Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/16170
LAUNCH PAD Revolution F NEW CRUZAN 9 PUTS THE RUM BACK INTO SPICED RUM or anyone who grew up listening to The Beatles’ White Album (and who didn’t?), the number 9 has a special hook. The magical, mysterious aura of this numeral also attaches itself to the newest product from Cruzan: Cruzan 9. The new spiced rum gets its name from the nine aromatics—allspice, vanilla, cinnamon, pepper, ginger, nutmeg, clove, mace and juniper berry—that give the product its unique flavor profile, and parent company Beam Global has big plans for this important Cruzan brand extension. In short, it’s a whole revolution in spiced rum. Nine Spices, No Pirates “There are a lot of characters and mascots in the spiced rum category—captains and sailors and admirals,” says Dave Turo, Senior Brand Manager for Cruzan, “but nobody really talks about rum. What we’re all about with Cruzan 9 is the rum.” That should be easy enough, since Cruzan 9 is based on premium aged Cruzan rum, with all of the quality that that implies. With a national average SRP of $14.99, Cruzan 9 is very competitively priced, a key fac- tor in the growing success of the brand—and the popularity of rum in general—with consum- ers in the current economic climate. “The value that rum represents,” Turo points out, “is why rum is hot.” Nine under the Palms Media and distributors were introduced to Cruzan 9 in New York City earlier this sum- mer, but the big consumer kick-off was held in Florida, where Cruzan is king. The state is the brand’s number-one market, and Cruzan returned the favor by rolling out Cruzan 9 to an enthusiastic crowd in late July in Palm Beach. 58 / the tasting panel / september 2010 New Cruzan 9 is flavored with nine spicy aromatics. by David Gadd / photos by Tom Clark More than 40,000 fans showed up for a Saturday evening Dave Matthews Band concert at the Cruzan Amphitheatre, a branded venue that Turo calls “our stake in the ground nation- ally.” And the evening before, several hundred eager consumers attended a launch party at local hangout Panama Hattie’s. This popular Caribbean-themed restaurant, with its unique outdoor rum bar on the sands of Florida’s Intracoastal Waterway, is one of the top Cruzan accounts in the country. The star of the party was Cruzan Master Distiller Gary Nelthropp. “Having Gary there was tremendous,” says Turo. “He spends most of his time on St. Croix concocting rum, but it’s 9