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Captain Morgan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about a brand of rum. For the Welsh privateer, see Henry Morgan. For other uses, see Captain Morgan (disambiguation).

Captain Morgan
ManufacturerDiageo
Country of origin United States Virgin Islands
Introduced1944
Alcohol by volume 35%
Proof (US)70 (Original)
ColourGolden
Variants
  • Private Stock
  • Silver Spiced
  • Tattoo
  • 100 Proof
  • Long Island Iced Tea
  • Lime Bite
  • Black
  • 1671
  • Gingerbread (Christmas 2020)
  • Tiki
Related productsList of rum producers
Websitecaptainmorgan.com

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

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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. 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 US$10,000 (equivalent to $14,202 in 2023) 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

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  • 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.[11]
  • Spiced Gold 0.0% Alcohol Free Spirit - Non-alcoholic alternative to Spiced Gold variety.[15]
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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

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References

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  1. ^ "Captain Morgan Was Actually a Real Person—and He Didn't Make Rum". Reader's Digest. 4 December 2017. Archived from the original on 30 May 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  2. ^ Curtis, Wayne (2007). And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails. New York: Three Rivers Press. ISBN 978-0-307-51285-7.
  3. ^ "Diageo Company History". Archived from the original on 4 April 2007. Retrieved 13 April 2007.
  4. ^ "Diageo Company History". Archived from the original on 4 April 2007. Retrieved 13 April 2007.
  5. ^ "Captain Morgan" Archived 26 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine Diageo. 9 August 2008
  6. ^ "NFL to Captain Morgan, players: 'Ambush marketing' won't be tolerated". USA Today. 12 November 2009. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
  7. ^ Lever, Rob (29 March 2010). "Daggers in Washington in Captain Morgan rum battle". Caribbean Net News. Retrieved 30 August 2010.[permanent dead link‍]
  8. ^ "USVI governor asks US senator to reconsider legislation harming territory's economic future". Caribbean Net News. 13 April 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2010.[permanent dead link‍]
  9. ^ Eads, Lauren (April 2014). "Diageo sues 'copycat' Admiral Nelson's rum". The Drinks Business. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  10. ^ Robertson, Susan. "Captain Morgan defends trademark as Admiral Nelson's is ordered to weigh anchor". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  11. ^ a b "Captain Morgan creates tiki-themed spirit drink". March 2020. Archived from the original on 24 March 2020.
  12. ^ April 13, Russ Martin. "Captain Morgan honours its East Coast connection". Marketingmag.ca.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ "Captain Morgan White Rum Review". Cocktail Enthusiast. 9 February 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  14. ^ "Captain Morgan Original Spiced Gold | Captain Morgan". www.captainmorgan.com. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  15. ^ "Captain Morgan Spiced Gold 0.0% Alcohol Free Spirit | Captain Morgan". www.captainmorgan.com. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  16. ^ "John Cena vs. Seth Rollins Contract Signing: Raw, Aug. 17, 2015". Archived from the original on 12 December 2021 – via YouTube. 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!
  17. ^ "Seth Rollins gets an unwelcome Night of Champions surprise: Raw, Aug. 31, 2015". Archived from the original on 12 December 2021 – via YouTube. John: "do I have a match against Captain Morgan ... at Night of Champions ... for the United States Championship?" Stephanie: "Yes."
  18. ^ "Leicester Captain Wes Morgan Appears on Limited Edition Bottles of Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum".
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