Rum sales reach £1bn to overtake whisky

Sales of rum have surpassed £1 billion (US$1.2bn) a year in the UK, meaning it now accounts for a bigger market share than whisky.

Data from CGA by Nielsen IQ shows that in the 12 months to July 2022, total rum sales amounted to £1bn giving rum a 13% share of the overall spirits category.

Rum’s growth was attributed to ‘surging interest from younger consumers’, according to the Nielsen IQ data.

“We’ve been predicting growth in the rum category for some time now, but its performance since the end of Covid-19 restrictions has been phenomenal,” said CGA client director Paul Bolton.

“Rum’s versatility in cocktails and the explosion of new flavours have both helped to pull in new drinkers, and the successful positioning of premium brands has encouraged a lot of people to trade up from mainstream options.”

Market research company CGA also reported that rum figures for the latest quarter showed sales have leapt by 51% compared with the same three-month period in 2019.

Flavoured and spiced rums took a larger share than white and dark rums, too: 60% of the cane-based spirit category is taken up by these bottlings.

White, dark and golden rums grew in sales all the same.

Premium rums saw a sales increase of 85% in the last quarter, and accounted for 33% of the market.

So there's no better time to grab a bottle of Pirate's Grog and indulge in a dram of premium spiced rum ;)

(Data taken from The Spirits Business)