Matusalem & Co.

Matusalem & Company was founded by brothers Benjamin and Eduardo Camp, who left Spain and settled in Santiago de Cuba in 1872 for the purpose of establishing a rum distillery.,^{[1]: 38 [2]} The Camp brothers brought with them their knowledge and expertise in the solera system of blending and distillation used in making Spanish cognac and sherry.^[1]: 38

During the 1950s, the brand was one of the top premium rums in Cuba, competing with Bacardi and Havana Club.^[1]: 175 having 50% market share.

Following the Cuban revolution 1959, the family-owned Matusalem brand went into exile, and was established in the United States. The Cuban government continued to make rum in the former Matusalem factory in Santiago de Cuba.^[3]

Three branches of the family began feuding in 1981, resulting in court cases that extended into the mid-90s. These ended in 1995 when Dr. Claudio Alvarez Salazar, the great-grandson of the founder, gained control of the Matusalem trademark in an out-of-court settlement.^{[citation needed]}

In 2002, Matusalem and Company was relaunched, with branding focused on its Cuban roots, and targeting the high-end market in the United States.^{[4]: 86–87} The rum is produced in the Dominican Republic, but was not formally made available in that country until 2015.^[5]

The company has engaged in litigation over its use of phrases like "The Spirit of Cuba" in Italy.^[6][7]

The name "Matusalem" is Spanish for Methuselah, the Old Testament patriarch said to have lived for 969 years. It was chosen as a reference to the aging process used in producing the brand,^[1]: 38 and popularized with the phrase "más viejo que Matusalén" (older than Methuselah).^[4]: 78

Seven different products are currently manufactured by Matusalem and Company:

• Matusalem Gran Reserva 15
• Matusalem Gran Reserva 18
• Matusalem Gran Reserva 23
• Matusalem Clasico 10
• Matusalem Platino
• Matusalem Solera 7
• Matusalem Extra Añejo