Captain Morgan
Brand of rum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Captain Morgan is a brand of flavoured rums (including, in Europe, some rum-flavoured "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]
 | |
| Manufacturer | Diageo |
|---|---|
| Origin | United States Virgin Islands |
| Introduced | 1944 |
| Alcohol by volume | 42.8% |
| Proof (US) | 70 (Original) |
| Colour | Golden |
| Variants |
|
| Related products | List of rum producers |
| Website | captainmorgan.com |
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. 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 $15,007 in 2025) 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, Czechia, 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.[11]
- Spiced Gold 0.0% Alcohol Free Spirit - Non-alcoholic alternative to Spiced Gold variety.[15]
- Coconut Rum - Sweet, delicate and creamy taste of fresh coconut with a background of citrus and tropical fruit balanced with notes of molasses. Bottled at 35% alcohol by volume.[16]
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.[17][18]
In 2016, Diageo created special limited edition bottles to commemorate Wes Morgan captaining Leicester City F.C. to the 2015–16 Premier League title.[19]
A technique for dislocated hip reduction is named after the pose on the bottle label which a surgeon can mimic.[20]
See also
- Captain Morgan Trophy – Rugby league trophy
- List of Puerto Rican rums
- RumChata – American cream liqueur
