February 4, 1862. The Bacardí family, led by Don Facundo Bacardí Massó, buy a distillery in Santiago de Cuba. They throw away the rule book and make their own unique blends with a revolutionary rum-making process that would change the way rum was made forever.

In Cuba, bats are considered lucky. When Doña Amalia Bacardí spotted fruit bats in the distillery, she insisted that a bat should appear on every bottle. Has our little mascot helped us survive and succeed against the odds? We’ll never know – but the bat is here to stay.