From the Editor: The Pursuit of Sweetness
Are You RTD?
Luis Ayala
The spirits category continues to grow year-to-year, but also against the wine and beer segments. Much of this growth has come in the form of Ready To Drink (RTD) alcoholic beverages, also known as alcopops. While it is true that some consumers will drink their spirits “neat” right out of the bottle, the majority of the market needs to have the spirit mixed in a cocktail, something that requires know-how, equipment, and specific ingredients. Hence the boom in pre-mixed cocktails, that only need to be chilled before being enjoyed.
Rum-based RTDs have been around for a long time, but their sophistication was somewhat lacking a few decades ago, with only a handful of “Rum and Coke” offerings, primarily made with white (unaged) rum. Then came the canned or bottled Mojitos, with varying degrees of success, mainly due to the focus being on low-cost, rather than on high-quality ingredients.
The emergence of the craft distillery movement drastically changed the focus into a quality-centric existence: not only were consumers ready to pay a premium for above-average products, but craft distilleries simply cannot compete price-wise against the large, often multi-national companies.
It was only a matter of time before the boom in craft spirits made its way into cocktails, as more distributors jumped onboard the craft movement and helped small brands find their ways into bars and restaurants.
Then the pandemic hit, forcing on-premise establishments to close and then to operate at a limited capacity. Consumers, meanwhile, turned some of their attention towards convenient and tasty beverages to enjoy at home. Apparently, there are few things better than alcohol to ease the pain of isolation or quarantine!
Will consumers continue to enjoy RTDs even after their favorite bars and restaurants return to full operation? Only time will tell but, until then, get ready for RTDs!
Cheers,
Luis Ayala,
Editor and Publisher
http://www.linkedin.com/in/rumconsultant