Captain Morgan

Captain Morgan is a brand of rum produced by British alcohol conglomerate Diageo. It is named after the 17th-century Welsh privateer of the Caribbean, Sir Henry Morgan[1] who died on 25 August 1688. Since 2017, the label has used the slogan "Live like the Captain".

This article is about a brand of rum. For the Welsh privateer, see Henry Morgan.

Captain Morgan
TypeRum
ManufacturerDiageo
Country of originJamaica
Introduced1944
Alcohol by volume35%
Proof (US)70 (Original)
ColourGolden
VariantsParrot Bay
Private Stock
Silver Spiced
Tattoo
100 Proof
Long Island Iced Tea
Lime Bite
Black
1671
Related productsList of rum producers
Websitecaptainmorgan.com

History

In 1944, the Seagram Company, based in Canada, started producing rum under the name Captain Morgan Rum Company.

Seagram CEO Samuel Bronfman purchased a distillery named Long Pond from the Jamaican government. Among the buyers of raw rum from the Long Pond distillery was a Kingston pharmacy named Levy Brothers. The Levy family had been purchasing raw rum, adding medicinal herbs and spices, ageing, and bottling it. Bronfman liked the rum product and bought the rights to it.

In the 1950s the governments of both the United States and its Puerto Rico commonwealth territory instituted a number of job creation programs in Puerto Rico. Taxes on rum entering the contiguous 48 states from Puerto Rico were made lower than those on rum coming from foreign countries. At this time both Seagram and the Bacardi family built large new plants near San Juan. In 1985, Seagram sold its rum distillery and manufacturing facilities in Camuy and Arecibo—and doing business as Puerto Rican Destillers—to Destilería Serrallés, a Puerto Rican concern that had been producing the Don Q brand in Puerto Rico since 1865. As part of the contract Seagram also licensed to Serralles the rights to produce and distribute the "Captain Morgan" brand in Puerto Rico and the rest of the Caribbean until 2012.

In 2001, Seagram sold the "Captain Morgan" brand to Diageo. Diageo made an announcement on 24 June 2008, that it intends to build and operate a new rum distillery on St. Croix, Virgin Islands beginning in 2010 and to source from it beginning at the end of their current supply contract in 2012.

An actor portraying Captain Morgan at the 2007 Scream Awards. The event was sponsored by Diageo.
An Original Spiced Gold bottle

In 1984, Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum was introduced to the United States.[2] Captain Morgan was, by volume, the second largest brand of spirits in the United States, and the seventh largest worldwide in 2007. In 2007, 7.6 million 9-litre cases were sold. Most Captain Morgan rum is sold in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, South Africa, and Global Travel.[3]

In November 2009, the NFL banned a covert ad campaign allegedly put on by Diageo. It was understood that for each NFL player striking the "Captain Morgan" pose on camera during a regular season game, Diageo would donate $10,000 to the Gridiron Greats (a non-profit which helps retired NFL players with various hardships after leaving the game). The league made this announcement following such a celebration by Brent Celek of the Philadelphia Eagles.[4]

In 2010 two American territories, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands bickered over plans for Captain Morgan to move operations to the Virgin Islands for tax reasons.[5] The matter came to a head during a debate in the United States Congress over the USVI's attempt to use tax benefits to lure the company to that territory.[6]

In 2011, to bring it into line with the international version, Morgan's Spiced in the UK was rebranded as Captain Morgan's Spiced. This was accompanied by a large media campaign and parties hosted around the UK in clubs and bars to advertise the new rum. The "Captain Morgan" mascot was introduced along with "Morganettes".

In 2014, Diageo Canada filed a trade dress infringement lawsuit against Heaven Hill Distilleries Inc, claiming striking similarities between the Captain Morgan character and Admiral Nelson, and that the similarity would dilute the Captain Morgan trademark.[7] Diageo Canada won the lawsuit in 2017.[8]

The likeness of the Captain Morgan character was created by award-winning artist Don Maitz.

Distillation process

Captain Morgan's Rum is distilled from sugar cane. The combination of the type of yeasts employed for fermentation, distillation method, ageing conditions, and blending determines the characteristic flavour of rum. Made with molasses, water, mash and yeast, Captain Morgan Original Spiced rum is distilled in a continuous still. Once distilled, the clear spirit is aged in oak barrels for up to a year, adding a golden colour and character to the rum before the flavours and spices are added. The brand's taste is achieved through a proprietary recipe, which is blended into the rum mixture at the final stages of production, making use of spices indigenous to the Caribbean Islands.

