Think about rum and you immediately think of lazy, sunny days on a Caribbean beach, tiki bars and pirate paraphernalia – but you might be better off thinking about the dry red dust of the Indian subcontinent.
India is the country with the biggest share of rum searches on our database, eclipsing the US for the first time and reinforcing India's position as a major market for spirits. Some 36 percent of all rum searches originate there and, as a consequence, Indian rums feature heavily in our most searched-for list.
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While total search numbers have fallen dramatically since their peak in 2023 – searches fell by almost 30 percent in 2024 – they are still falling, albeit by a smaller margin. As the world rethinks its relationship with alcohol generally, it looks like rum is taking a heavier hit than many other categories.
That's reflected more or less across all spirits classes, and even more so among wines. However, the data shows that interest levels have already bottomed out and are recovering, so let's hope that's reflected in the coming months.
But back to rum and its curious attraction for Indian consumers. While it is better known as a huge and thirsty market for whiskey, India's taste for spirits has broadened remarkably in the past decade. Where once Johnnie Walker ruled the roost, consumers there are now looking for vodka, gin, brandy – and rum.
Indian consumers are no longer just looking for solid international brands anymore, either; they're keen to find domestically produced spirits, as our overall top 10 list indicates.
Six of the top 10 are from India, including four of the top five. That's quite the pat on the back for Indian rum producers. That there are entries from neighboring Nepal and from the Indian Ocean nation of the Seychelles suggests there is an emerging style of rum in the region that is finding favor with consumers there.
Beyond India, things look a little different. For a start, they look like they have a lot more of the pirate-and-planter's-punch Caribbean vibe.
With the Indian rums taken out, the emphasis shifts very definitely towards the Caribbean and its wider environs. What is surprising, perhaps, is the level of rum people are looking for.
Out of that top 10, there are maybe four you'd call premium, while the rest are all in the everyday price range. And speaking of price, there isn't really much on that list that would frighten the accountants, with a top global average price of around $250 for the Bacardi 151.
Elsewhere, it appears to be all about the flavor, whether it comes from lemon infusion, vintage bottling or simply the sheer, jaw-dropping power of a shot of 80 percent ABV spirit in the case of the Stroh.
What's worrying for rum producers, however, must be the spread of our searches. While it's a shot in the arm to see more searches emerge from India, it must also be worrying that rum searches – the only way to measure interest in the category – overwhelmingly come from two countries.
With 70 percent of searches coming from India and the US, it means traditional centers of focus for rum like the UK, Germany and the Philippines could only rustle up 6 percent of searches between them. And with a downward trend in searches, that's got to be a concern for producers.
Maybe it's time to order another Mai Tai or Pina Colada the next time you're out for drinks or dinner. An entire industry depends on you.
