Bacardi releases Facundo sipping range in Europe

Bacardi is set to launch ‘limited edition sipping library’ The Facundo Rum Collection across Europe.

The collection is dedicated to Bacardi founder, Don Facundo Bacardí Massó

The collection was first launched in New York and Miami in 2013, before it was rolled out to California, and is dedicated to Bacardi founder, Don Facundo Bacardí Massó.

The library is comprised of four blended “sipping” rums created from the family’s private rum reserve: Facundo Neo, Facundo Eximo, Facundo Exquisito and Facundo Paraíso.

Fewer than 10,000 bottles of the collection have been created for release in Europe, where it will be available in select hotels, restaurants, bars and retailers from October 2015.

Neo is marketed as an “aged, light sipping rum” featuring a combination of rums which have been aged up to 8 years in oak barrels, while Eximo is the only variant to be blended before it is aged for more than 10 years.

Exquisito is a blend of seven to 23-year-old rums whcih is finished in a sherry cask for a month or more to deliver a “smooth, warm finish”, and the last in the series is Facundo Paraíso, is finished in French XO casks – some of which are more than 60 years old – to give the rum a “silky” finish.

Each rum blend was created by Bacardi’s Maestro del Ron, Manny Oliver.

He said: “Each one of the Facundo Collection showcases a different side of rum, with an insight into what rum can be when it’s treated as an art form.”

David Cid, Bacardi brand master, added: “Blending rums is one of the most creative forms of artistry, not just for the rum they are making now, but for the many years after for master blenders to replicate in the future.

“Bacardi is more than just cocktails, Bacardi is about rum, and this collection embodies that message.”

Each rum is bottled at 40% abv, and is available at the RRP of £48 for Neo, £65 for Eximo, £130 for Exquisito and £300 for Paraíso.