The Rolling Stones relaunches Crossfire Hurricane Rum

Jamaican rum brand Crossfire Hurricane, co-founded by The Rolling Stones, has relaunched with a fresh design, refined liquid and new development team.

Crossfire Hurricane was initially introduced by English rock band The Rolling Stones in November 2023. The new look Crossfire Hurricane has been developed in collaboration with global rum ambassador Ian Burrell, who co-created the rum blends, and Kite Drinks, a London-based beverage brand builder that has produced and brought the rum to market. Kite Drinks was founded by Vincent Gillet, Alexei Rosin and Cairbry Hill, whose experience includes executive roles at William Grant & Sons and Moët Hennessy. Crossfire Hurricane first appeared in the US, in eight states, as the band released their first studio album in 18 years, Hackney Diamonds, before Kite Drinks was appointed to manage the brand from December 2024. “We quickly realised that the product story, the narrative, needed a complete overhaul,” Rosin tells The Spirits Business of the relaunch. “We went back to the drawing board and fortunately the brand hadn't launched internationally outside of the US, or not outside of the initial eight states, so it was pretty contained.” “This is like a whole new brand,” he says. “It never launched in Europe and it launched sort of quietly, let's say, in the US. “We worked with the band over the last 15 months to basically launch it again, in the way that it is today, as a 100% Jamaican brand.” Gillet emphasises that Crossfire Hurricane launching now is essentially a blank slate. He says: “It's a new brand and the only thing that's really the same is the name and the fact that it's owned by The Stones and of course, financed by Universal Music Group.” The Rolling Stones also shared a statement on the new chapter: “We are delighted to share our unique cultural bond with Jamaica through Crossfire Hurricane. Our connection with the island goes back more than fifty years and remains an important part of our story. “This new venture creates another way to connect with fans of all generations around the world.” The rums The brand is launching with two expressions: Crossfire Hurricane Gold and Crossfire Hurricane Reserve. Crossfire Hurricane’s Gold is described as a ‘vibrant and versatile blend designed for both mixing and sipping’, and Reserve as a ‘more complex expression built around older pot-still rums for depth and high-ester character’. Both can stand up on their own, but Gold is designed more for mixing and cocktails, while Reserve can play into brown spirit-led serves like a Manhattan, as well as sipped over ice. The rums are also crafted in small batches and the blends sourced from four of the island’s distilleries: Hampden Estate, Long Pond, Worthy Park and Clarendon. “What Ian and Cairbry have done is create a blend of all of these distilleries, which is actually the first in Jamaica,” Gillet says, adding: “You've got that lovely tropical fruit for taste profile on the Gold, with pineapple, banana, a bit of a butterscotch and a toffee finish.” He also notes that there is zero added sugar: “We add zero and there’s almost no sugar left by the time you're done in the distillation. We get the lovely, natural sweetness from the fruit, which comes from the fermentation of the molasses.” Having a liquid that holds up in credibility was a key focus of the repackage and Ian Burrell played a central role in shaping the blend and ensuring it reflected true Jamaican craft and flavour. Gillet notes that Burrell “made sure we did this correctly”. “He was very involved with Cairbry, who is like our scientist in the group and our liquid formulator with Ian,” Gillet says. Burrell himself said: “I’ve spent decades championing authentic rum, particularly the extraordinary traditions of Jamaican rum. "With Crossfire Hurricane, the goal was to create a blend that truly reflects the island’s identity, combining rums from some of Jamaica’s most respected distilleries, balancing pot and column still distillates, and embracing the bold fruit, funk, and high-ester character that defines the category. “The result is a rum with real depth and authenticity that honours Jamaica’s heritage while introducing a new generation of drinkers to the true character of Jamaican rum.” Crossfire Hurricane is being positioned as a super-premium rum in the £25-50 price range, which Rosin calls “a good place to be”. Hurricane Crossfire Gold is priced at £35 (US$47) and Reserve at £45 (US$60). Rosin says: You're not competing with Bacardi, who own a large part of the rum category, and you're at an attractive price point versus other spirits brands that have pushed quite quickly over the £50 (US$67) threshold, be it whisky, Cognac, Tequila and even Bourbon. “We still think rum is great value for money in comparison to some of the other spirit categories and that sweet spot [£25-£50] is where there's been quite a lot of growth in the rum category. Everyone's