Brugal rum brand gains momentum in Americas

Brugal rum brand activations are kicking off this summer, starting at New York JFK Airport


AMERICAS. Travellers at various airports across the Americas will be able to taste Brugal rum thanks to a number of brand activations this summer.

Brand owner Edrington Group has teamed up with its distributor Rémy Cointreau Travel Retail Americas and retailer International Shoppes to mount high-profile promotions featuring travel retail exclusive Brugal Extra Viejo Reserva and Brugal Añejo Reserva, starting at New York JFK Terminal 1 Departures.

The two-month New York activation, which follows the successful launch of Brugal Reserva in duty free in the Americas last March, will be mirrored elsewhere in major travel retail outlets across the Americas, including New York Newark, Miami, Houston, Canada duty free and Latin America duty free during August and September. Other promotions will take place later in the year.

Commenting on the New York JFK activation, International Shoppes Vice President Scott Halpern said: “We are very excited to be a part of the Brugal duty free launch. It is a wonderful rum and we look forward to showcasing a taste of the Brugal Reserva expressions to a global audience in New York and later Philadelphia.”

Brugal Añejo Reserva and Brugal Extra Viejo Reserva are described as rich in colour and intense in flavour. The rums have been aged in the Brugal cellars and many years of maturation, the brand owner said.

Edrington Group Area Director – Americas Duty Free André de Almeida added: “Following the positive reaction from the trade at the IAADFS show 2011 to the introduction of Brugal, we are gaining momentum behind listings and activations on the brand across the Americas duty free market.

“Consumers will be exposed to the brand across different channels in 2011 and will have the opportunity to taste a rum with a distinctive, lighter style with drier woody notes that come through whether drunk neat or mixed. Brugal is produced under a very tightly controlled distillation process to guarantee a clean spirit with low levels of congeners and all of this combines to make Brugal a unique proposition in the rum category in travel retail.”

Tasting notes

Brugal Añejo Reserva (available in one-litre bottle)

• Colour: Amber, bright and translucent
• Nose: Slightly woody with traces of chocolate. Relatively complex
• Palate: Oily and silky in mouth, with some soft caramel and tannin from wood. Overall dry sense.

Brugal Extra Viejo Reserva (available in one-litre bottle)

• Colour: Dark amber, bright, clean and transparent
• Nose: Distinctive woody aroma thanks to longer ageing. Refined and complex notes of dry fruit, almonds and a hint of spices
• Palate: Smooth and elegant in the mouth. Silky with a delicate aftertaste.

About Brugal rum

Brugal is one of the largest international golden rum brands in the world and is in the top 20 of Impact’s Top100 growth premium spirit brands worldwide.

Brugal, in which The Edrington Group took a majority stake in February 2008, is the leading rum brand in the Dominican Republic, where it has over 80% market share. It is a premium brand with a strong heritage and commitment to high quality.

Brugal makes its rum traditionally, ageing it in over 200,000 American white oak barrels on-site in Puerto Plata. It can be drunk either mixed or straight.

Brugal, the only rum distilled, aged and bottled in the Dominican Republic, is the number one rum in the Caribbean, according to The IWSR. Visit www.brugal-ron.com

Brugal Añejo Reserva and Brugal Extra Viejo Reserva are described as rich in colour and intense in flavour


Food & Beverage The Magazine eZine