Varieties
  • Black – The original Captain Morgan rum, this is a full-bodied blend of pot and continuous still rums from Jamaica, Guyana & Barbados aged in oak, has a dark colour and distinctive rich taste. Available only in the United Kingdom, Germany, Scandinavia, South Africa, and some other countries. Packaged in a traditional Captain Morgan bottle with a black label highlighting the words "Jamaica Rum". 100 proof (USA – 80 proof)
  • Black Spiced Rum – Crafted from Caribbean Blackstrap rum and select ingredients, including “rich clove spice and premium cassia bark ... finished with double charred blackened oak for a premium, smooth taste”. Advertised as a bold alcohol that carries the taste of cinnamon and clove, followed by “hints of warm spice and vanilla for a smooth finish". Only available in the United States, Canada, and Australia. Packaged in a distinct stout-bodied clear-glass bottle with a white label printed on both sides. 94.6 proof (Australia – 80 proof)
  • Captain Morgan Black Label from the 1970s. A product of Jamaica, Guyana and Barbados, produced by the Seagram company.
    Dark Rum – A blend of Caribbean and Canadian Rum. 80 proof
  • Deluxe Dark – A blend of dark Caribbean rums, aged in white oak barrels, only available in Canada. 80 proof
  • Lime Bite – A silver lime-spiked spiced rum. 70 proof
  • Limited Edition Spiced – Similar to Spiced Gold. 70 proof
  • Long Island Iced Tea – A pre-mixed cocktail of rum, vodka, whiskey, gin and triple-sec liqueur. Only available in the United States and Canada. 35 proof
  • Original Spiced – Aged Caribbean rum, with spices and other natural flavours. 70 proof
  • Original Spiced Gold – A blend of rum and other spirits. Mellow aged and enhanced with fruit flavours, spices, and a heavy touch of vanilla. 70 proof
  • Parrot Bay – White rum offered in a variety of flavourings including coconut, key lime, mango, orange, passion fruit, pineapple and strawberry. This range appears to have been introduced to compete with the flavoured vodkas in mixed cocktails. 42 proof (formerly 48). Also offered in a 90 proof version of the coconut flavour.
  • Private Stock – Rich, dark and full-bodied, blends hints of island spices with a smooth texture. Packaged in a distinctive squat bottle with a small label. 80 proof
  • Silver Spiced – Aged in oak barrels for over a year, with a smooth taste and a well-rounded, vanilla character. 70 proof
  • Tattoo – An extra-dark, lower-proof rum with fruit flavours described as berry or citrus, introduced to compete with Jägermeister for market share. Unavailable in Canada. 70 proof
  • White Rum – A five times distilled rum that is aged in white oak barrels for over a year, and then filtered to remove the colour, except for the Atlantic Canadian market, where it retains a greenish tinge.[9][10] 80 proof
  • White Rum flavoured – White Rum in a variety of flavourings including coconut, grapefruit & pineapple. 70 proof
  • 100 Proof – The highest alcoholic content of the Captain Morgan line of drinks. Closest relation is Captain Morgan's Original Spiced Rum. 100 proof
  • 1671 – A smooth, dark sipping rum. 70 proof
  • Cannon Blast – A sweet citrus flavoured rum, often used for a shot. 70 proof
  • Sherry Oak – A limited edition rum with either sherry oak chips soaked in it, or some sherry has been added. 70 proof
  • Loco-Nut - A strong-flavoured blend of Caribbean rum, coconut liqueur, spice and natural flavors.

A sweet coconut flavoured rum, often used for a shot. 70 proof

  • Jack-O-Blast

A sweet pumpkin flavoured rum, often used for a shot. 70 proof

Before and after the 2015 SummerSlam event, John Cena used the brand as a nickname for Seth Rollins (the WWE World Heavyweight Champion) on WWE's Monday Night Raw show.[11][12] In 2016, Diageo created special limited edition bottles to commemorate Wes Morgan captaining Leicester City F.C. to the 2015-16 Premier League title.[13]

gollark: Well, you're just bee apioid.
gollark: Oh, of course.
gollark: Are you saying I poorly design as if *I* am 5 cogs?
gollark: Yes, it is 5.
gollark: ABR only has something like 5 cogs and its design is good.

See also

References
  1. "Captain Morgan Was Actually a Real Person—and He Didn't Make Rum". Reader's Digest. 4 December 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  2. "Diageo Company History". Archived from the original on 4 April 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-13.
  3. "Captain Morgan" Archived 26 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine Diageo. 9 August 2008
  4. "NFL to Captain Morgan, players: 'Ambush marketing' won't be tolerated". USA Today. 12 November 2009. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
  5. Lever, Rob (29 March 2010). "Daggers in Washington in Captain Morgan rum battle". Caribbean Net News. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
  6. "USVI governor asks US senator to reconsider legislation harming territory's economic future". Caribbean Net News. 13 April 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
  7. Eads, Lauren. "Diageo sues 'copycat' Admiral Nelson's rum". The Drinks Business. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  8. Robertson, Susan. "Captain Morgan defends trademark as Admiral Nelson's is ordered to weigh anchor". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  9. April 13, Russ Martin. "Captain Morgan honours its East Coast connection". Marketingmag.ca.
  10. "Captain Morgan White Rum Review". Cocktail Enthusiast. 9 February 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  11. "John Cena vs. Seth Rollins Contract Signing: Raw, Aug. 17, 2015". I figured there was no chance in hell I was ever getting close to that championship again until Captain Morgan over here opened his big fat stupid mouth!
  12. "Seth Rollins gets an unwelcome Night of Champions surprise: Raw, Aug. 31, 2015". John: "do I have a match against Captain Morgan .. at Night of Champions .. for the United States Championship?" Stephanie: "Yes."
  13. "Leicester Captain Wes Morgan Appears on Limited Edition Bottles of Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum".
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