| Ron Don Q | |
| Inventor: | Juan Serrallés Colón |
| Launch Year: | 1865 |
| Company: | Destilería Serrallés |
Don Q is a Puerto Rican rum, distilled, manufactured, bottled, and distributed by Destilería Serrallés from its corporate facility in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Don Q, "Puerto Rico's best-known rum",[1] is the top-selling rum in Puerto Rico,[2] [3] [4] [5] where over 70% of the rum consumed in the United States is produced.[6] The rum derives its name from Don Quixote,[7] [8] the protagonist in Miguel de Cervantes' classic Spanish novel.[9] The rum is sold internationally, competing against Bacardi for market share. Available in the continental United States since June 2009,[10] Don Q continues to outsell Bacardi in Puerto Rico.[11] [12] [13]
Don Q is distilled from sugar cane. The combination of the type of yeasts employed for fermentation, distillation method, aging conditions, and blending determines the characteristic flavor of rum. Made with molasses, water, mash, and yeast, Don Q is distilled in a continuous still. Once distilled, the clear spirit is aged in oak barrels for up to a year per Puerto Rican law, adding a golden color and character to the rum. Flavors and spices, if any, are added as an option at this point. The brand's taste is achieved through a proprietary recipe, which is blended into the rum mixture at the final stages of production.[14]
Currently, Don Q is sold in the United States, Mexico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Spain, and a number of other countries.[15] [16] Don Q is the best-selling rum in Puerto Rico.[17]
Destileria Serrallés has been engaged in numerous advertising campaigns for its rums.[18] Television ads have run on Puerto Rican channels, and they have sponsored local sports teams, such as Ponce's Leones de Ponce baseball team and their BSN counterpart the Leones de Ponce basketball team.[19] Don Q also has appeared on a number of films.
Despite focusing on the middle and lower end of the price spectrum, five of seven Don Q offerings have achieved a modicum of success at international spirit ratings competitions. For example, its Don Q Gran Añejo rum earned one double gold, two silver, and one bronze medals at the San Francisco World Spirits Competitions between 2008 and 2012.[20]
Also, in 2010, Don Q scored high at the Spirits International Prestige (SIP) Awards, in San Diego, California. Competing against hundreds of rums from around the globe, Don Q Añejo, Don Q Gran Añejo, Don Q Cristal, Don Q Coco, Don Q Mojito and Don Q Limón were awarded rankings in the “Platinum-Best in Class” and “Gold” categories. In this competition, according to Alberto "Tito" Torruella Bartolomei, Don Q's VP for Manufacturing, all of the Don Q products brought to the competition received awards. Unlike other awards, the SIP Awards select consumers for judges. "It is not the first time that Destilería Serrallés receives an international award. In a recent competition in Las Vegas, Nevada, Don Q Cristal received the top award within the category “Best Mojito”. Don Q Oro also received an award.[21]
In September 2011, the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences awarded Don Q Gran Añejo a five-star rating, something they "don't award to just any rum...In fact they found only one worthy enough of this honor: DonQ Gran Añejo...Gran Añejo is the first rum ever to receive this rare distinction, reserved for the greatest achievements in travel, hospitality products and services. The American Academy of Hospitality Sciences Board of Trustees recognized in Destilería Serrallés for DonQ Gran Añejo exceptional quality and character.[6]
Don Q has been featured in the 2012 motion picture comedy Ted.[22] [23] [24] According to a July 5, 2012, article by Robert Haynes-Peterson in Examiner.com, "The DonQ in question turns up at a drug- and Flash Gordon-fueled party scene which also serves as a pivotal turning point in the story. Gearing up to do shots, Wahlberg grabs the nearest bottle of rum and turns it to the camera for a lingering several seconds."[25] [23] It is also mentioned in the song "Come Get Her" by Rae Sremmurd.
Don Q has been produced in a number of different types:[26]
Small sample bottles of the Don Q are also available at supermarkets, pharmacies, and liquor stores.[27]