Leading rum brand Bacardí introduces its Bacardí Premium Portfolio, the first country in Southeast Asia to see all three aged rums in the market.

Spirits enthusiasts may well have noticed a recent rising trend in the consumption of rum; but we’re not talking about white rum, which are generally used in the making of cocktails. We’re referring to rums for sipping, golden rums that have seen the insides of ex-bourbon barrels for a goodly number of years to acquire complexity and depth of flavours. The rise of a number of good rum-focused bars, such as Bob’s Bar in Capella Singapore and the newly-opened The Bar at 15 Stamford, as well as predominantly whisky bars that have incorporated more premium rum offerings on their menu – we can point to the likes of The Swan Song and The ExciseMan – are perhaps the best indication to the growing popularity of sophisticated sipping rums in Singapore.

To cater to that trend, Bacardí has introduced its Bacardí Premium Portfolio to Singapore, a dark rum collection that comprises of three different aged rums – Bacardí Añejo Cuatro (4YO), Bacardí Reserva Ocho (8YO) and Bacardí Gran Reserva Diez (10YO). They are essentially the same liquid – which combines spirit from two different runs from its column still, one distilled twice and another five times – that’s then aged in ex-bourbon barrels for different number of years.

The youngest of the lot, Bacardí Añejo Cuatro is Don Facundo’s original Añejo recipe and is a bright golden rum that’s lively and fresh with ripe fruit orchard flavours with a sweet caramel note. It’s great for use in most rum-based tall cocktails like a punch but is also perfect as a gateway sipping whisky. Bartenders in Singapore are already intimately familiar with the Bacardí Reserva Ocho, which was unofficially launched here a couple of years ago and used as a bartender’s shout during that year’s Bacardi Legacy cocktail competition.

Previously a “family reserve”, the Reserva Ocho is the most flexible of the lot – a generous rum with layers of stewed fruit and wood spice notes – and so is good for kicking back your heels with in the evening, but also lends itself to spirit-forward rum cocktails such as a Rum Old Fashioned. We won’t mess with the Gran Reserva Diez in a cocktail; you’ll want to slowly sip on this – maybe with just a splash of water to release more aromas – to unravel its intricate flavours in burnt butterscotch, baking spices, and a solid backbone of oak.

If you’re a whisky drinker and are wondering why the age statements are somewhat on the low end, spirit maturation happens more rapidly in the warm Caribbean climate than in the cold temperate extremes of the Scottish highlands. And unlike some other rum brands – especially those who practice the solera method of blending – Bacardí does use the standard approach to age statements, so the youngest liquid that goes into the Reserva Ocho sees a minimum of eight years in a barrel.

“We are excited to introduce an accessible entry point to premium rums with Bacardí Añejo Cuatro, Reserva Ocho, and Gran Reserva Diez. As consumers increasingly crave innovation and premiumization within spirit categories, we believe this is the perfect time to spark conversation about the versatility and quality of the Bacardí rum portfolio among a new generation,” says Arvind Krishnan, Managing Director of Bacardí Southeast Asia.

To introduce Singapore to the world of its range of sipping rums from the Bacardí Premium Portfolio, Bacardí will be offering complimentary rum tasting flights of all three aged rums across ten bars in Singapore:

This special tasting flight promotion is available now till Friday 16 August 2019 (which is, incidentally, International Rum Day).

Bacardí premium rums will be available at all top cocktail bars islandwide and in retail (both online and in- store) at Habitat by Honestbee from 19 August 2019 onwards. Retail prices are S$78 for Bacardí Añejo Cuatro, S$110 for Bacardí Reserva Ocho and S$127 for Bacardí Gran Reserva Diez.


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