In response to an industry brief asking for a fresh new rum brand targeting 18-24 year olds, Dominik Dzik created Barons Bood Rum. With an aim to shift the conventional rum packaging narrative of ‘sailor heritage’, Dominik Dzik set out to deliver a Rum brand that embraced new flavours, stories, and extraordinary places. Through this process, he discovered Krelen Rum, a unique Haitian rum found nowhere else, traditionally used in Haitian Vodou ceremonies.

Haitian Vodou is often characterised as something evil, predominantly in popular media, however, Dzik discovered that these ceremonies are in fact a celebration of life, death and ancestry, consisting of dancing, singing and jubilation. This informed the core concept of “The Spirit of Spirits”, where the packaging accurately brings the Haitian tradition to life, inviting consumers and encouraging them to learn more about the beautiful culture.

The name is inspired by the Loa Spirits chief Baron Samedi, who meets you at the doorway between life and death to take you to the afterlife. During the ceremonies, Krelen rum is often mixed with anything from blood to mushrooms, this rum is mixed with the native Hibiscus flower to give the drink its distinct blood-red tint and contained in a bottle that resembles the traditional Vodou potion decanters. The theme is continued right through to the outer packaging which takes the form of a traditional coffin shape.

A key element of the design is the use of UV ink. In the light of day, the bottle appears unassuming, merely featuring a small eye symbol, alluding to the world of the spirits hidden away, but at night the design comes alive. Under UV light, colourful, elaborate patterns radiate from the bottle, depicting flowers, and wildlife native to Haiti, and skeletal hands reaching for a drink.

Find out more about Dominik Dzik 's design by following them on Instagram .

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