Captain Morgan Explained
Captain Morgan is a brand of flavored rums (including, in Europe, some rum-flavored "premium spirit drinks") produced by British alcohol conglomerate Diageo. It is named after the 17th-century Welsh privateer of the Caribbean, Sir Henry Morgan.[1]
History
In 1944 the Seagram Company started manufacturing the Captain Morgan brand of rum.[2] In 1984, Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum was introduced to the United States.[3] In 2001 the Captain Morgan brand was sold to Diageo, a multinational drinks company based in London.[4] On 15 April 2005, Captain Morgan Tattoo Black Spiced rum and its claimed 'sweet-to-heat' finish became another addition to the Captain Morgan line. Captain Morgan was, by volume, the second largest brand of spirits in the United States, and the seventh largest worldwide 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.[5]
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 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.[6]
In 2010, two US territories, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands argued over plans for Captain Morgan to move operations to the Virgin Islands for tax reasons.[7] 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.[8]
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.[9] Diageo Canada won the lawsuit in 2017.[10]
In 2020, the brand launched a new product called Captain Morgan Tiki. This new pineapple mango flavor rum is available in the United Kingdom, Australia, the Czech Republic and Germany.[11]
Varieties
- Original Spiced Rum – The flagship Captain Morgan rum, flavored with spices. Reformulated in 2023 to include Madagascar vanilla. Bottled at 35% alcohol by volume (70 proof).
- 100 Proof Spiced Rum – Original Captain Morgan, bottled at 50% alcohol by volume (100 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.[12] [13] Bottled at 40% alcohol by volume (80 proof).
- Black Spiced Rum – A dark spiced rum. Bottled at 50% alcohol by volume (100 proof).
- Spiced Gold - A spiced rum with a taste of vanilla and brown sugar.[14]
- Tiki – A limited edition rum with pineapple and mango flavors to pair with lemonade.
- Spiced Gold 0.0% Alcohol Free Spirit - Non-alcoholic alternative to Spiced Gold variety.[15]
In popular culture
Before and after the 2015 SummerSlam event, John Cena used the brand as a nickname for Seth Rollins during WWE's Monday Night Raw.[16] [17]
In 2016, Diageo created special limited edition bottles to commemorate Wes Morgan captaining Leicester City F.C. to the 2015–16 Premier League title.[18]
See also
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: Captain Morgan Was Actually a Real Person—and He Didn't Make Rum . 4 December 2017 . Reader's Digest . 9 April 2019 . 30 May 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190530130843/https://www.rd.com/food/fun/captain-morgan-real-person/ . dead .
- Book: Curtis, Wayne. And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails. 2007. Three Rivers Press. New York. 978-0-307-51285-7.
- Web site: Diageo Company History . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070404041342/http://www.diageo.com/en-row/AboutDiageo/OurHistory/ . 4 April 2007 . 2007-04-13.
- Web site: Diageo Company History. 13 April 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20070404041342/http://www.diageo.com/en-row/AboutDiageo/OurHistory/. 4 April 2007. . dead.
- http://www.diageo.com/en-row/ourbrands/ourglobalbrands/captainmorgan/ "Captain Morgan"
- News: NFL to Captain Morgan, players: 'Ambush marketing' won't be tolerated . 12 November 2009 . USA Today . 2010-04-29.
- News: Lever . Rob . Daggers in Washington in Captain Morgan rum battle . 29 March 2010 . . 2010-08-30.
- News: USVI governor asks US senator to reconsider legislation harming territory's economic future . 13 April 2010 . . 2010-08-30.
- Web site: Diageo sues 'copycat' Admiral Nelson's rum . Eads . Lauren . The Drinks Business . April 2014 . 19 June 2019.
- News: Robertson . Susan . Captain Morgan defends trademark as Admiral Nelson's is ordered to weigh anchor . 19 June 2019 . The Globe and Mail.
- Web site: March 2020. Captain Morgan creates tiki-themed spirit drink. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200324151347/https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2020/03/captain-morgan-creates-tiki-themed-spirit-drink/ . 24 March 2020 .
- Web site: April 13 . Russ Martin . Captain Morgan honours its East Coast connection . Marketingmag.ca.
- News: Captain Morgan White Rum Review . 2014-02-09 . Cocktail Enthusiast . 2017-01-28 . en-US.
- Web site: Captain Morgan Original Spiced Gold Captain Morgan . 2022-12-13 . www.captainmorgan.com . en.
- Web site: Captain Morgan Spiced Gold 0.0% Alcohol Free Spirit Captain Morgan . 20 July 2024 . www.captainmorgan.com.
- Web site: John Cena vs. Seth Rollins Contract Signing: Raw, Aug. 17, 2015 . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/sJR0M7Li9hE. 2021-12-12 . live. . 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!.
- Web site: Seth Rollins gets an unwelcome Night of Champions surprise: Raw, Aug. 31, 2015 . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/QwzmbeUVZZY. 2021-12-12 . live. . John: "do I have a match against Captain Morgan ... at Night of Champions ... for the United States Championship?" Stephanie: "Yes.".
- Web site: Leicester Captain Wes Morgan Appears on Limited Edition Bottles of Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum.
