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Could rum follow in Tequila’s footsteps in US?

16 March 2026 By Nicola Carruthers

Sales of rum in the US on-premise fell by volume and value in the year ending June 2025, but higher-end tiers are seeing strong growth.

NIQ says ultra and luxury rum are mirroring the trajectory of Tequila a decade ago

According to NIQ US data for bars and restaurants, rum saw its value drop by 2.3% in the 52 weeks ending 9 June 2025, compared with a year ago. Value-wise, the category was also down by 2.3%.

Rum was outperformed by ‘value-positive categories’ such as Tequila, whisky and vodka, NIQ noted.

Light rum, which is often used in cocktails, saw the biggest value share drop (down by 0.5 percentage points).

Gold (up 0.5pp) and dark rum (up 0.1pp) saw smaller increases, suggesting drinkers are drawn to flavour, complexity and craft cues, NIQ said.

NIQ highlighted rum’s opportunity: “The rum consumer base, which demonstrates higher on-premise monthly spend, higher weekly visitation for drink and food-led visits and over index for Gen Z drinkers, offers enormous potential. If rum can modernise its position, including cleaner serves, fresher flavour cues and premium storytelling, it can convert this demand into sustained growth.”

NIQ also noted that higher-end price segments of rum are experiencing strong value and volume growth despite overall declines – following a similar path to Tequila 10 years ago.

“While still small in share, ultra and luxury rum represent rum’s most compelling pathway to future value, mirroring the trajectory of Tequila a decade ago,” NIQ highlighted.

Florida, the category’s largest share state at 12.3%, posted the steepest share decline (down by 0.1pp), which NIQ said was indicative of a “rate of sale challenge in a market where rum should outperform”.

Nevada saw the biggest share gain, up by 0.3pp, followed by Washington at an increase of 0.1pp. Meanwhile, Ohio maintained its share of rum sales.

“The data makes it clear that the next phase of rum’s growth will come from brands that lean into authenticity, elevate quality, and deliver compelling on-premise experiences that resonate with a new generation of drinkers and evolving consumer repertoires,” said Matthew Crompton, NIQ’s vice-president of Americas – on-premise.

In terms of the wider drinks sector, NIQ said the US alcohol market across the on- and off-premise reached US$222 billion in the latest 52 weeks, down by 1.1% year on year.

Spirits sales performance varied by channel: on-premise (up 1.3% in value), in-store (down 0.3%), online (up 1.3%), click and collect (up 15%) and delivered (down 1%).

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