Chairman’s Reserve rum reveals redesign

Saint Lucia Distillers has given its Chairman’s Reserve rum brand a new look to reflect its Caribbean heritage.

The new look bottle design pays tribute to the surrounding area from where Chairman's is produced, St Lucia, in particular the Pitons – the twin spires synonymous with the brand.  The spires are embossed at the base of the bottleneck, while around the bottom of the bottle are the words ‘St Lucia Distillers’, also embossed. Chairman’s Reserve was launched back in 1999 and the fresh design is said to 'encompass the brand's identity and heritage'.  In addition, all five expressions in the rum range are decorated in gold with its 'Art of Blend' label, which describes the distillation and blending process of the liquid. The brand hopes this will 'educate consumers and broaden their interest in the category’.  The Spiced label, meanwhile, features illustrations of the ingredients used for its rum. Eléonor Bertin, international brand manager at Saint Lucia Distillers, said: "After launching to international acclaim in 1999, Chairman’s Reserve has committed a subtle yet striking change to the brand’s bottle look, offering to fans around the world the brand’s bottle design that incorporates the famous Pitons, a staple of the Chairman’s Reserve brand, embossed to the neck of each bottle across the award-winning range.” To accompany the redesign, the brand has also developed a selection of the signature serves. The cocktails include a Mai Tai, a Chairman's favourite, and a nod to Derek Walcott, who's one of the two Saint Lucians that’s won a Nobel Prize. His drink is a Daiquiri that uses a mix of Chairman's Reserve White Label and bananas from St Lucia. This year, the rum brand expanded into markets such as Greece, Italy, Poland and Australia. On the whole, the rum category is experiencing a boom at the moment – this past summer, data showed that more than a quarter of Brits are choosing rum-based drinks over beer. In February this year, Chairman’s Reserve rum owner GBH agreed to acquire UK-based spirits distributor Mangrove Global for an undisclosed sum.