When the first bottle of BELUGA Vodka rolled off the production lines at the Mariinsk Distillery on December 13th, 2002, the brand positioned itself at the highest end of the market niche for Vodka. This is (the brand owners are quick to point out) not a brand for the masses, rather it is a brand which seeks those consumers who wish to separate themselves from those masses in terms of aristocracy, sophistication, and self-realization. In short the company has positioned the BELUGA brand as a “Monumental Spirit.”
I have written a two-part article which explores the BELUGA brand, attempting to help us understand the two aspects of a Monumental Spirit. My first article delves into the production process of all four BELUGA Vodka brands explaining where and how they are made and the differences between them as far as production is concerned. My second article will delve into the marketing and branding concepts which along with the production methods strive bring these vodka spirits to the status level of Monumental Spirits.
You may read my first article by clicking the following link:
Appleton Estate 50 Year Old Jamaica Rum – Jamaica Independence Reserve, is blended from rums which have been aged for a minimum of 50 years in hand selected, oak barrels. Only 800 bottles of this very rare, Limited Edition bottling were made available for sale around the world at a target Retail Price of US$5,000 per 750ml bottle. A few bottles trickled into my home Province of Alberta, and I was lucky enough to sample one with a friend from which I composed my initial review. I was also sent a media kit from Appleton Rum with a 100 ml sample. Using that sample my Judges and I tasted and scored the Appleton Estate 50 Year Old Jamaica Rum in our search for the best rums in the world.
The Rum Howler Blog 