Bacardi pays homage to its history with a bold graphic novel, “The Spirit of Bacardi”

Bacardi is capturing its unique 150-year history with a graphic novel that illustrates “The Spirit of Bacardi.” For this project, the legendary company tapped two of the most iconic contemporary graphic novelists—writer Warren Ellis and artist Michael Allred—who visualized the milestones in the brand’s odyssey to success.

The book titled “The Spirit of BACARDÍ” tells a story of Emilio Bacardí, a son of founder Don Facundo Bacardí Massó. Along with becoming the father of the legendary brand, he fought for Cuban independence in the late 1800s and was imprisoned several times because of his political activity. After long years of struggle for the better future of his land, Emilio became the first freely-elected Mayor of Santiago de Cuba. The graphic novel depicts various stages of the Bacardi brand development—the creation of the original Cuba Libre cocktail in 1900 is among their milestones.

The team behind the project literally infused the work with the Bacardi spirit. Several drops of BACARDÍ Gold rum were added to the inks, used by artist Michael Allred in making the illustrations for “The Spirit of BACARDÍ” book. The book is available for the download here or read online.

“Authenticity is increasingly important to our consumers, especially millennials. While first and foremost we want the graphic novel to be entertaining, we are also saying something important about our brand; that we have the heritage to back up our attitude,” commented Andy Gibson, Chief Marketing Officer of Bacardi. “We see The Spirit of BACARDÍ as a fantastic way to tell the stories behind “BACARDÍ Untameable Since 1862,” our new global marketing campaign that inspires consumers to pursue their passions no matter what—much like the Bacardí family did—encouraging camaraderie and strength of character.”