During the prohibition era, the myth of a clandestine bodega, nicknamed “mil demonios”, located in Cartagena de Indias, identified by a knocker in the shape of a wolf, called Garibay, was born.  Mil demonios was capable of producing a very special liquor distilled with sugar cane from Cartagena de Indias by means of secret distillation techniques that at that time were considered magical and of the few.

Mil demonios is the first and only ultra premium brand of aguardiente in Colombia, a popular Colombian liquor that comes from sugar cane, is usually taken in shots and has a characteristic aniseed flavor. It is a brand loaded with myths and folklore from the time of the conquest, which through characters, legends and symbolism resignifies the relationship that Colombians have had for years with aguardiente as an emblematic drink.  


It is the brand for all those who like premium products and a new luxury that moves away from trite, over-ornamented and outlandish visual codes. It is for all those who seek quality over quantity and who want to live new experiences around aguardiente.

The relationship we have with alcohol, as with many other aspects of life, evolves as we get older. It becomes a relationship of discovery where taste, experiences and quality stand out more. As Colombians, over the years we have moved away from categories such as aguardiente in search of more premium, artisanal or more “controlled” drinks and experiences.  

Aguardiente is a liquor usually consumed by younger generations and is associated with parties, carnivals and/or lack of control, but it is so deeply rooted in our roots and culture that it is impossible to set it aside.

What happens is that for many years we have seen other countries as an inspiration and we convinced ourselves that the best was only outside. Over time this has changed in Colombia and Latin America... More and more we are believing in what is ours: our food, our land, our people and our drinks. We're stopping looking outside, to find what moves us inside with pride. And in a country so diverse and with very different cultures, aguardiente becomes one of those few cohesive and transversal national symbols at the level of an entire country. That symbol that neither by age nor by being far from Colombia should we abandon.

For Mil Demonios we turned the brand around in all its points of contact. We expanded the visual assets and complemented the visual universe. We redesigned the primary and secondary packaging to give it a younger look without losing the brand's inherent premiumness. We changed the traditional visual codes of a category that is usually more popular or “traditional”, to elevate the experience and tell a story of folklore and mysticism.

For the bottle we were inspired by the traditional round doors of Cartagena de Indias in Colombia, to generate more appropriation, complement the brand's discourse and create a unique brand asset that differs from the traditional bottles that have been seen for many years in the aguardiente category.

We created a design system to compose versatile pieces where photography plays a more important role, with a younger and riskier photographic style that connects with modern expectations of premium products. We redesigned the character illustration to work better in all touch points and have a better contrast in any type of application.

We brought to life new brand rituals that move away from the uncontrolled and the party to appeal to moments of more control where a new experience is required, thus creating a new story that is told around a few shots of Mil Demonios aguardiente.