“Step Into The Black” With The New Captain Morgan Blend by David Brbaklic

Under the tagline “Step Into The Black“, Captain Morgan, the Diageo owned rum distilling company introduced the Black Spiced Rum. The new blend comes in a very bold, and very dark (of course) bottle designed by Landor Associates.

The bottle has two very distinct parts: the body shaped as a wide cylinder and a curved neck – with an abrupt transition in between the two elements – something not seen before in Captain Morgan’s line of drinks. The bottle is topped with a cork stopper that, according to Diageo’s innovation director Jesse Damashek, resembles the ones that could be found on Henry Morgan’s ship.

The inspiration for the label came from trading documents used during the Caribbean colonial period and holds a special feature – it is double sided. So, in order to see the other side, consumers must wait until all the rum is drunk.

According to Mr. Damashek the special feature of the label plays a very important role in Black Spiced Rum’s market placement: “It’s crucial for driving differentiation as consumers seek more interesting packaging designs.”

Photo: drinkspirits.com

I wasn’t familiar with Captain Morgan’s products before, and I must say that, after the first glimpse of the new bottle I was pleasantly surprised with its looks. It reminded me of the Tub gin bottle design we covered some time ago. Maybe the word “Black” is a bit over sized for my taste, and the medieval font used to write it is kind of a cliche, but the overall impression is great. I can say that Landor has done a decent job here, especially if I have in mind the kitschy bottles from the rest of Captain Morgan’s line of products.