Consumers veering toward premium, flavoured Rums

Factors such as sugarcane selection, fermentation processes and barrel ageing play a crucial role in creating premium Indian rums, says Satpal Chaudhry, COO, Khoday India.

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Satpal Chaudhry, COO, Khoday India

Rum has always been a drink of choice during the winter season, especially in the north and north-eastern regions of India. While it has classically been enjoyed with its natural profile, there is a new segment of consumers who is tilting towards premium rum that also includes additional flavours. Throwing light on this trend, Satpal Chaudhry, COO, Khoday India, highlights the need to cater to this growing demand. 

Satpal ChaudhryJust as life never remains constant and change is the only factor that drives it forward, so is the case with the alcoholic beverages industry. Trends change in tune with consumer preferences and as of now, studies have found that rum drinkers, who so far preferred traditional rum, are now shifting towards premium brands, which is similar to what has been happening in the whisky segment. And given that a company like Khoday India Limited has always been proactive in moving with the times, it will now introduce new brands of rum which will be highly matured.

“Our aim is to offer a minimum of two premium rums in the dark and flavour segments and two premium rums in the white segment, which will be launched in 2025,” shares Satpal. The company has been the largest producer of Hercules XXX Rum on a pan-India basis, especially for the defence sector. “Once we achieve multiple bottling units, our volumes in the rum category will grow exceptionally,” he adds. In that sense, Khoday India has its ear to the ground, knowing well that there will be a shift in taste to suit the demands of the younger population. 

A Rum Leader

As far as Khoday India’s rum brands are concerned, there are five on offer—XXX Rum, Sea Pirate XXX Rum, Hercules XXX Rum, Hercules Old Matured Deluxe Rum and Hercules Bianco White Rum. Of these, Hercules Old Matured Deluxe is a well-matured rum which is mainly available in Bengaluru and a few other cities. The company is working on expanding it across India.

However, Khoday India has not yet launched any flavoured rum, which is an evolution of sorts. “Earlier, consumers never preferred flavoured rum compared to flavoured vodka but today the trend is changing very fast and they are looking for flavours like coffee, spice, etc. in their rum,” says Satpal.

As for the popularity of white and dark rums, the only difference, as Satpal points out, is that dark rum has caramel which makes it sweetish. “There is no difference otherwise,” he adds. White rum, in addition, is mainly used for cocktails. 

Making of Rum

Factors such as sugarcane selection, fermentation processes and barrel ageing play a crucial role in creating premium Indian rums that can rival the sophistication of fine whiskies and brandies. Rums are produced in India mostly from molasses which is a by- product from sugar refineries. But now a trend is emerging to produce rum directly from sugarcane juice. Countries like Mauritius, Brazil and Mexico produce excellent quality of rum using sugarcane juice. 

Status Quo

As to whether the government needs to go out of the way to popularise rum or provide more incentives for rum makers, Satpal is quite firm in his opinion that there is no such option since rum is as good as whisky or vodka and does not need a separate status. As he puts it, the government cannot go out of its way to give special incentives for making rum and eventually it all depends on what the consumers want and what the industry can provide.