Captain Morgan
Encyclopedia
Captain Morgan is a brand of rum
produced by alcohol conglomerate Diageo
. It is named after the 17th-century, Welsh
privateer
of the Caribbean
, Sir
Henry Morgan
. Since 2011 the label has used the slogan, "To Life, Love and Loot."
Company started producing rum under the name Captain Morgan Rum Company.
Seagram CEO Samuel Bronfman
purchased a distillery named Long Pond from the Jamaica
n 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, aging, 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's and the Bacardi
family built large new plants near San Juan
. In 1985, Seagrams 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 Seagrams also licensed to Serralles the rights to produce and distribute the "Captain Morgan" brand in Puerto Rico and the rest of the Caribbean
until in 2012.
In 2001, Seagrams sold the "Captain Morgan" brand to Diageo
. Diageo made an announcement on June 24, 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.
In 1984, Captain Morgan Original Spiced rum was introduced to the United States.
Captain Morgan is, by volume, the second largest brand of spirits in the United States, and the seventh largest worldwide. , 7.6 million 9-liter cases were sold. Most Captain Morgan rum is sold in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, South Africa, and Global Travel.
Although the pirate Henry Morgan is a figure of Jamaican culture, the Seagram's Captain Morgan Rum is labeled as a product of Puerto Rico, whereas the Captain Morgan Rum produced by J. Wray and Nephew Ltd.
is labeled as a "product of Jamaica."
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
.
In 2010 two American territories, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands
bickered over plans for the Captain Morgan to move operations to the U.S.V.I under tax incentives. The matter came to a head when it created a debate in the United States Congress over the USVI's attempt to use tax benefits to lure the company to that territory.
from sugar cane. The combination of the type of yeast
s employed for fermentation
, distillation method, aging conditions, and blending determines the characteristic flavor 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 color and character to the rum before the flavors 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.
Rum
Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
produced by alcohol conglomerate Diageo
Diageo
Diageo plc is a global alcoholic beverages company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest producer of spirits and a major producer of beer and wine....
. It is named after the 17th-century, Welsh
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
of the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, Sir
Sir
Sir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
Henry Morgan
Henry Morgan
Admiral Sir Henry Morgan was an Admiral of the Royal Navy, a privateer, and a pirate who made a name for himself during activities in the Caribbean, primarily raiding Spanish settlements...
. Since 2011 the label has used the slogan, "To Life, Love and Loot."
History
In 1844, the SeagramSeagram
The Seagram Company Ltd. was a large corporation headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada that was the largest distiller of alcoholic beverages in the world. Toward the end of its independent existence it also controlled various entertainment and other business ventures...
Company started producing rum under the name Captain Morgan Rum Company.
Seagram CEO Samuel Bronfman
Samuel Bronfman
Samuel Bronfman, was a Canadian business magnate and philanthropist. He founded Distillers Corporation Limited, and is a member of the Canadian Jewish family dynasty, the Bronfman family.-Early life:...
purchased a distillery named Long Pond from the Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n government. Among the buyers of raw rum from the Long Pond distillery was a Kingston
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
pharmacy named Levy Brothers. The Levy family had been purchasing raw rum, adding medicinal herbs and spices, aging, and bottling it. Bronfman liked the rum product and bought the rights to it.
In the 1950s the governments of both the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and its Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
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's and the Bacardi
Bacardi
Bacardi is a family-controlled spirits company, best known as a producer of rums, including Bacardi Superior and Bacardi 151. The company sells in excess of 200 million bottles per year in nearly 100 countries...
family built large new plants near San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
. In 1985, Seagrams sold its rum distillery and manufacturing facilities in Camuy
Camuy, Puerto Rico
Camuy is a municipality in Puerto Rico located on the Valley of Quebradillas, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, north of Lares; east of Quebradillas; and west of Hatillo. Camuy is spread over 12 wards and Camuy Pueblo...
and Arecibo
Arecibo, Puerto Rico
Arecibo is a municipality in the northern midwest coast of Puerto Rico and located by the Atlantic Ocean, north of Utuado and Ciales; east of Hatillo; and west of Barceloneta, and Florida. Arecibo is spread over 18 wards and Arecibo Pueblo...
-- and doing business as Puerto Rican Destillers -- to Destilería Serrallés, a Puerto Rican concern that had been producing the Don Q
Don Q
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 is the top-selling rum in Puerto Rico, where over 70% of the rum consumed in the United States is produced. The rum is named after Don...
brand in Puerto Rico since 1865. As part of the contract Seagrams also licensed to Serralles the rights to produce and distribute the "Captain Morgan" brand in Puerto Rico and the rest of the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
until in 2012.
