Brand & Spirits

Built from inside the industry.

Spirits strategy, liquid development, and trade communication for premium drinks brands. Not theory. Three decades in bars, competitions, and brand advocacy.

The work

Most spirits brands understand the liquid. Fewer understand the bar. The gap between what a brand says about itself and what a bartender actually experiences with it is where credibility is won or lost.

This work draws on 30+ years of being on both sides of that gap. As a bartender, as a global brand ambassador, as a portfolio director, and as a founder. The result is brand thinking that is commercially grounded, trade-literate, and built to function beyond the launch presentation.

  • Brand positioning and strategy
  • Liquid development and blending direction
  • Trade advocacy programs
  • Bartender education and competition design
  • Brand ambassador coaching and briefing
  • Serve strategy and menu integration
  • Category communication and storytelling
  • Portfolio review and route-to-market guidance
  • Campaign and launch creative direction
  • Spirits education content and training materials
Background

The kind of experience that does not come from a brief.

7.5 years as Global Brand Ambassador for Bacardi. Founded the Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Competition and grew it from 10 to 27 countries and roughly 1,500 to 8,500 bartender participants. Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards finalist for International Brand Ambassador. Judge at the International Sugarcane Spirits Awards.

Subsequently headhunted to Singapore as Portfolio Director at Proof & Company, building and managing a portfolio of around 40 premium spirits brands across Asia-Pacific. Direct experience across brand building, route-to-market strategy, distributor relationships, and trade advocacy at regional and global scale.

Founder of MRD Spirits. Three expressions built from the ground up: The Stellar, The Lovers, and La Forza. Natural colour. No additives. No added sugar. Non-charcoal filtered. A Champagne-house blending philosophy applied to rum.

MRD Spirits

An independent rum company founded on the principle that blending is not correction. It is composition. Three expressions, each with a distinct character and a tarot-themed identity that connects liquid, story, and design.

Available through selected importers and distributors. Currently active in Europe and the United States.

Visit mrdspirits.com
  • The Stellar — the entry point. Clean, approachable, built for cocktails and for sipping.
  • The Lovers — the heart of the range. Complex, balanced, layered without heaviness.
  • La Forza — the statement. Full character, long finish, built for those who want more.

Natural colour · No additives · No added sugar · Non-charcoal filtered

Working on a brand project?

Strategy, liquid direction, trade advocacy, bartender education, or launch support. Send the brief and where you are in the process.

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