK spirits market.

In last year’s Focus on: Spirits report, The Grocer revealed that although white rum was down 6.3% on both volume and value, dark and golden rum were flying – recording double digit value growth and more than accounting for white rum’s decline.

Rum cocktails on the rise

The knock on effect of this boom in the overall rum market is that we’re starting to see an increase in rum based cocktail launches, which shouldn’t come as a surprise given ready to drink cocktails are themselves, also highly on trend.

Whilst they’re still a bit more niche than the vodka and gin (or indeed Bourbon) cocktails which are now readily available in supermarkets, pubs and off-licenses across the country, rum cocktails have seen a noticeable increase in innovation, with a 75% year on year increase in new products already in 2016.

The majority of these launches have been mojitos or daiquiris, but as more and more of these products come to market the onus will be on brands and retailers to expand their offering in order to retain consumer interest through flavour innovation.

M&S continue to be a great example of a retailer doing just that, and their Caipirinha (released in quarter one) is perfectly timed to ride the current trend for all things Brazilian caused by the Olympics.

It may be too late to launch in time for the Olympics, but that shouldn’t put you off as the halo effect from The Games is likely to mean that drinks previously viewed as exotic (such as the Caipirinha) develop into a fan favourite amongst British consumers.

It’s worth noting as well, that of the top selling rum brands, it is a major spiced rum brand that is the fastest growing, registering nearly triple digit growth (52weeks – w/e 18 July 2015) indicating a growing preference amongst rum drinkers for something with a bit more of a twist. This is reflected through the stark contrast to the same brand’s non-spiced rum which has suffered a significant decline in the same period.

Cocktail manufacturers would do well to take this into consideration and consider using a spiced rum base and choosing flavours such as ginger or honey which complement the spiced notes of the rum.

Collectively, rum (dark, white and golden combined) is one of Britain’s best loved spirits, accounting for £250m of take home sales alone, demonstrating the scale of the opportunity.

Have a drink on us!

To help you make the most of the rum trend, Synergy has created a range of flavours perfect for rum cocktails. This range is the perfect blend of familiar and exotic profiles which will have consumers dreaming of the beach whatever the weather:

So why not speak to our team to request samples of our cocktail range…?

Spiced rum	Mojito	Caipirinha
Rum espresso	Mai Tai	Daiquiri
Rum & ginger beer	Rum punch	Pina Colada
Hurricane	Rum cola	Honey bee

As well as this extensive range of cocktail flavours, Synergy also offer a number of flavours perfect for adding to rum, including a spiced flavour or vanilla extract.

Contact Us on our samples or more information on our rum cocktail range.

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