Ron Don Q

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Ron Don Q, alternatively known as Don Q, is a Puerto Rican rum brand. It is sold internationally, and it competes against Bacardi. The rum is named after Don Quixote, a famous Spanish book character.

Bottle of Don Q Cristal

1 History
2 Types
3 External links
4 See also

[edit] History

The Serrallés family was a Spanish family from Cataluña that established its links to Puerto Rico in the mid 1830s. They were successful in harvesting and refining cane sugar and exporting it to the United States, the United Kingdom and France. The plantation virtually became a company town, and eventually had 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.

In 1865, the family opened a rum manufacturer at their plantation, the "Hacienda Merceditas", named in honor of the Serrallés family matriarch. On that year, Juan Serralles, 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.

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 (Bacardí opened its distilling operations in Puerto Rico in the early 1930s, and at the time it was considered a Cuban brand, since its headquarters were based in Santiago de Cuba).

By the 1960s, Ron Don Q was available on most of Puerto Rico's important supermarket chains, such as Pueblo and others. It also became available at Amigo.

Currently, Don Q is sold in the United States, Mexico, the United States Virgin Islands, Spain and a number of other countries.

Ron Don Q faces Bacardi and Captain Morgan, among others, for the number one selling rum spot in Puerto Rico. The Captain Morgan Rum brand is owned by a different company but made by Destilería Serrallés in a different Puerto Rican distillery under a supply contract.

Ron Don Q has also been engaged in numerous advertising campaigns. Television ads have run on Puerto Rican channels for decades, and the brand has sponsored local sports teams, such as baseball's Leones de Ponce and their BSN basketball counterpart the basketball Leones. The Serrallés distillery is also involved in the Copa Serralles boat race, where Ron Don Q is prominently advertised. Don Q also has appeared on a number of films. Also, Ron Don Q is available in small bottle samples at supermarkets, pharmacies and liquor stores.