Bacardi rum, which celebrated its 153rd anniversary on
February 4, has announced the first packaging update to the world’s best-selling
rum in more than a decade. The new bottle is designed to reflect the brand’s heritage
and launches in travel retail from April 2015 as part of a global roll-out.
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| Bacardi White Rum in the new bottle design |
Bacardi is one of the world’s most popular and widely
distributed spirits and is one of the top trending rums in the Drinks
International Top 50 Bars 2015, so the brand turned to some of the world’s top
bartenders to help design a bottle that suited their needs. The new bottle –
still in the classic Georgia Green colour glass – is slimmer and taller and
designed to be easier to handle.
Each new bottle from the portfolio of both light and dark
rums also features its own printer’s ornament, which tells a brief story of
the history of the family, the brand and the rum. The paper labels are made
from recycled cane fibre, a by-product of rum making.
The new bottle maintains and re-works several of the features historically associated with the brand. The signature bat logo, representing good fortune, good health and family unity, was inspired by hand-drawn Bacardi bat designs from the early 1900s. Heavily influenced by Art Deco style, the bottles reflect the brand’s history.
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| Bacardi Gold Rum |
Watch the film
A film developed to support the launch brings to life the
production process and passion behind the crafting of the rum. It features Bacardi
Maestro de Ron (master blender) Juan Piñera and well-known New York bartender
Steve Schneider, working in close partnership with the brand on the launch, and
is soundtracked by DJ/producer Hudson Mohawke. It can be seen at http://youtu.be/jV2fOu8uezg
Bacardi global brand director Caroline Hipperson said: “We are excited to be announcing our brand new design portfolio of bottles on February 4, our Founders Day, which marks the birth of the family-run business in Cuba in 1862. Our vision was to create a bottle that told the story of Bacardi, its unique heritage and the masterful crafting that goes into the creation of each of our premium rums.”
Mike Birch, managing director of Bacardi Global Travel Retail, added: “This is a powerful new design that expresses a dynamic contemporary edge for the Bacardi brand while fully retaining and respecting its extraordinary heritage.
“Rum is a key component in our strategy to drive spirits category growth in travel retail. The rum category in global travel retail is not as premiumised as other spirits categories like Cognac or whisky. Rum offers a wide range, quality, with blending and ageing and is equally skilled and complex like Cognac and whisky. We are keen to work with retailers who share our passion for presenting these aspects of the rum category in a way that also enables its fun personality to shine through.”
Bacardi rum is produced with the same methods pioneered
by founder Don Facundo Bacardí Massó, using special yeast, lightly charred
American white oak barrels and a secret combination of charcoals to filter the
rum. The flavour profile of the rum has remained unchanged since 1862, and this is celebrated in the new bottle design.
Bacardi splashes
out on cocktail campaign
In other Bacardi news, the brand reported the
success of Cocktails of the World, a destination-focused shopper experience
created specially with DFS in 2014. Running at several DFS flagship airport
locations, the in-store experience was created to express the character of the
local cities linked with the five feature airport gateways: Singapore, Los
Angeles, Abu Dhabi, Auckland and Hong Kong.
The best of local cocktail culture was brought to life on
the spot with signature serves from the Bacardi portfolio. Hong Kong travellers
enjoyed the Dragon Fruit Bacardi Mojito, while Singapore Changi presented the Singapore
Sling, featuring Bombay Sapphire and Benedictine. Los Angeles showcased Grey
Goose Le Fizz, and in Auckland shoppers were invited to try 42 Below Falling
Water with Feijoa.
The cocktail experience was supported by gift boxes,
recipe cards and gwps, including the Grey Goose taste box to inspire shoppers
to re-create their cocktail adventures at home.