In 2001, Seagrams sold the "Captain Morgan" brand to Diageo
Diageo
Diageo plc is a global alcoholic beverages company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest producer of spirits and a major producer of beer and wine....
. Diageo made an announcement on June 24, 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.
Captain Morgan is, by volume, the second largest brand of spirits in the United States, and the seventh largest worldwide. , 7.6 million 9-liter cases were sold. Most Captain Morgan rum is sold in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, South Africa, and Global Travel.
Although the pirate Henry Morgan is a figure of Jamaican culture, the Seagram's Captain Morgan Rum is labeled as a product of Puerto Rico, whereas the Captain Morgan Rum produced by J. Wray and Nephew Ltd.
J. Wray and Nephew Ltd.
J. Wray and Nephew Ltd. is a distiller, blender, and bottler of rum, originating and operating in Jamaica.- History :The history of J. Wray and Nephew began in 1825 when company founder John Wray opened 'The Shakespeare Tavern' in Kingston, Jamaica...
is labeled as a "product of Jamaica."
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
Brent Celek
Brent Steven Celek is an American football tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Eagles in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Cincinnati.-Early years:...
of the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
In 2010 two American territories, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands
United States Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands of the United States are a group of islands in the Caribbean that are an insular area of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles.The U.S...
bickered over plans for the Captain Morgan to move operations to the U.S.V.I under tax incentives. The matter came to a head when it created a debate in the United States Congress over the USVI's attempt to use tax benefits to lure the company to that territory.
Distillation process
Captain Morgan's Rum is distilledDistillation
Distillation is a method of separating mixtures based on differences in volatilities of components in a boiling liquid mixture. Distillation is a unit operation, or a physical separation process, and not a chemical reaction....
from sugar cane. The combination of the type of yeast
Yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic micro-organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with 1,500 species currently described estimated to be only 1% of all fungal species. Most reproduce asexually by mitosis, and many do so by an asymmetric division process called budding...
s employed for fermentation
Fermentation (food)
Fermentation in food processing typically is the conversion of carbohydrates to alcohols and carbon dioxide or organic acids using yeasts, bacteria, or a combination thereof, under anaerobic conditions. Fermentation in simple terms is the chemical conversion of sugars into ethanol...
, distillation method, aging conditions, and blending determines the characteristic flavor of rum. Made with molasses
Molasses
Molasses is a viscous by-product of the processing of sugar cane, grapes or sugar beets into sugar. The word molasses comes from the Portuguese word melaço, which ultimately comes from mel, the Latin word for "honey". The quality of molasses depends on the maturity of the sugar cane or sugar beet,...
, water, mash
Mashing
In brewing and distilling, mashing is the process of combining a mix of milled grain , known as the "grain bill", and water, known as "liquor", and heating this mixture...
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 color and character to the rum before the flavors 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
- Original Spiced - Aged with Caribbean rum, spices and other natural flavors. 70 proof
- Original Spiced Gold - Mellow aged and enhanced with fruit flavors, spices, and a heavy touch of vanilla. 75 proof
- Dark Rum - A blend of Caribbean and Canadian Rum. 80 proof
- Parrot Bay - White rum with varieties including coconut, mango, pineapple, passion fruit, key lime, orange and strawberry. 42 proof (formerly 48). There is also a 90 proof version of the coconut flavor.
- Lime Bite - A silver lime-spiked spiced rum. 70 proof
- Private Stock - Rich, dark and full-bodied, blends hints of island spices with a smooth texture. 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 rum with fruit flavors described as berry or citrus, introduced to compete with JägermeisterJägermeisterJägermeister is a German 70-proof digestif made with 56 different herbs and spices. It is the flagship product of Mast-Jägermeister SE, headquartered in Wolfenbüttel, south of Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, Germany.- History :...
for market share. Unavailable in Canada. 70 proof - 100 Proof - The highest alcoholic content of the Captain Morgan line of drinks. Closest relation is Captain Morgan's Original Spiced Rum, but with an added kick. 100 proof
- Deluxe Dark - More expensive than Black Label. A blend of dark Caribbean rums, aged in white oak barrels, only available in Canada. 80 proof
- Long Island Iced Tea - A mix of rum, vodka, whiskey, gin and triple-sec liqueur. Only available in the USA. 35 proof
- White Rum - Aged in white oak barrels for over a year, only available in Canada. 40 proof