New Grove Inception, the oldest Mauritian rum, is a masterclass in heritage and design. Just Design crafted a timeless packaging that honours the island’s rum-making legacy, featuring a custom illustration and rich gold foils. The result is a collector’s item that embodies the essence of savoir-faire and Mauritian beauty.
In the world of rum, few stories are as rich and captivating as that of New Grove Inception, the oldest Mauritian rum ever released. Crafted by Grays, this exceptional spirit is a testament to the island’s rum-making legacy, elevated to an art form through a stunning collaboration with Just Design.
The brief was clear: create a packaging design that would honour the island’s heritage while showcasing the rum’s exceptional quality. Just Design, who had previously reimagined the New Grove portfolio, was tasked with translating the distillery’s legacy into a timeless and rare design.
The result is a masterpiece that feels both familiar and exceptional, a natural extension of the brand’s visual world. The packaging exudes refinement, patience, and authenticity, while connecting visually to the refreshed New Grove identity. This is not a redesign, but an evolution, an opportunity to elevate the existing visual language into a collector’s expression of artistry and place.
The story of Inception begins at Beau Plan, the birthplace of Mauritian rum and the heart of Grays’ craft. The name itself, Inception, pays tribute to those beginnings: where history, nature, and savoir-faire converge. To capture this sense of origin and mastery, Just Design revisited the distinctive illustration style developed for the New Grove range, collaborating with illustrator Megan Bird to reimagine and elevate the original composition into a piece of refined artistry.
Every element tells a part of the island’s story: the Beau Plan Mill and Chai de l’Isle de France cellar; the iconic Pieter Both Mountain rising in the distance; the Blue Latanier palms, sugarcane fields, and native flora that define Mauritius’ natural landscape. Megan re-illustrated these elements with intricate linework and layered tonality, while Just Design refined the composition, layout, and visual balance to ensure harmony with the elevated pack design.
The result is a composition that feels rooted in authenticity yet timeless in execution. An artwork that captures both the craft and the soul of Mauritius. The Inception design experience is deliberately understated, allowing craftsmanship and detail to speak for themselves. The label features a custom illustration, of the New Grove Estate, in a soft olive-green palette, complemented by rich gold foils that reflect the deep amber of the rum.
Typography is restrained yet confident, giving space to the illustration and reinforcing the prestige of the release. Structural and material choices echo the New Grove aesthetic, ensuring a seamless visual connection across the range, while subtle embellishments, foil accents, textured paper and tactile finishes, introduce a sense of rarity and distinction.
New Grove Inception stands as a tribute to both the mastery of Grays and the spirit of Mauritius. With only two barrels released, this 21-year-old expression represents the island’s oldest rum. A liquid and a design crafted with the same care, patience, and artistry. The final packaging embodies the essence of savoir-faire: deeply rooted in place, timeless in design, and elevated through collaboration and craft. More than a bottle, it is a piece of Mauritian history, where tradition and beauty meet to create something truly extraordinary.
What do you think about the design of New Grove Inception? Does it capture the essence of Mauritian heritage and the art of rum-making?
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