Matusalem & Co.
Matusalem & Company is a manufacturer of premium Caribbean rum. Founded in Santiago de Cuba, it is now produced in the Dominican Republic.
Name
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 "mas viejo que Matusalen" (older than Methusaleh).[2]:78
Current company and markets
In 2002, Matusalem and Company was relaunched, with branding focused on its Cuban roots, and targeting the high-end market in the United States.[2]:86-87 The rum is produced in the Dominican Republic, but was not formally made available in that country until 2015.[3]
The company has engaged in litigation over its use of phrases like "The Spirit of Cuba" in Italy.[4][5]
History
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,[6] 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
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.[7]
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.
Current Portfolio
Seven different products are currently manufactured by Matusalem and Company.
- Matusalem Gran Reserva 15 is a super premium rum and is Solera aged for 15 years.
- Matusalem Gran Reserva 18 is a super premium rum and is Solera aged for 18 years.
- Matusalem Gran Reserva 23 is a super premium rum and is Solera aged for 23 years.
- Matusalem Clasico 10 is a classic Cuban-style golden rum, blended from select rums aged in New World oak and Solera aged for 10 years.
- Matusalem Platino is a blend of triple-distilled, handcrafted rums, combined, then filtered and refined again.
- Matusalem Solera 7
- Matusalem Extra Añejo
References
- 1 2 3 4 Gjelten, Tom (2008-01-01). Bacardi and the Long Fight for Cuba: The Biography of a Cause. Penguin. ISBN 9780670019786.
- 1 2 The Desired Revolution and the New Man: Assembling and Negotiating Cultural and Intellectual Practices in Revolutionary Cuba (in Spanish). ProQuest. 2009-01-01. ISBN 9781109110043.
- ↑ Jiménez, Alex (2015-10-03). "Aprieta la Guerra Ronera en RD, Ron Matusalem y otras marcas compiten, Siboney viene con fuerza, rones saborizados ganan espacio en consumidores" (in Spanish). Primicias. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
- ↑ Manna, Luigi (2015-02-13). "Cuba, rum and geographical indications". Lexology. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
- ↑ "N&G Legal vince in appello con il rum Matusalem". TopLegal. 2015-06-23. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
- ↑ "Rum Journal: From the Dominican Republic, a Rum With a Cuban Soul". Caribbean Journal. 2012-05-24. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
- ↑ Brown, Jared McDaniel; Miller, Anistatia R.; Broom, Dave (2009-03-01). Cuba: The Legend of Rum. Mixellany Limited. p. 66. ISBN 9780976093787.