Credit: Spirits Business
In order:
Montilla - Brazil
Madiraa Premium Dark XXX - India
Cacique - Venezuela
Contessa XXX Rum - India
Havana Club - Cuba
Brugal Anejo - Dominican Republic
Captain Morgan - USVI
McDowell's #1 Celebration - India
Tanduay - India
Bacardi - Puerto Rico
Look close... for the mention (in red) of a 100 year old rum...
2012 case sales: 1.7m
2011 case sales: 1.7m
Growth in 2012: 0%
Pernod Ricard’s less famous rum Montilla, whose sales come predominantly from Brazil, has had a stagnant year with sales not shifting from 1.7m cases. The brand has struggled to see volume return to the 2.7m cases seen before the recession.
2012 case sales: 2m
2011 case sales: 1.4m
Growth in 2012: 43%
India’s Tilaknagar Industries has reported record growth for its Madiraa Premium Dark XXX Rum in 2012, with case sales soaring up by 43%, making it the fastest-growing spirit in our 2013 Brand Champions list.
2012 case sales: 2.1m
2011 case sales: 1.7m
Growth in 2012: 24%
First launched in 1959, Diageo-owned Cacique – meaning ‘chief of the tribe’ in Spanish – counts Spain and Venezuela as its core markets, being the number one-selling rum in the latter. Its impressive 24% growth in 2012 follows four years of pretty much flat sales.
2012 case sales: 2.4m
2011 case sales: 2.4m
Growth in 2012: 0%
Despite owning a 25% market share of the Indian defence segment, Contessa XXX Rum, owned by India’s Radico Khaitan group, has failed to see any growth in the past 12 months.
2012 case sales: 3.8m
2011 case sales: 3.8m
Growth in 2012: 0%
Havana Club, one of the biggest names in the rum industry worldwide – and the core ingredient for the world’s favourite cocktail, the mojito – has continued to see sales remain flat for the past three years. The rejection of brand owner Pernod Ricard’s appeal to renew its trademark of the Havana Club name in the US in May 2012 came as a massive blow for the brand this year. With Bacardi now selling its own Havana Club brand in the States, Pernod has been forced to create a new brand name for its Cuban rum – Havanista, for when the US trade embargo on Cuban goods is lifted.
2012 case sales: 3.9m
2011 case sales: 4m
Growth in 2012: -3%
Brugal Anejo. The number one rum brand in the Caribbean and Spain has continued its steady volume decline since 2010, this year falling by 3%. Majority-owned by Edrington, which acquired around 60% of the business in 2008, has released two new expressions under the Brugal brand in recent months. First up was Brugal Extra Dry – its first premium white rum offering – in July 2012, aimed specifically at the US market. Second up was the more recent Brugal Papa Andres, a super-premium US $1,200 rum featuring liquid stored for over 100 years. Brugal’s innovation and more premium releases could turn the brand’s sales in a different direction come 2013′s financial results.
2012 case sales: 10m
2011 case sales: 9.2m
Growth in 2012: 9%
The Captain struck gold this year when it hit the 10m case sales mark for the first time, becoming only the sixth international spirit brand to do so. Diageo’s new global marketing campaign for Captain Morgan – Got a little Captain in you – has been rolling out across its core markets, encouraging consumers to have a little fun with the rum. Unusually for a spirit brand, Captain Morgan leads in each market with a spin-off expression, its popular Captain Morgan Spiced, flanked by its Original, Silver and Black Spiced variants. At such high case sales already, to achieve 9% growth is a huge achievement, and has been driven largely by sales in the US where it is the third largest spirit brand. However, the Captain still has some way to go to catch up to the world’s three largest rum brands.
2012 case sales: 17.8m
2011 case sales: 15.6m
Growth in 2012: 14%
McDowell's #1 Celebration. United Spirits’ leading rum brand has been steadily growing for the last five years, from 9.7m cases to 17.8m during that time. In 2012 its growth was a huge 14%, cementing the brand’s name in its core Indian market as a leader with around 50% market share. With such an outstanding growth rate, McDowell’s is in the running to overtake the world’s leading rum brand within the next few years.
2012 case sales: 19.6m
2011 case sales: 18.7m
Growth in 2012: 5%
While McDowell’s No.1 Celebration Rum may be gearing up to overtake the world’s leading rum brand in the next few years, Asian rum Tanduay may just achieve that goal in 2013. Just 0.2m cases behind the number one, Tanduay recently announced it would begin distribution in the US – one of the world’s leading rum markets – in the next few months.
2012 case sales: 19.8m
2011 case sales: 19.6m
Growth in 2012: 1%
Last year proved a milestone for Puerto Rican rum Bacardi as it celebrated its 150th anniversary with fervour. Its case sales meanwhile proved rather stagnant, with just a 1% growth rate achieved. Bacardi Oakheart, the brand’s spiced variant that came to market in 2011, has proved fruitful for the group, standing its ground as the sixth fastest growing spirit sold in the US in 2012, with an 85% increase in sales to 148,000 cases (according to Technomic). However, Bacardi Oakheart’s popularity may not be enough to drive the overall brand’s sales far enough in 2013 – it’s looking likely that Tanduay will overtake Bacardi as the world’s largest rum brand next year.
Emphases added. It is notable that the fastest growing brands are from India, and represent a force to be reckoned with. It looks like Bacardi will finally be toppled in 2014 (by Tanduay), and the Captain (Morgan) running out of variations and steam. Just behind Tanduay is McDonald's whose growth is simply spectacular. IMHO the Indians will prevail for the simple reason that their home market seems quite loyal, while our dumbed down American market is hungry for any change.
The Indians have money, mystique and marketeers mavenly enough to create some real headaches for the Captain and Baparty drinks that have been promoted not for quality, but for little more than their haze-inducing properties.
It's about time the market got shook up, which may leave an opening for some real rums. Are you listening Richard? And how bout that Brugal Papa Andres at $1200, and 100 years old!
