Old Monk holds a special place for dark rum loyalists, but the Indian market for rum has never shown much growth. According to market reports, rum consumption in India has declined over the last few years while the demand for other alcoholic beverages like gin has grown. However, there's palpable excitement for the dark alcohol in 2022 with the introduction of newer distilleries producing rum and new-age entrepreneurs infusing fresh thinking to create a "pull" for their rum brands.
When Amrut Distilleries wanted to launch a premium rum without artificial flavours in 2013, the result was Two Indies, which uses jaggery and not molasses for rum distillation in a traditional direct distilling process called "rhum agricole."
Ashok Chokalingam, the head distiller at Amrut, sees the thriving middle class as adding fuel to the premium segment of alcoholic drinks. "As in the single malt space, people will also venture into the rum space. I see it is a healthy sign", he adds.
Kasturi Banerjee, a banker-turned-distiller at Maka Zai rum, concurs. According to her, there is immense potential to grow and scale the premium category since the most sales volume in the rum segment is in the entry-level dark rum category. The Goa-based brand uses a locally sourced cane to pick up the influences of red soil, making it floral, sweet, spicy and herbaceous. Maka Zai also makes a transparent version to introduce the idea of rum as a sipping day drink, even in humid climates.
Sabyasachi Nath, a quintessential Old Monk lover, who is open to experimenting with new flavours in his tipple, said that the Indian market for rum needs to mature. On his recent trip to Goa, Nath recently tasted Segredo Aldeia, a new expression of cafe rum by Fullarton Distilleries. The company has recently forayed into international markets with its two variants, cafe and white rum.
The dark expression of Segredo Aldeia is a clever amalgamation of aged rum with dark roast coffee beans, making it a perfect on-ice sipping rum. The distiller also uses the rhum agricole style, with a base of jaggery and cane sugar sourced from Maharashtra.
The premium rum segment in India is at its nascent phase still. Craft rums like Two Indies, Maka Zai and Segredo Aldeia are taking to the shelves bringing in new taste profiles at a four-figure price, hoping consumers will accept quality with a premium pinch.
Using social media marketing instead of traditional advertising, these brands draw an audience open to new flavours and a fresh take on drinking rum. Whether the market wholeheartedly accepts this trend as it did with gin two years ago is to be seen.
(Chandreyi Bandyopadhyay is a marketing communications professional and an avid traveller who explores new ideas in food and beverages)