Bacardi Rum is expanding its premium portfolio range with the launch of a limited-edition Bacardi Reserva Ocho Sherry Cask Finish, Bacardi announced Monday, National Rum Day in the United States.

The new rare rum offering marks the start of a five-year collection, which will see the company unveil a new cask finish offering annually through 2025, with the cask finish changing each year based on the type of barrel used for the additional ageing.

The company said each of the premium rums from the Bacardi Reserva Cask Finish series will begin with a base of Bacardi, aged under the Caribbean sun, and then finished for several additional months in a unique barrel that will change year to year.

It added that the finishing process differs from the ageing process by increasing the complexity of the spirit – in this case, adding subtle notes of chocolate and almond, which are not typically found in Bacardi Reserva Ocho.

This year's inaugural release has been aged in American oak barrels for eight to 12 years and finished in an Oloroso sherry cask for just over two months.

These additional few months in the sherry cask allow the blend to take on a sweet, smooth velvety texture with notes of caramel, vanilla, and orange, along with hints of walnuts and almonds.

The result is a deep mahogany flavour that gives off the aroma of dried fruits, raisins, walnuts, and almonds.

This libation is best enjoyed neat in a room temperature tasting glass to bring out the full flavours of the finish, Bacardi said.

A family-owned brand, Bacardi said it has been creating premium rums for dozens of years in collaboration with its Maestros de Ron (Master Blenders), all carefully chosen and trained in seven generations of rum-making expertise who then shape and carefully craft all of the products.

Bacardi is teaming up with celebrity photographer, Cam Kirk, to create an original NFT (non-fungible token) inspired by the Bacardi Reserva Ocho Sherry Cask Finish.

Bacardi said Mr Kirk captured exclusive, behind-the-scenes content of the all-new Sherry Cask Finish. The resulting NFT will live as a piece of art showcasing the new cask finish, interlaced with digital effects and interactive motion graphics. This will be both Bacardi and Mr Kirk's first-ever NFT, which will go on sale on September 1 on BACARDICaskNFT.com for only two weeks.

Bacardi said proceeds from the NFT sale will directly benefit the "Backing the B.A.R." initiative, presented by the NAACP and sponsored by family-owned Bacardi. The initiative provides business acceleration grants, education, support, and entrepreneurship solutions for Black-owned bars, restaurants, nightclubs, lounges, liquor stores, and small businesses in the process of applying for a liquor license.

The new Bacardi Reserva Ocho Sherry Cask Finish will be available online and in stores, starting in September.

The Bacardi brand is part of the portfolio of Bacardi Limited, headquartered in Hamilton.