• by Danielle Oster , September 5, 2023

Diageo-owned rum brand Captain Morgan is embarking on an attempt to plunder market share from competitors in the growing alcohol-free beverage space.

The brand announced its maiden voyage into the category with Captain Morgan Spiced Gold 0.0%, an alcohol-free alternative to the brand’s Original Spiced Gold offering. Captain Morgan Spiced Gold 0.0% makes its debut in the U.K. this month, as part of a gradual rollout throughout Europe for the rest of 2023 and 2024.

The release relates to recent industry and brand trends around a precipitous rise in demand for low and no-alcohol beverage alternatives, and strong performance by the Captain Morgan brand this year amidst a rise in the popularity of rum.

According to data from Kantar Alcovision, 49.6% of U.K. consumers between legal drinking age and 24 are looking to moderate their alcohol consumption. Captain Morgan was a bright spot in Diageo’s recent earnings report, with the brand seeing approximately 2% net sales growth for the year based on preliminary results.

While the alcohol-free market is increasingly popular, there appear to be relatively few alcohol-free rum alternatives for consumers looking to moderate alcohol consumption. 

“With a resurgence of rum as a drink of choice and the global alcohol-free spirit market set to increase, Captain Morgan 0.0% is perfectly placed to not only meet growing demand but also give those looking to moderate their consumption a new alternative,” Captain Morgan Global Brand Director Samori Gambrah said.

The release marks the end of a two-year development voyage for Captain Morgan, with the brand’s innovation team carefully steering a final product described as offering “intricate layers of flavour starting with rich notes of caramel, molasses, vanilla and warm brown spices,” said Amanda Brown, Liquid Scientist at Diageo.

“It’s been an exciting journey working on Diageo’s first alcohol-free dark spirit,” Brown continued. “When creating Captain Morgan 0.0%, we went through more than 400 recipes before we were able to capture the iconic rum and spice flavour of Captain Morgan Original Spiced Gold, but without the alcohol.”