Blended rum Duppy Share launches draught cocktails

Blended rum brand The Duppy Share has become the latest spirit to capitalise on the growing number of bars and restaurants serving draught cocktails.

Two cocktails – Jamaican Mule and Golden Mojito – were made available on a trial basis in two venues owned by the Incipio Group in the UK – Pergola and The Prince. Due to their success, the brand is now rolling out the cocktails to the wider on-trade.

The on-tap range will join the brand’s existing listings in Youngs sites, starting with The Hope and Anchor, The Ship and The Windmill in May.

Charlie Gardiner, Managing Director at Incipio Group said: ‘In taking on The Duppy Share when it launched we were the first restaurant group to acknowledge the burgeoning craft rum wave, and we are equally proud now to be the first group to adopt The Duppy Share’s Cocktails on Tap.’

According to the WSTA, sales of rum in the UK market continue to rise, with almost 35 million bottles sold worth just over £1 billion in 2018.

Total UK spirit sales last year were worth just over £11 billion, with rum the standout performer alongside gin.

While white rum is still the most popular rum in the off-trade, sales of flavoured and spiced rums are growing fast, with almost 10 million bottles sold in the last 12 months – just over half a million bottles fewer than white rum.

‘British drinkers have more choice than ever before when it comes to rum. Craft spirits are ‘of the moment’, and an increasing number of artisanal spirits producers are crafting their own interpretations of the spirit- often alongside their gin range,’ said Miles Beale, chief executive of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association.

Draught cocktails have become one of the fastest-growing trends in the UK off-trade, with companies like Frizzenti securing partnerships with chain restaurants and bars across the country.

Speaking at the launch of William Grant & Sons’ 2018 trend report, in June last year, the company’s commercial director Matt Billinghurst said consumers “want their experiences to be more efficient and as enriched as possible.”

“They don’t want to wait in a queue for 20 minutes while their friends’ drinks are prepared.”

Blended in the Netherlands and bottled in the UK, The Duppy Share is a blend of five year old rum from Barbados and pot still Jamaican rum.