Shortly after the witching hour on April 15, 1912, ‘unsinkable’ luxury British steamship, HMS Titanic, sank beneath the icy waves of the North Atlantic resulting in a catastrophic loss of life.
There are hundreds of tales of extraordinary bravery from this most tragic night, many of which you’ll have already have heard or read about. However, not many are familiar with the story of Rigel.
Rigel was a large black Newfoundland dog belonging to First Officer Murdoch, and legend has it that after his owner died in the sinking, Rigel swam away, found lifeboat no.4, and started to swim alongside it.
After a while, the boat began to drift towards the bows of the rescue boat, Carpathia, and was at risk of being run down. With the passengers too weak to shout, Rigel barked loudly and incessantly, alerting Captain Arthur Rostron who ordered the engines to stop and a search to commence.
Everyone aboard the lifeboat was saved, including Rigel who was hoisted from the freezing water after three hours. Rigel Gin is a brand created in honour of this most incredible canine.
The label is decorated with elaborate filigree waves, punctuated by illustrated images of recovered artifacts from the wreckage of the doomed liner; including a violin from the orchestra who played music to calm the frenzied passengers, and a pocket watch with the hands frozen at the exact time the ship submerged beneath the bitterly cold water. The exact coordinates of the ship’s wreckage have also been cleverly woven into the intricate design.
The brand design became the catalyst for the promotional strategy, which is heavily focussed around the story of Rigel and plays with powerful descriptive words and imagery associated with the Titanic to bring Rigel’s story to life. Here’s to Rigel.
Lapping waves of natural botanical flavours.
Sunken with notes of juniper and a hint of melancholy.