Ron La Progresiva unveils Mezcla 9 Edición

Island Rum Brands-owned Ron La Progresiva will showcase its new global travel retail (GTR) exclusive, Mezcla 9 Edición Cubana, at the Tax Free World Association (TFWA) in Cannes.

The new expression will be available in the brand's home market of Cuba in addition to GTR. Produced and distributed in Cuba by Ron Vigia, the brand is a joint venture between Island Rum Brands and Zerus, the commercial arm of Azcuba, Cuba’s state-owned sugar company. Mezcla 9 Edición Cubana is an aged dark rum with woody notes on the nose and displays vanilla, coconut, and almond on the palate with balanced sweetness, acidity and bitterness. Ramses Villar Caraballo, sales and marketing director of Ron Vigia, commented: “We developed Mezcla 9 as an easy entry into La Progresiva range so that more Cuban consumers could discover the unique style of Bodega Vigia. The first results are extremely encouraging, as our distribution in the market is growing daily.” La Progresiva Mezcla 13, the brand’s flagship expression, launched in Gebr Heinemann in 2023 and has seen positive sales results and consumer feedback. Helena Zakmane, international commercial and marketing director of Island Rum Brands, said: “Based on La Progresiva Mezcla 13’s success in the Gebr Heinemann network, we are looking forward to expanding the brand proposition to Mezcla 9 Edición Cubana in the GTR channel. “The new expression is aimed at a larger pool of consumers, being an even lighter and smoother Cuban rum, and a more affordable purchase.” Island Rum Brands will showcase its two rums – Black Tears Dry Spiced and La Progresiva – at TFWA in Cannes as part of JP-GTR stand L60 in the Green Village. We recently previewed and rounded up the best events at this year’s TWFA show. Earlier this year, La Progresiva partnered with Habanos sommelier Yanelis López Sánchez to provide cigar-pairing recommendations.