It had previously given its sailors French brandy, but the 1655 conquest of Jamaica gave it access to rum, which it quickly exploited.
Alfred Lamb & Son was bombed out of its London premises on Great Tower Street in World War II.
Portal, Dingwall & Norris took them both into its premises at 40 Eastcheap, London, inspiring the three companies to merge in 1946 to form United Rum Merchants.
[2] In 1952, Canadian company Corby Distilleries signed an agreement with United Rum Merchants to bottle the brand under licence in Canada.
Outside North America, it is also bottled by Halewood International in England, which distributes it in Europe, Africa and Asia.