Campari Group: ‘major opportunities’ in ultra-premium rum
Raul Gonzalez, the managing director of Campari Group’s rum portfolio, spoke about the category’s development as interest grows in dark and aged expressions.
For the first nine months of 2025, the Italian drinks group reported 16.4% growth for its Jamaican rum portfolio, with its main markets listed as Jamaica, the US and the UK.
The category’s net sales for the period reached €118.7 million (US$136m). There was also growth of 45% in Q3, which the group connected to the ‘positive comparison base connected with the impact of the hurricane [Beryl] on last year’s results’.
The rum portfolio is part of Campari Group’s ‘global priority brands’ tier, and includes Appleton Estate and Wray & Nephew.
On the category’s performance over the past year, Gonzalez tells The Spirits Business that its sales reflect “positive underlying trends in our core Jamaican market and the US, especially for Wray & Nephew Overproof”.
Regarding “promising growth” for Wray & Nephew Overproof – the company’s unaged white rum – Gonzalez factors that to its “deep connection to the Jamaican diaspora, where it’s a staple at life’s milestones, and authenticity that resonates globally”.
“It’s also become synonymous with high-energy occasions like block parties, carnivals and pre-drinks where conviviality is key,” he adds.
Premium and ultra-premium as growth drivers
In July, Appleton Estate unveiled a 51-year-old rum named The Source, which is claimed to be the world’s longest tropically aged rum.
Gonzalez highlights an emergence of rums positioned for the prestige area this year.
“At the top-end, we’re seeing ultra-premium releases entering the market for collectors and connoisseurs,” he says. “A good example is The Source 51-Year-Old from Appleton Estate, which was released earlier this year, and helps to solidify rum’s rightful place in the luxury dark spirits conversation.”
Gonzalez suggests the premium and ultra-premium tier are both “major growth opportunities” for the category.
“The finest aged rums like those in our Jamaican rum portfolio showcase craftsmanship, provenance and high age, which we know are key factors that dark spirits drinkers are seeking.”
Gonzalez also addresses how the category is evolving. “Premium dark rums are gaining traction as consumers look for aged, small batch and cask-strength options, which mirror some of the trends we’ve seen in whiskey,” he says.
He notes interest in RTDs, which is found across all spirits categories. For rum, he believes “rum-based cocktails are benefiting from that growth thanks to the spirit’s versatility”.
Earlier this year, we looked at how the rum category is eyeing travel retail for growth.
The value of premium rum is expected to rise by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2% between 2023 and 2028, according to IWSR data.
Super-premium rum, meanwhile, is expected to rise by 3% – outpacing global rum at a CAGR increase of 1% by 2028.
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