Bacardi Premium Portfolio
The bottles: Bacardí premium rums, $20 to $100
The backstory: As a brand, Bacardí needs little in the way of introduction. It is, after all, the world’s best-selling rum. Bacardí is bigger than molasses-based spirit as well: The company’s portfolio includes other sips — most notably, it recently acquired the Patrón tequila brand.
For its latest push, however, Bacardí is returning to rum, but a different kind — namely, premium rums that are aged anywhere from four to 12 years and have a generally higher price point than the standard Bacardí ones. While the company has looked at this higher-end category before — most notably, with its Facundo rums — Ned Duggan, a Bacardí vice president, says this new product line represents its “most significant portfolio expansion” in a number of years.
What’s behind the push? “It’s no secret that for years, rum has been battling a common misconception — that it’s a spirit that can only be mixed into tropical drinks,” Duggan explains. Bacardí wants to promote the idea of sipping rum — that is, rum that can be appreciated on its own much like whiskey.
What we think about them: We’ve often wondered why rum hasn’t found its way into brandy glasses more often — it’s the perfect after-hours standalone sip. And these rums fit the bill. We’re partial to the Bacardí Gran Reserva Diez ($40), a blend of rums, with a minimum age of 10 years, that carries beguiling notes of everything from banana to caramelized vanilla.
How to enjoy it: When we say standalone, we mean it. At best, you might enjoy the Gran Reserva Diez with a couple of cubes of ice, but it’s not intended for cocktails. That said, Bacardí notes that the lowest priced rum in this new line, the Bacardí Añejo Cuatro ($20), can add character to some mixed drinks. Try it with club soda and a squeeze of lime, they suggest.