Captain Morgan

Captain Morgan is a brand of spiced rum and other flavoured rum-based spirits, owned by the British drinks company Diageo. It takes its name from the seventeenth-century Welsh privateer Henry Morgan, and its captain figure has made it one of the best-known rum brands in the world.

History

The brand dates to 1944, when the Seagram Company began producing Captain Morgan rum in Jamaica. According to the most widely told account, the idea grew out of Seagram's purchase of the Long Pond distillery, whose largest buyer, a Kingston pharmacy, added herbs and spices to rum before ageing and bottling it. Seagram soon began selling a spiced rum of its own.

In the 1950s, incentives from the US and Puerto Rican governments to create jobs led the company to move production to San Juan. Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum reached the United States in 1984 and became the brand's reference product. In 2001 the brand was sold to Diageo, and later varieties such as Black Spiced, Parrot Bay and Tattoo joined the range. Today it is sold mainly in the United States, Canada, Great Britain and South Africa, as well as in duty-free shops.

Culture

Captain Morgan is associated with parties, sports events and cocktails, and its relaxed captain image is central to its identity. The slogan “Got a little Captain in You?” captures that tone. The spiced versions, flavoured with vanilla, cinnamon or ginger, are the most recognisable, but the range also includes white and dark rums and limited editions for particular occasions, such as the Jack O' Blast for Halloween. The brand has also appeared in American sport: in 2009 the NFL banned a covert campaign that would have rewarded players who struck the bottle's pose on camera.

Trivia