Long before a frutero’s cart comes into view, the sound arrives first. Buchanan’s Coconut, the second flavored release from The House of Buchanan’s, is built on that idea. The brand introduced it on Sept. 16 with a campaign filmed in Bogotá and starring Nina Sky, plus a three-city event series that runs into the fall.
Buchanan’s is working familiar ground. Buchanan’s Pineapple came first, and the company says its whisky has long been part of Latino gatherings. Nina Sky fits that story. Twin sisters Nicole and Natalie Albino grew up in Astoria, Queens, and their 2004 single “Move Ya Body” reached the top five of the Billboard Hot 100. In a 2016 profile, Spin noted that the song’s bridge nods to Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam’s 1985 hit “Can You Feel the Beat.” Nicole’s explanation was short: “We’re two girls from Queens.”
Nina Sky Fronts the Buchanan’s Coconut Campaign
Creative agency GALE made the film, and the brand says it takes its cues from neighborhood fruteros, the street vendors who sell coconuts, pineapples and other fruit from carts. Their displays are colorful. Their calls are hard to miss. Buchanan’s describes the new bottle as its loudest flavor yet, and the campaign is staged to match.
“Summer is a feeling we all want to hold onto,” said Linda Lagos Morales, Brand Director, Buchanan’s Whisky. “With the launch of Buchanan’s Coconut, we saw an opportunity to extend that feeling beyond a single season.” She added that “Buchanan’s has long been part of the way Latino communities come together and celebrate,” and that mixing tropical flavors with Buchanan’s DeLuxe “has naturally become part of that story.”
The brand frames the flavor as a nod to Latin America and the Caribbean, where it says coconut is part of everyday life and celebrations. Its tasting notes list aromas of fresh coconut and bright citrus, with creamy vanilla, toasted coconut and the light malt character of the house style on the palate. It is a permanent expression, not a seasonal run.
Pangea Sound Takes Buchanan’s Coconut on the Road
The second half of the rollout is Mezclao, an event series created with Pangea Sound, the Los Angeles-based DJ and producer collective. The brand says the series blends global music and culture and will visit Los Angeles, Austin and Miami, keeping the summer mood going through autumn. Pangea Sound describes its own sound as a mix of African, Latin American and Caribbean music with hip-hop and R&B.
Dates and venues were not part of the announcement material FAME reviewed. The pairing is the notable part. Nina Sky’s roots sit in New York dance floors and Latin-Caribbean rhythm, and Pangea Sound works in the same overlap of genres. That gives a spirits campaign a music-first footing.
The question now is whether a tropical flavor can hold attention once summer ends. Buchanan’s is betting on sound over spec sheets: a film shot in Colombia, a New York duo out front and a Los Angeles collective running the rooms. Mezclao’s stops in Los Angeles, Austin and Miami will show how far that bet travels.
