Why follow tradition when you can make your own? Rum. It’s all palm-fringed beaches and salty tales of the sea. Well it was, until we carved out a whole new genre of British rum, in a way these shores have never witnessed before. Introducing Europe’s largest rum distillery and pioneers of the new wave of rum with a British twist, DropWorks.

Rum, but not as you know it. Cocktail bar-owning maverick, Lewis Hayes came to Contagious with a great ambition; to create a tip-top, stand-out premium rum brand. But much more than that, he wanted to own the concept of British Rum — with a drop of the unexpected. From this, we saw a gap in the market waiting to be filled. To create a rum that looks and feels like absolutely nothing else out there. And to build a brand that brings a new spark to the rum category and speaks to the consumers of today. An off-the-wall idea? Possibly. A blank canvas? Definitely.

A rum for everyone. Made by rum lovers. Lewis’ genuine passion for rum and belief that rum should be joyous is the driving force. Drops of creativity and glee in equal measures, DropWorks is an open invitation for like-minded consumers to venture into a world of vibrant flavours. It’s the new face of British rum. It’s a burst of energy unlike any other. And it’s about bringing rum into the modern era and creating something for everyone to enjoy. Together, we’re shaking up the global rum category with nothing other than just pure, exceptional rum.

Let’s get creative. Let’s break something. Lewis was determined to create a premium rum that broke all the rules. The best ingredients — deconstructed, simplified, reimagined, and distilled right here in Britain. Ditching the exotic and the predictable, for a drop of quirky, British creativity.And we were equally determined to disrupt things. To create an identity that disregarded all the traditional design cues.  So we started from the ground up and in just one year, we went from category defying to category defining.

Our task: Brand strategy and positioning, Proposition and messaging, Creative strategy, Visual identity and Packaging. Time for some name-dropping

‘Drop’, after fashion’s ‘latest drop’ culture — small batch, limited edition rums to get new audiences sipping and talking. And ‘Works’, after the oomph and energy behind the brand, and its inventor. And then ‘Drop’ fits in perfectly with the whole range — Clear Drop, Funk Drop and Spice Drop (and no doubt, there’ll be more variants dropping along later).

Clear rum in full colour. DropWorks distils pure rums — no extra sugar or additives. So we designed a bottle that could show it off in all its unadulterated glory. Then we brought the brand to life, with the bold use of colour, shape, movement and eclectic typography — all centred around joy. A unique strategy, and identity that shouts flamboyance, modernity, good times and ‘a little bit more than a little bit different’. A new, distinctly British take, with something for everyone: for rum lovers and people who don’t even know they love rum — yet. As well as looking great on the back bar, DropWorks has that playful house-party vibe. A far cry from everything else on the market — the new face of super-high quality rum. British Rum.