Captain Morgan Original Spiced Gold Rum

The original Spiced Rum that started it all.

The Levy Brothers in Kingston, Jamaica, owned a pharmacy and purchased raw Rum from the Long Pond Distillery and infused it with medicinal spices and herbs. Samuel Bronfman was the CEO of Seagram and when he tasted it he bought the rights. Shortly thereafter, Captain Morgan Spiced Rum was launched by Seagram in 1944 as a spiced blend of Caribbean Rums. For import/export reasons the brand was moved to Puerto Rico in the 1950s. Diageo purchased the line from Seagram in 2001. Tax and regulatory matters intervened once again and Diageo moved the company to Saint Croix in the US Virgin Islands. It is the second most popular Rum brand in the world with dozens of varieties.

Captain Morgan's Original Spiced Gold is the product that the company is built on with few updates to suit the modern age. The sources of the blended Rums and spice recipe are secret. But traditionally the Rums come largely from Jamaica and Guyana. The herbals and spices are relatively complex, but two shine out — vanilla and Caribbean allspice. After Bacardi, this is the most famous Rum in the world and a core cocktail element of beach bars from Java and The Maldives to Hawaii and Saint Thomas.

Smartass Corner:
Captain Morgan Rum is named after Sir Henry Morgan — a Welsh privateer in the Caribbean who was based at the infamous Port Royal, Jamaica during the 1600s. A "privateer" is an officially sanctioned pirate. This means that the government of England gave him permission to attack Spanish ships.