Rum bar

This article is available for reading in Trade magazin 2025/6-7.

Attila Piri
marketing director
Heinemann Testvérek

“According to last year’s IWSR report, between 2019 and 2023 the standard category declined from 61,000 9-litre cartons to 52,000 cartons. In the same period the premium and premium+ categories grew from 2,000 to 10,000 cartons”,

informs Heinemann’s marketing director Attila Piri.

Heinemann distributes Old Pascas rum in the standard category, sales of which have stagnated. Sales of their Doorly’s brand have grown significantly in percentage terms from a lower volume. This year the company started distributing the Papa’s Pilar brand.

Gábor Árok
premium spirit manager
Coca-Cola HBC
Magyarország

“Based on Nielsen’s 2024 MAT data, the domestic rum market continues to grow in both value and volume. This expansion is primarily driven by demand for premium and super-premium products, while sales of white rums are stagnating or declining a little”,

explains Gábor Árok, Coca-Cola HBC Magyarország’s premium spirit manager.

Being the market leader brand, Bacardi has remained dominant in the mainstream segment.

The value of being unique

Dávid Gábor Kovács
marketing director
Zwack

Dávid Gábor Kovács, marketing director of Zwack:

“The Hungarians rum market is dominated by spiced brown rums, sales of which are growing in both retail and HoReCa”.

Zwack’s Captain Morgan rum is one of the leading brands in the premium segment, while Guatemalan super-premium rum Zacapa is produced using very special distillation and aging methods. The latest addition to the Zwack portfolio is premium Philippine rum Don Papa.

Csilla Tollas
portfolio brand manager
Liquid Gold

“Premiumisation driven by consumer education and the growing presence of international rum culture in Hungary is reshaping consumer decisions. Demand for premium rums is growing in off-trade channels and there is also more interest in special aged rums items in the high-end segment”,

says Csilla Tollas, Liquid Gold Kft.’s portfolio brand manager.

Liquid Gold distributes premium and super-premium rums: Ron Matusalem from the Dominican Republic and the Remedy rum family from the Caribbean, Ron Centenario from Costa Rica, Legendario from Cuba, etc.

New success stories

Csaba Mosonyi
country manager
Sovereign Brands

Csaba Mosonyi, country manager of Sovereign Brands:

“The overall rum market can be described as stable, with demand for dark, aged premium rums growing, while unaged white rum sales are declining, because more and more people are drinking rum neat”.

The company is the distributor of the Bumbu brand, which is a real success story in Hungary: this rum is flavoured with exotic Caribbean spices and tropical fruits, aged for 10-15 years in bourbon barrels.

Dr. Csaba Pipei
co-owner
Premirum

“As people are discovering this category, the market for premium rums is expanding dynamically”,

explains Dr Csaba Pipei, co-owner of Premirum.

They distribute Rosemont from Canada, Nativo and Pedro Mandinga from Panama, Nation from the Caribbean and Cihuatán from El Salvador.

Attila Piri adds that Papa’s Pilar Sherry Finish and Rye Finish are good examples of special maturation methods.

New sources, unique characters

Gábor Árok talks to our magazine about rum drinkers increasingly searching for products with a unique character, which are easy to drink yet special. With the rise of premium rums, bartenders are also more willing to experiment with new, creative cocktail compositions. Classic drinks such as Mojito and Cuba Libre remain popular, but more and more rum-based reinterpretations such as the rum Negroni are appearing on drink menus. According to Dávid Gábor Kovács, unique brand character is very important in the perception of rums, as it makes it possible for new brands to stand out from the crowd in the premium segment. Don Papa has managed to bring something new to the category, putting a new location – the Philippines – on the map for rum lovers.

Excellent sips

GÁBOR ÁROK