MALAYSIA. Bacardi Global Travel Retail has introduced Bénédictine 1888, a super-premium edition of the classic French liqueur, to the Malaysian duty free market.
The 42.8% ABV expression is now exclusively available in travel retail at Kuala Lumpur International Airport with leading retailers Eraman and Pemborong Bumihijau Duty Free. The liqueur is also available at regional airports in Penang, Langkawi and Kota Kinabalu.
Bénédictine 1888 is a blend of Bénédictine liqueur and Cognac. The spirit is left to mature for an additional three months in small oak casks to create a complex liqueur with a herbal fragrance and a balanced palate with mild honeyed finish.
The year 1888 on the bottle and packaging refers to the year wine merchant and religious art collector Alexandre Le Grand opened Palais Bénédictine distillery in Fécamp, France.
Four years ago, Le Grand rediscovered the Bénédictine recipe which Venetian monk and herbalist Dom Bernardo Vincelli had first created at Fécamp Abbey in 1510. Fécamp’s Bénédictine monks had continued distilling after Vincelli’s death, but the recipe was lost during the French revolutionary period.
The half-Gothic, half-Renaissance Palais distillery remains the only production site for Bénédictine worldwide and the only other location where Bénédictine 1888 is sold. A popular tourist attraction, the distillery still uses Le Grand’s original 19th-century copper stills.
“Bénédictine 1888 pays homage to the wonderful home and heritage of Bénédictine and the farsighted vision of Alexandre Le Grand,” said Bacardi Global Travel Retail Regional Director Asia Pacific Gaurav Joshi.
“Malaysian duty free is the ideal market to launch this super-premium expression thanks to its popularity with consumers, making the country one of the brand’s top export markets. Bénédictine 1888 offers a trade-up for loyal followers of this famous French liqueur.” ✈
