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INTERNATIONAL. The past fortnight has witnessed a launch perhaps unrivalled in travel retail industry history, as Bombay Sapphire Revelation, the extraordinary US$200,000-a-bottle project from Bacardi, has been unveiled at five airports around the world.
The Moodie Report has tracked the launch from start to finish – from Revelation’s initial airing at Garrard the jewellers in London to the final airport roll-out at Sydney Airport, Australia.
Our reporting team – Martin Moodie, Dermot Davitt, Rebecca Mann, Mary Jane Pittilla, Melody Ng and Peter Dowling – have been on the road, while back at headquarters Online Content Editor Matt Willey has been marrying their words and Podcasts with the memorable images that have been pouring in.
Here we’ve brought it all together in an interactive gallery that underlines both the ambition and scope of a project that will also raise funds for the world’s leading children’s cleft charity, The Smile Train.
Three leading names in luxury and design – Baccarat, Garrard and Karim Rashid – joined forces with the Bacardi Global Brands-owned Bombay Sapphire to create the ultra-luxury concept. The launch began with London Heathrow Airport retailer World Duty Free on 25 March, followed by DFS Group at Singapore Changi Airport and at New York JFK T4 on 28 March, Dubai Duty Free on 30 March and The Nuance Group at Sydney Airport on 31 March.
Publisher Martin Moodie attended the London and Changi launches (the latter also attended by Asia Bureau Chief Melody Ng); Deputy Publisher Dermot Davitt was on hand at JFK; Associate Editor Rebecca Mann at Dubai; and Auckland-based Asia Pacific Special Correspondent Peter Dowling crossed the Tasman to report on the big Sydney launch.
The interactive gallery above gives a short insight into the scope and scale of this outstanding event, complete with images, podcasts and video.
THE KEY FORCES BEHIND REVELATION
The creator: Bombay Sapphire
Bombay Sapphire is claimed to be unlike any other gin or any other spirit. The master distiller for Bombay Sapphire (www.bombaysapphire.com) hand-selects a unique combination of the finest botanicals from around the world.
Based on a secret 1761 recipe, the spirit is delicately infused with the aromatic flavours of 10 botanical ingredients. The result is a complex and refined taste which gives Bombay Sapphire an extraordinary mixability in an endless number of classic and contemporary cocktails. The striking translucent blue Bombay Sapphire bottle reflects the distinctive taste of the spirit inside and is recognised around the world for its inspiring design.
The designer: Karim Rashid
“Design is about the betterment of our lives poetically, aesthetically, experientially, sensorially and emotionally. To change human nature is to change the world,” says Karim Rashid www.karimrashid.com
His internationally acclaimed work has won numerous awards, features in the permanent collections of 16 museums worldwide and covers a broad range of design disciplines. Karim was born in Cairo, raised in England and Canada, and now practices in New York. His association with Bombay Sapphire began when he designed a martini cocktail glass inspired by Bombay Sapphire in 1999. He is a member of the Bombay Sapphire Foundation set up to support contemporary design.
The jeweller: Garrard
The jewellers and silversmiths set the stones that form the centrepiece of Revelation in their in-house London workshops following a tradition of excellence that dates back to 1735, when Garrard www.garrard.com was established.
Garrard is the oldest jewellery house in the world, synonymous with fine craftsmanship and service and was honoured with the title of Crown Jeweller in 1843. Garrard made the crown in 1870 that Queen Victoria wears in the famous image that appears on the Bombay Sapphire bottle.
A sapphire set in each glass stopper by Garrard is the centrepiece of Revelation.
The crystal maker: Baccarat
Founded in 1764, Baccarat www.baccarat.com is recognised globally as the eminent creator of luxury crystal.
With more than 3,000 permanent references, from traditional crystal lighting to stemware, barware and home décor, and with commissions for the likes of Japanese Emperors and Russian Tsars, as well as European royalty, Baccarat is rightly proud of its heritage.
For over 200 years, Baccarat has illuminated royal palaces and presidential residences worldwide. The traditional crystal-making skills are passed down through generations and the deftness of touch, attention to detail and rigorous drive for perfection create a flawless beauty from what begins, incredibly, as sand.
But even this most basic ingredient is carefully sourced, and a closely guarded secret. When you have the secret to perfection, you give nothing away.
ABOUT THE SMILE TRAIN
The Smile Train www.SmileTrain.Org is the world’s largest and most cost-effective cleft charity. 100% of donations goes directly towards programmes. All overheads are met separately.
Since 1999 The Smile Train has provided free cleft surgery to over 400,000 children and trained tens of thousands of medical professionals. It now has programmes and partners in 61 countries.
A simple surgical procedure, costing around US$250, can cure 100% of all clefts, but it is beyond reach for families in many emergent countries.
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