talked about the 'rum moment' and we think here's a lot going on in the category where its no longer the understudy of whisky and Cognac. Its almost where whisky was 15 years ago, in a way, high quality, but still accessible." Gillet also hopes to attract drinkers of other brown spirts: "specifically Bourbon drinkers", he adds. The Rolling Stones and Jamaica The other side to the new launch was doing the storytelling aspect correctly. “Crossfire is a cultural brand, not a celebrity brand,” Gillet notes. “It's about having proper foundations and not taking shortcuts. We want to make sure we told a story that was true.” Crossfire Hurricane pays homage to the period in 70s when The Rolling Stones were in Jamaica living and recording music during a period of  ‘exile’, and where they also immersed themselves in the island's culture, creating a lifelong bond with Jamaica, its people and its music. The band recorded much of the album Goats Head Soup in Kingston, including the song Angie. “A lot of bands explored Jamaica in the 1970’s as reggae was on the rise, but The Rolling Stones have developed this deep connection,” Gillet says. “Keith Richards particularly has had a house there for 50 years and many of the island’s biggest musical names collaborated with The Stones. “It’s a true story in musical history, a significant one, and we're just going to tell that story, rather than making stuff up about whatever.” In terms of marketing, never before seen archives from Mick Jagger and Keith Richard’s time in Jamaica will gradually appear on socials, as will some of the band’s reggae catalogue. Jagger (the band's frontman) and Richards (the brand’s guitarist) will also detail their appreciation of Jamaica. “But Ian will talk about the rum,” Gillet points out, “because we don't want the band to talk about the rum. It's not their expertise. It's a cultural rum at heart, but with deep liquid credentials.” He adds: “Celebrity branding is about visibility, cultural branding is about meaning. There's a nuance, and there’s a lot meaning and substance behind this brand. So I think that's where we position it a little bit differently than how it was the first time.” Global growth Availability-wise, Crossfire Hurricane will start through direct-to-consumer channels and select retail partners in the US, UK and European markets such as France and Germany. In the UK, if all goes to plan, the brand will be on shelves in Tesco from the last week of April, and then other retailers and a selection of on-trade venues from the first week of May. Of the distribution plan, Rosin says: “We're already in eight US states and intend to be in 12 by the end of this year. We're also opening up in five other strategic markets – the UK, France, Germany, Sweden and Canada – because there's a huge Rolling Stones audience there. By the end of 2026, the intention is to open in another 14 markets, including Spain, Italy, Poland, Slovakia and Austria, taking the hoped tally to 20 for the end of the year. Other markets like Mexico, Argentina and potentially Japan are also being looked at. Regarding Crossfire Hurricane's bottles, the design features the band’s tongue logo that’s been around since 1971. Rosin notes that when you build a brand “you need distinctive assets”, but “it's also a spirits brand, not a piece of merch.” “It's very important to us that we have all the provenance, credibility and foundations from a quality spirit brand," he adds. “We were brought up with Pernod Ricard, William Grant and Moët Hennessy as a team”, he says of Kite Drinks, noting that Crossfire Hurricane is the first of several projects for the company. The company describes its MO as bringing 'cultural icons and artists into the world of premium beverages, transforming their stories into distinctive drinks brands’, working on the full end of the spectrum from liquid creation to operations and sales and marketing. “We left corporate life and we wanted to take all that experience into a startup,” Rosin says. “The project is funded by Universal Music Group, so they're supporting us to maximum success, which is great because The Rolling Stones is one of the biggest acts in their portfolio and Universal is the biggest music company in the world, so this has some good foundations behind it.” Ali Grace Marquart, the senior vice-president of strategic partnerships and brand ventures at Universal Music Group, meanwhile added in a statement: “At Universal Music Group, we are always looking for meaningful ways to extend the cultural legacy of our artists. “The Rolling Stones are one of the most important and enduring artists in music history, with extraordinary relevance across generations. “Crossfire Hurricane Rum builds on that legacy, rooted in the band’s deep connection to Jamaica, and now enters its next chapter with a new team of beverage industry veterans, a refined liquid, a new pack and a clear vision for global growth that will resonate with fans and consumers worldwide.”