ARLU Blood Orange Rum

Product Information

As with all F&B, consumers are becoming more quality conscious. We believe with our range of gin using only 100% real fruit that we’re pushing the boundaries of consumer taste with innovative flavours. He adds: “As better weather approaches, there’s lots of opportunity to offer high quality RTDs too. Global wine company Accolade Wines has launched a new hard seltzer line in the UK, called Nine Yards. We’re expecting consumers to want to support smaller brands, especially unique British ones like ours.” To maximise sales, we believe retailers should work regionally and champion fast growing brands. In fact, many already do. We’ve seen this work to great mutual success as it helps retailers to meet the needs of their shoppers within different regions, while enabling brands like ours to showcase our range and grow from a regional into national footprint.

It’s now not uncommon to find a massive array of flavours, spices and variations on rum – which can often be overwhelming for someone who’s just looking for what tastes best and gets them drunk fast. Spirited Union Distillery founder, Ruben Maduro, says the producer believes consumers want “natural, authentic and real flavours”. Dark Matter Spiced, produced in Scotland’s first rum distillery, has a great flavour profile with consumer-friendly flavours of spice, ginger and peppers.Historically, adding spices and fruit to a blend of rums was used to mask undesirable qualities in the spirit. Today, however, spiced rums are proving very popular, thanks to the huge variation in flavours. Jessica Smith, marketing executive at Continental Wine & Food (CWF), says in 2020 the company introduced Jolly Roger, a range of flavoured rum liqueurs. Alderman’s Drinks-owned Arlu Rum has launched its first ready-to-drink (RTD) rums in the UK, with three flavours available in its new range. He adds: “There is also strong consumer demand for craft spirits, with people wanting to try top quality products that have been especially crafted to make them taste great. Arlu rum is imported all the way from the award-winning Demerara Diamond Distillery [Guyana] and meticulously blended with unique flavours and spices in the heart of Manchester.”

Mangrove’s Gillett agrees that consumers are looking for “genuine authentic rums with natural flavours”, and he adds that flavours such as pineapple have done well. He says: “We are seeing a huge amount of innovation in flavoured and spiced rum at the moment and almost any flavour is being added with mixed results. In addition, we have our rum brand, ARLU Rum, which is a range of spiced and flavoured rums imported from the Caribbean and blended with unique flavours and spices in the heart of Manchester. Shoppers can choose from Blood Orange, Passionfruit and Mango or Original Spiced flavours. She says: “This could be supporting sustainable producers, profiling the overlooked or marginalised, or championing brands that place provenance, heritage or family at the heart of what they do.

Top with soda water Other rum bottles available on the high street and online now Deadhead Dark Chocolate Rum By launching the range direct to consumer, we can also establish Nine Yards as a fun brand that fits seamlessly into consumers’ lifestyles.”​

Rum can span the full spectrum of colours, from the light and mild white rums (which are perfect as a mojito base), through to aged golden rums that have developed a more complex taste. Started by two friends James Harrison and Tommy Gaughan, who wanted to create a small batch, column distilled rum that they themselves would want to drink. The result is an expertly blended golden rum spiced with vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon and dried fruits.

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ARLU Rum, hailing from the vibrant landscapes of the Caribbean, is an embodiment of artisan craft, innovation, and tradition. Created by the Salford Rum Company, ARLU sets a distinguished standard, marrying the exuberant essence of the Caribbean with resolute British character, thereby offering a delectably unique series of rums that cater to a diverse spectrum of palates. I think my favourite rum from the festival was another local hero, ARLU rum. Their original flavour was so smooth, I’ve put a bottle of that on my Christmas list! My companion who favours a less sweet rum really enjoyed the English Harbour 5 year old rum from Antigua. Managing director and co-founder Miguel Riascos, says: “In 2020 our brand was resilient. We can attribute this to our two innovations. Both of these products performed well in 2020. “The Banana Experiment is special in that it pays homage to the heritage of the Riascos family, who were banana growers before embarking on rum making. As we didn’t have the opportunity to engage with consumers and customers face to face in 2020, this product really allowed us to share our brand story through our liquid. The point is, there’s an incredible amount of innovation and as long as it’s done well and to the best standard that services the category, there’s room for all.”

Yoi, a new plant-based F&B company, has launched in Bay Area independent grocers in California this month with its Probiotic Nut and Seedmilks. Highlighting the spicy notes of cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla in rum should be a more approachable flavour push for retailers than the traditional gin botanicals of juniper, orris root and angelica. Obviously 2020 was a strange year and sales of our brands exploded in the channels that were open. We saw the more premium variants of ranges such as Don Q do very well in the independent retail and ecommerce areas, while brands such as Aluna Coconut enjoyed a stellar retail performance.” On the Saturday of the Bank Holiday weekend, we hot-footed it to the 4-star Mercure Hotel in Piccadilly Gardens to enjoy an afternoon of rum and rum based fun. There are all kinds of exotic flavours of rum now appearing, but could too much choice pose a challenge for retailers?

This is like Mexico in a glass,” he says of one concoction, which has a sea salt foam floating on the pale green mescal-based liquid below, a smart take on the classic, salt-rimmed marg. “That foam is like the foam you get floating on the sea.” Our panel – made up of 10-accredited spirits experts and rum-loving consumers – put 35 spiced rums to the test, spanning supermarket steals to big-brand bottles. With its unique focus on low-alcohol meads, Bemuse has reinvented the style to produce an enjoyably fresh drink and, also, create a pioneering drinks category. A light, social, low-alcohol and low-calorie drink, the Bemuse mead range can be enjoyed all year round, on their own or as an accompaniment to food.” ​ ​ Didsbury Blood Orange & Ginger Gin is a refreshing drink that awakens the senses with a zesty orange burst, tart grapefruit and warming ginger. Made by rum lovers by blending the best rums from the Caribbean and leaving them to rest in oak barrels before infusing with Jamaican vanilla and ginger for an incredibly smooth, versatile spirit.