1 janv. 1863 - Don Q Puerto Rican rum founded; Ponce

Description:

The Serrallés family migrated from Catalonia 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.[14]

In 1865, the family opened a rum manufacturer at the plantation, "Hacienda Mercedita". On that year, Juan Eugenio Serrallés Colón, 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.[15]

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 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 in Cuba; since the 1960s Cuban revolution, Bacardi has had its headquarters in Bermuda).

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

In 1865, Juan imported a still which he purchased in France and produced his first few casks of rum. He named the rum Don Q in honor of the legendary Spanish fictional character Don Quixote. Soon after, the "Don Q" brand of rum became very popular in Puerto Rico and the family business began to grow.

In 1903 the Serrallés family, under the leadership of Juan Serrallés, installed the first continuous still in Puerto Rico. Juan Serrallés died in 1921 just as the production of rum was being halted because of the United States Prohibition Act of the 1920s. Juan's family continued to run the sugar side of the business but for the distillery side started to produce medical alcohol instead of the outlawed rum. It was called Alcoholado Superior 70.

Don Q is a Puerto Rican rum, distilled, manufactured, bottled, and distributed by Destilería Serrallés from its corporate facility in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Don Q, "Puerto Rico's best-known rum", is the top-selling rum in Puerto Rico,] where over 70% of the rum consumed in the United States is produced. The rum derives its name from Don Quixote, the protagonist in Miguel de Cervantes' classic Spanish novel. The rum is sold internationally, competing against Bacardi for market share. Available in the United States since June 2009, Don Q continues to outsell Bacardi in Puerto Rico.

In 1865, Juan Serrallés Colón (1845–1921) founded Destilería Serrallés, a rum producer located in Ponce, Puerto Rico, known for its Don Q (from Don Quixote) rum brand.[32] Don Q is one of several rums made in the island archipelago. Five-generations on, it is still run by the Serrallés family over a century after its founding.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Q

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destiler%C3%ADa_Serrall%C3%A9s

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