FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: New Report Argues Rum Is Positioned to Repeat Tequila's Premiumization Boom

Founding brands Esther Rum and Casalú Rum RTD release “Rum Is the New Tequila,” a report on the next major premiumization wave in American spirits.

July 2026 — A new industry report, “Rum Is the New Tequila,” makes the case that rum is on the same trajectory tequila followed on its way to becoming the defining premium spirit of the last two decades. The report is available now.

Tequila outsold vodka in American bars for the first time in 2024, following 294% U.S. volume growth since 2003 (a 7.1% average annual rate), according to Union OnPrem Insights and DISCUS. The report argues rum’s premium tier is showing the same early signal: Super-premium rum (retail price $30 and above) grew 3.9% in volume and 2.9% in value in 2025, even as the broader rum category stagnates.

The report points to several factors driving the shift, including rum’s lack of a denomination of origin, which gives producers more supply flexibility and pricing stability than tequila ever had, and Brown-Forman’s $725 million acquisition of premium rum brand Diplomático in 2023 as evidence that major spirits conglomerates are already positioning for the category’s growth. It also highlights a consumer base spanning Mexico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Venezuela, and the broader Caribbean and Latin America, paired with a Gen Z audience that is one in four Latino and less brand-loyal than any generation before it.

“Rum Is the New Tequila” is backed by founding members Esther Rum (@drinkesther) and Casalú Rum RTD (@drinkcasalu), and made possible by CR Citrus (@crcitrus).

The full report, including sourcing and data from DISCUS, Reuters, and Union OnPrem Insights, is available in the shared link.