Captain Morgan sales reach 10 million cases

Diageo has announced its Captain Morgan rum has become the sixth international premium spirit to sell more than 10 million cases in one year.

Captain Morgan has reached a milestone of 10m case sales a year

Captain Morgan, the second largest brand in the rum category, has grown by 500,000 cases over the last 12 months to reach the milestone only achieved so far by Smirnoff, Absolut, Johnnie Walker, Jack Daniel’s and Bacardi.

The biggest driver of Captain Morgan’s growth comes from the US, where it is currently the third largest spirit brand.

Outside the States, Captain Morgan continues to be popular in Canada and Western Europe, with Germany and the UK leading growth.

Meanwhile the emerging markets of Russia, Eastern Europe and Latin America, particularly Mexico, are proving fruitful.

Russell Jones, global brand director for rum at Diageo, said the rum’s success was down to its brand development on the historical character of former Governor of Jamaica Captain Henry Morgan.

“We’re incredibly excited to reach this milestone of 10 million cases and want to thank all of our fans who have enjoyed their own legendary adventures with us along the way,” he said.

“The next 12 months will be an exciting year for the brand as we dive further into the real history behind the legendary Captain Henry Morgan through a series of campaigns bringing to life his escapades.”

The majority of Captain Morgan sales is driven by the brand’s core product, Captain Morgan Spiced, flanked by its original variant and new innovation Captain Morgan Black Spiced.

For more insight into the rum and spiced rum categories, including how Captain Morgan has achieved its phenomenal growth, see the December issue of The Spirits Business.

To chart Captain Morgan’s growth over the past five years, see our Brand Champions feature here.