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Ron Don QFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search
Ron Don Q (English: Don Q rum) is a Puerto Rican rum, distilled, manufactured, bottled, and distributed by Destilería Serrallés from its corporate facility in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is sold internationally, and competes against Bacardi for market share. The rum is named after Don Quixote, the protagonist in Miguel Cervantes' classic Spanish
HistoryThe Serrallés family was a Spanish family from Cataluña that migrated to Puerto Rico in the mid 1830s, and established a sugar cane plantation in the outskirts of Ponce. They were successful in harvesting and refining cane sugar and exporting it to the United States, the United Kingdom and France. The plantation became very prosperous, and virtually became a company town, with its own rail line, workers' housing, transportation fleet, commissary, and private - - later public -- airport (Ponce's Mercedita Airport). Most of these operations were eventually annexed to the municipality of Ponce, in whose lands the plantation is based.[2]
In 1865, the family opened a rum manufacturer at the plantation, "Hacienda Mercedita". On that year, Juan Serrallés, who would go down as one of the most successful liquor salesmen in Puerto Rican history, imported a still from France, which enabled him to produce his first casks of rum.[3]
The Serrallés operation produced various local rum brands, most of which were short-lived. Inspired by the success of other rum producers in the island, the family decided to launch a refined brand with the intention of exporting it elsewhere. The Ron Don Q brand was launched in 1932, and became popular with locals who considered rival Bacardi either harsher in taste or a foreign brand (when Bacardí opened its distilling operations in Puerto Rico in the early 1930s it was considered a Cuban brand since its headquarters were based in Cuba; since the 1960s Cuban revolution, Bacardi has had its headquarters in Bermuda). Don Q is considered Puerto Rico's finest rum.[4]
By the 1960s, Ron Don Q was available on most of Puerto Rico's important supermarket chains, such as Pueblo and others. It also Distillation process
Don Q Rum is distilled from sugar cane. The combination of the type of yeasts employed for fermentation, distillation method, aging conditions, and blending determines the characteristic flavor of rum. Made with molasses, water, mash, and yeast, Don Q is distilled in a continuous still. Once distilled, the clear spirit is aged in oak barrels for up to a year per Puerto Rican law, adding a golden color and character to the rum. Flavors and spices, if any, are added as an option at this point. The brand's taste is achieved through a proprietary recipe, which is blended into the rum mixture at the final stages of production.[6] Advertising and sales
Currently, Don Q is sold in the United States, Mexico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Spain, and a number of other countries.[7][8] Don Q rum is the best-selling rum in Puerto Rico, followed by Bacardi and Palo Viejo. Other brands include Ron Castillo and Captain Morgan. The Captain Morgan Rum brand is owned by a different company but made by Destilería Serrallés at destillery facility in Puerto Rico under a supply contract with Seagrams, now Diageo.[9] Serrallés Inc. has been engaged in numerous advertising campaigns for its rums.[10] Television ads have run on Puerto Rican channels for decades, and the brand has sponsored local sports teams, such as Ponce's Leones de Ponce baseball team and their BSN counterpart the Leones de Ponce basketball team. The Serrallés distillery is also involved in the Copa Serrallés boat race, where Don Q rum is prominently advertised. Don Q also has appeared on a number of films. Small sample bottles of the Don Q Rum are available at supermarkets, pharmacies, and liquor stores.[11] International awards and recognitionsDespite focusing on the middle and lower end of the price spectrum, five of seven Don Q rum offerings have achieved a modicum of success at international spirit ratings competitions. For example, its Don Q Gran Añejo rum earned multiple gold medals at the 2008 and 2009 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.[12]
Also, in 2010, Ron Don Q scored high at the Spirits International Prestige (SIP) Awards, in San Diego, California. Compeating against hundreds of rums from around the globe, Don Q Añejo, Don Q Gran Añejo, Don Q Cristal, Don Q Coco, Don Q Mojito y Don Q Limón were awarded rankings in the "Platinum-Best in Class" and "Gold" categories. In this caompetition, according to Alberto "Tito" Torruella Bartolomei, Don Q's VP for Manufacturing, all of the Don Q products brought to the competition received awards. Unlike other awards, the SIP Awards select consumers for judges. "It is not the first time that Destilería Serrallés receives an international award. In a recent competition in Las Vegas, Nevada, Don Q Cristal received the top award within the category "Best Mojito". Don Q Oro also received an award.[13] TypesRon Don Q has been produced in a number of different types, some of the most prominent being:[14]
References
See also
External linksRetrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Don_Q" Categories: Brand name alcohol products | |||||||||||||||||||
