The future looks golden

Golden rum is taking off in style bars and the off-trade, but pubs aren't yet taking full advantage of this versatile spirit. Nigel Huddleston reports

The rum category lives in the shadow of the B-word. Bacardi is such a dominant force that its name and the Coke mix have become almost synonymous with rum in the pub market, but there are signs of new excitement and upward movement in rum — and the interest is coming not from within white, but golden rum.

While Nielsen figures show the value of white-rum sales dropping by 6% in 2007, golden rum grew 7% in the on-trade, a pretty handy performance in a total spirits market that was flat.

But there's clear evidence that pubs aren't making as much as they could out of the interest in golden rum, with off-trade growth in the segment running well ahead at 27% on the back of increased listings by supermarkets like Waitrose and Sainsbury's.

"There's a great opportunity for pubs and they shouldn't just sit back and wait for supermarkets to lead," says Mariam Ridley, marketing manager at Appleton Estate supplier J Wray & Nephew (UK). "The fact that it's growing so quickly in the off-trade means there is genuine consumer interest.

"If you go into the upper reaches of the on-trade and style bars their cocktail lists are dominated by golden rum now."

Bartender interest at the top end is driven by golden rum's versatility.

Mark Dawkins, director of United Brands, which supplies premium dark rum brand Goslings, says: "Bartenders have become tired of vodka. Rum is really a more versatile spirit despite the fact that vodka's neutral, because you have dark, golden, white, spiced and navy styles.

"Within that, golden rums have a bit more of a cool and younger image about them."

Chris Goddard, brand manager for rums including Captain Morgan and Morgan's Spiced at Diageo GB, says changes in the on-trade have contributed to interest in the darker styles.

He says: "There has been a shift from high-tempo drinking occasions to mid-tempo ones, and for those sorts of occasions golden rum fits the bill more closely than white rum."

Ridley at Wray & Nephew argues that the interest in golden and dark rum styles is even more about the fundamentals of the product.

"Basically, flavour is back," says Ridley. "Consumers aren't necessarily looking for challenging flavours, but they do want interesting ones, and because golden rum's still

relatively unknown it gives them a lot to explore."

So far, though, it seems much of that exploration is going on in style bars rather than mainstream pubs. Rum's links into the world of cocktails and perceived complicated serves may be scaring off mainstream pubs.

Dawkins at United Brands says that "the biggest factor in rum's re-emergence has been the mojito". He adds: "A lot of mainstream pub groups do have a cocktail offering and it's normally a mojito. But there's a big job in training so many staff in cocktails, so it can be difficult to maintain the consistency.

"The mainstream bars are still instrumental in making it work because you can put golden rum into 500 style bars, but it's only when it goes into the mainstream that it really reaches the large mass of consumers."

Ridley at Wray & Nephew says pubs should take time to get to know rum. "My advice is to behave like a consumer," she says. "Have a session where you sit down as a team and try golden rum with some different mixers, to see which ones you like. The chances are, if you like some your customers will as well.

"It means you can talk to your customers using the benefit of your own experience and your own enthusiasm will come through as well.

"Saying 'drink it with X' is worth 20 posters telling people something's on sale. A brand that converts the staff will benefit because those staff will become advocates for it."

Diageo's main serving suggestion for Morgan's Spiced is cola, which could be a handy stepping stone for many pubs and their customers into the world of darker rums, but ginger mixers are recommended by many producers too.

"A Jamaican mule works really well," says Ridley. "Ginger beer is still relatively unknown as a mixer in the UK, but it works with rum because it does pick out the spice notes. If you want to give it a bit of a flourish you can add a dash of Angostura.

"Coke still works well if you like something a bit sweeter, and orange juice or lemonade are good if you like citrus flavours."

She adds: "All of this just underlines the versatility of the liquid. The beauty of it is there are no hard and fast rules."

Tap into the spirit of adventure

More than 50 rums of numerous styles are featured on a blackboard in the St James pub in Brighton. Situated on a busy shopping street, the Pleisure pubco venue has become a destination outlet for the city's rum lovers.

"It's all about doing something a bit different, which is what pubs are supposed to be about," says Pleisure managing director Nick Griffin.

Griffin says the range covers bottles costing "from £8 to £88 and they all sell".

He adds: "Something like

Havana Club 15-year-old costs £10 a shot, but if you bought that in a London style bar it would be double, so people in the know think it's cheap.

"We still get a decent cash margin and it gives us a unique selling point."

While golden rum is showing growth in the wider market, dark rums are proving more popular among drinkers as they become increasingly adventurous, says Griffin.

"We've also got a lot of interest in things like Green Island Spiced Rum, which you can't really get anywhere else round here.

"But people don't really buy on style; they ask for a Nicaraguan, Venezuelan or Guyanan rum

and want to know what the difference is."

Mix up a winner on the cocktail trail

Maxxium's in-house mixologist Wayne Collins says that pubs shouldn't be afraid to experiment with golden rum serves because it is such a versatile spirit.

"It's got a natural fruity sweetness, which has a lot of appeal and makes it very good for mixing," says Collins.

"Rum's got more of a party feel to it than drinks like Cognac or whisky, and it can be a good way to bring people into brown spirits in general."

Collins says that golden rum with tonic and fresh lime works "surprisingly well". "The sweetness balances out the bitterness of the tonic," he says.

Ginger beer and ginger ale are two more effective long-drink serves. "A lot of people probably don't even realise there's a difference between them," says Collins, "but ginger ale has a pleasant sweetness and is more subtle, whereas ginger beer is more about fiery spice. Ginger ale is one of the best mixers for brown spirits there is."

Fruit juices are also recommended, as they form the constituent parts of classic rum-punch recipes. In particular, Collins picks out passion fruit, pineapple and pomegranate for experimentation.

Although most mainstream pubs will tend towards well-known brands like Maxxium's Mount Gay, Collins says premium styles like the company's Cruzan can also be used for mixing.

"Premium brands go well with flavoured syrups, which even a lot of mainstream pubs are starting to stock now to serve in coffee. There's no reason why pubs shouldn't experiment with them in rum. They work really well and can offer a point of difference.

"Rum with vanilla syrup, fresh lime and lemonade tastes like cream soda and is simply a great drink."

Collins recommends using lime ahead of lemon as a garnish. "Rum and lime have been together since birth," he says. "It's like cornflakes and milk."