By far the most commonly asked question, it deserves to finally get it's own blog post. Since we changed the name on our label back in 2018 from Barti Ddu Rum to Barti Spiced the theories as to why, have been endless, and they've ranged from hilarious to slightly offensive. Well buckle up, you're about to hear the true, and incredibly boring, answer as to why we changed the name.

EU rules stipulate that if a rum is under 37.5% ABV it cannot be classed as a rum. We didn't realise this when we created Barti at 35% ABV. Needless to say we did play around with the ABV, but the extra strength made it completely different. We decided instantly that we didn't want to compromise the taste everyone had come to know and love, so we set about finding a way to let people know this is a spiced rum without using the word rum. We looked to other rum brands only to discover that we weren't alone in this predicament. Supermarket shelves are lined with products you would describe as spiced rum, but when you look closely at the bottle they don't actually say rum anywhere at all. What they do all have in common is the word 'spiced'.

The decision was made to change the name from Barti Ddu Rum to Barti Ddu Spiced. Simple? Unfortunately not. The extra letters meant the whole name needed to be shrunk down to fit the label design. (We certainly could not afford to change the entire label design at this point) The extent of the shrinking of the text meant you wouldn't stand a chance reading it if the bottle were sat on a back bar. Something had to go. That was when the name became Barti Spiced.

I'd like to take the opportunity to say it is not because we wanted it to be easier to pronounce for an English speaking audience, on the contrary, it's quite fun listening to the mispronunciation of the word ddu (my favourite is always doo doo). It was simply an issue with making the new, legally sound name, fit.
Fast forward to 2023 and we're about to rock the boat again! Our new look Barti bottle will be launching in early summer and the name has shed another word. We shed words like politicians shed responsibility. We've gone ballsy and have gone for simply "Barti". There is a strap line just above which says "The Original Barti Ddu Spiced" in an attempt to save any confusion. It is the same product now as it always has been. Always spiced rum, always a proud Welsh brand, always Barti.