There has been a 51 percent increase in sales since 2019.

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Rum is now outpacing whiskey sales in the UK despite the fact that the brown elixir from Scotland is a local favorite. Provenance be damned, the people will drink what they want to drink.

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CGA by NielsenIQ, which measures on-premise numbers in the hospitality industry, reported that rum sales in the UK reached a staggering £1 billion last year, or more than 13 percent of all spirits sold. While rum still trails vodka, gin, and other specialty spirits by 51 percent, there is still a significant shift in consumers' drinking habits.

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Because of its versatility in cocktails and its explosion of new flavors, as well as its successful positioning of premium brands which encourage people to switch from mainstream products, rum drinkers have increased significantly. Its popularity is largely due to the fact that almost half of its market is made up of people between the ages of 18 and 34, according to CGA data.

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It is common for spiced and flavored rum to be more popular than traditional white and dark rum, despite the fact that craft rum distilleries exist in the UK, including London's Taxi Spirit Co and Scratch British Rums in Scotland. Although the study did not mention specific brands, it’s likely that the majority of the market is dominated by rum manufacturers in the Caribbean like Bacardi, Captain Morgan, and Sailor Jerry.

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A recent report predicts that tequila sales will outpace whiskey sales over the next year in the United States. People's tastes change over time, so spirits categories rise and fall. The more whiskey's sales grow, the less you cry. But next time you're in London, you might want to order a Dark 'n Stormy instead of a Scotch and soda.