A local rum product is taking the two-state area by storm and its developers are now making a marketing push into eastern Wisconsin as part of a plan to eventually go national, so travelers heading to the Hudson area for the three-day holiday might want to put it into their itinerary to seek out and sample it.
That shouldn’t be hard, as Demon Rum is well represented in bars, liquor stores and restaurants in this region. This product, which is different because it can also be sipped or enjoyed on the rocks, is easily accessible for people who want to see, and taste, for themselves, then make their voice heard, because as its creators say, its “liquid to lips” that will inevitably determine the scope of its availability — likely in your area if you happen to be a visitor.
All this didn’t occur overnight. “My business partner Jeff Warren had the idea of ‘Demon Rum’ put in his head one night over 15 years ago. His father was offering fatherly advice on a night he was heading out with his buddy,” said brand co-creator Wayne Karls. “‘Don’t let the Demon get you,’ it was said as they left. That night, a less than inspired rum drink inspired the idea of Demon Rum. Wouldn’t it make a great rum brand?”
Years later, after Karls decided to move his family back to Wisconsin from St. Paul, Warren, who was their home builder, asked for a Demon Rum drink from a bartender, knowing full well they didn’t have anything called Demon Rum available. It was a standing item from then on, that Warren would ask the bartender or server if they carried the Demon Rum brand.
“Being in advertising and marketing as owner of a small local ad agency called 2-Creative advertising, I was intrigued. I’ve developed many brands for other businesses, but thought Demon Rum had immediate marketability,” Karls said, and it has spread all over the two-state region, and currently is dropping their name in the hat, in a big way, in eastern Wisconsin. Hopefully, some people who travel here from there, such as over a three-day weekend like the approaching Memorial Day holiday, will seek it out at local venues. “Three years ago on New Years Eve, I toasted and proposed we stop talking about it and do it. That is when Demon Rum started,” Karls said.
What are patrons saying? “Demon Rum is smooth and very flavorful. They like that it is complex,” Karls said. “They are surprised that it is such a drinkable rum, as most people would never consider to drink most rums straight or on the rocks.”
Demon Rum was developed to accentuate any cocktail it is used in. “We built it to be delicious, beautiful, complex. Our tagline is ‘Seductively Spiced. Sinfully Smooth.’ It is truly one of only a few rums that can be sipped and again, enjoyed straight or on the rocks.” Karls said. “If you dig and look hard you can find some expensive, obscure rums that do a nice job of being sippable. But Demon Rum is all of that AND made for the masses.” He described it as very affordable and competitively priced at around $19.99 for a 750 ml bottle, but it delivers flavor like none other. And it’s 80 proof, which is important.
“We started the process of development by exploring craft distilling of our own product. We quickly found that this would price us out of the competitive market AND strap us from a product availability standpoint,” Karls said. “We had a very good idea of what we wanted from a flavor concept, and needed to figure out how we would achieve it affordably. To do so we worked with another craft distiller to help us work through the startup, flavor profile and supply issues.” They quickly learned that not all rums are alike and what they had in their minds did not fit what most craft distillers were producing. “We were after something much tastier, and much much smoother,” Karls said. “We decided to search where ‘real rum’ is from, the Caribbean! We found what we were looking for here … that by combining two rums — our silver and our barrel-aged rum (of three-to-five years) — we had the base from which we could build upon.”
Now they had the supply, and the instant credibility that only the Caribbean can give. “From here, we built our proprietary flavor profile that makes Demon Rum truly unique,” Karls said.
But there was more. “Eventually, as a brand developer, I knew that if we could secure the rights to the name, we had something special. Luckily, Demon Rum was available and is now TM protected by Demon Spirits LLC. (Our company). We are in year three of development, and we hope to start making a profit in or around year five,” Karls said. “Of course it all depends on the audience. So far we are slightly ahead of our expectations from a distribution standpoint. It is being accepted and is very well liked.”
They do have a second Demon Rum product in the works. “But that will not be introduced until we get the needed traction from this initial product,” Karls said, adding that the new one will fill expectations established with Demon Rum “Unleashed,” but provide a different mixology need. “That’s all I care to say for now. The next year will involve establishing the brand across Minnesota and Wisconsin. We will need to work hard to entrench it and make it solidly viable. We are not a flash-in-the-pan, nor a micro-brand. We aim to go big, but first we need to build a strong brand following close to home.”
He added a base in Hudson allows them to work to the east and west fairly efficiently. “We are currently distributed in both Minnesota and Wisconsin. But that only means the distributor can supply us. The hard work comes in getting it placed. To do so, we need people to ask for it, and ask often. This is how brands are built. The consumer needs to want it,” Karls said.
Today Demon Rum is found in liquor stores, restaurants and bars in northwest Wisconsin — including strongly but not limited to the Hudson area — as well as the Twin Cities and Rochester. But patrons won’t find it everywhere yet, and Karls and his crew are continuing to do the hard work that means they are in it for the long haul, and are keeping their eyes on the goal. They would like their brand to be well-known nationally in five to ten years.
That’s where regional rum lovers come in — they will need to ask for it, and keep their eyes on the shelves and menus. “We need the public to want it — and from experience, once they taste it, they want it,” Wayne said.
Karls has worked in agencies and design firms since the mid-80s and said he has a firm grasp on brand development and advertising. Business partner Warren started at Piper Jaffray and has been a high-end home builder for 15 years. “Together, we have experience to take us fairly far in this. We do however learn something new every day and look forward to further learning the nuances in the spirits industry. We’ve made some very valuable contacts and feel we stand a better-than-average chance for success,” Karls said. “But liquid to lips is the key. People need to taste Demon Rum to appreciate it. After that, we’ve got a customer.”