Bacardi rum gets Art Deco style redesign

Bacardi rum has been given its first packaging update in more than a decade. Heavily influenced by the Art Deco style, the new bottle design reflects the brands heritage and provenance.

Designed in consultation with some of the world’s leading bartenders, the bottle has been created to ensure it is well balanced in order to produce the perfect pour. It is taller, slimmer and more cylindrical, with proud shoulders reminiscent of the more classic style of bottles.

It is also packed with finely crafted touches. The iconic Bacardi bat logo, representing good fortune, good health and family unity, was inspired by hand-drawn Bacardi bat designs from the early 1900s. It crowns a label of hand-cut fonts inspired by those adorning the Art Deco El Edificio Bacardi – the brand’s former sales office and bar in Havana, Cuba.

Each new bottle from the portfolio of light and dark rums also features its own unique printers ornament, a brief story from the Bacardi family’s history and a simple taste description and drinks serve on the back. In addition, all paper labels are made from recycled cane fibre, a by-product of rum making.

More than 150 years of heritage and awards adorn the pack: the Royal Spanish coat of arms awarded for quality in 1888, a selection of medals won since 1862 and the signature of Don Facundo Bacardí Massó, the founder of the company, that remains family owned since 1862.

Dmitry Ivanov, CMO of Bacardi and president of Bacardi Global Brands, says: “Our goal with the new pack design was to cement the extraordinary Bacard heritage into the hearts and minds of today’s consumer by connecting it with the human passion, untameable spirit and fine craftsmanship that goes into every bottle. It looks contemporary, but with a strong heritage feel, and we look forward to seeing it in bars and in the hands of consumers around the world.”

The re-designed presentation of the portfolio of Bacard rums has been through several creative processes with painstaking research into the brand’s archive. Its launch this month, on the brand’s ‘Founder’s Day’, which marks the birth of the family-run business, is accompanied by a film that brings to life the production process and passion behind the making of the rum. The movie features maestro de ron Juan Piñera, well-known New York bartender Steve Schneider and is sound tracked by DJ/Producer Hudson Mohawke.

Due to the exile from Cuba, Bacard rum is currently produced in various other locations, mainly in Puerto Rico and Mexico, with the same methods first pioneered by founder Don Facundo Bacardí Massó, using the special Bacardi yeast, lightly charred American white oak barrels and a secret combination of charcoals to filter the rum. The flavor profile of Bacard rum has remained unchanged since 1862, and this special craftsmanship and history is celebrated in the new bottle design.

The new pack has been launched in the UK and becomes available across some European markets from early March, then the remainder of global markets from April onwards.

9 February 2015 - Felicity Murray The Drinks Report, editor