Bacardi’s Batty Challenge at Bombay Sapphire Plant

June 15, 2015 – Bombay Sapphire, the famous London Dry gin in the elegant blue bottle is a part of the Bacardi family of brands.  Bacardi’s iconic logo of a black and gold bat has been on their bottles since 1862.  So it was considered good luck when a colony of bats was found in the lovely old abandoned Laverstoke paper mill being renovated for Bombay Sapphire’s distillery.

Bats are a protected species in the U.K. and willfully disturbing their roosts can result in fines or imprisonment.  Craftsmen working on the restoration turned and lifted each roof slate a certain way to ensure the protection of any little creature on the other side and even called in an expert to help remove bats humanely when they encountered one.  The company also placed 20 bat boxes onsite in likely roosting locations to ensure a peaceful co-existing living arrangement between the bats and their “landlords”.
Don Fecundo Bacardi Massó adopted the bat when he purchased his first factory in Santiago de Cuba and found a family of fruit bats in residence. Bats were considered good luck because they ate the insects that attacked sugar cane.  Don Fecundo’s wife was the smart one.  She came up with the idea of using it on the label so that the illiterate population would recognize it as the rum that was extra smooth.

Bombay Sapphire’s new distillery is now open to the public and looks like a wonderful addition to the itinerary of any gin lover visiting the U.K.  All the reviews rave about the site, staff, tour, and of course, the cocktails. Add it to your bucket list.  You’ll find all the enticing details here http://distillery.bombaysapphire.com/