Premium Bacardi rums launch in travel retail

Bacardi Global Travel Retail has launched Bacardí Reserva Limitada and Bacardí Gran Reserva 8 Anos Ron into selected airports globally for a limited time and in numbered bottles. They follow the release earlier this year of Bacardí Gran Reserva Maestro De Ron.

Originated to commemorate the 2003 opening of the Casa Bacardí Visitor Center in Puerto Rico, Bacardí Reserva Limitada is an ultra-premium rum, first created by the Bacardí maestro de ron as a personal blend for the Bacardi family in honour of founder Don Facundo Bacardi Massó. It is blended from Bacardi’s rarest rums that have been aged in small mature oak barrels for 10 to 16 years resulting in an average of 12 and balanced with a touch of one-year-old rum to develop a light freshness on the palate.

Bacardí Gran Reserva 8 Anos Ron was first created in 1862 by founder Don Facundo Bacardí Massó. This complex golden premium rum was released in 1988 in certain domestic markets and is now presented globally for the first time in travel retail in an exclusive gift box. It has been blended from a selection of barrel-aged reserve rums then charcoal filtered to create balance and smoothness.

Bacardí Gran Reserva 8 Anos Ron is presented in a luxurious presentation box, which includes a wood-finish interior and incorporates a side-sliding mechanic. The sumptuous red tone of the box is complemented by black and gold features, including gold foil and embossed text and, of course, the Bacardí bat logo. Although the bottle is on sale in domestic and global travel retail markets, this exclusive gift box presentation is only available in travel retial outlets, priced at £32.99 (1 litre).

Ian Rollason, marketing manager Bacardi GTR, comments: “Our Bacardí collection of premium and ultra-premium rums has the quality, heritage and appeal to deliver new benchmarks in rum quality.  Alongside the sublime quality of the liquid itself and the bottle presentation we have created stunning, heritage-led secondary packing that adds to the ‘brand story’ on shelf, enhancing the appeal for gifting and to rum aficionados looking to add to their own portfolio.”

Mike Birch, MD, Bacardi GTR, explains Bacardi’s ambition for category expansion: “We have a powerful vision for rum, driven by the category leading position of the Bacardí brand.  We are certain that innovation and differentiation will lead significant rum category growth as a whole.

“As a category, rum under-indexes in travel retail compared to domestic markets and we can change this by creating finely targeted, authentic premiumisation opportunities.  We will continue to leverage the ultra-premium expressions of Bacardí to inspire sophisticated and intriguing drinking occasions among rum, malt and cognac aficionados alike.”

5 September 2014 - Felicity Murray The Drinks Report, editor