Brandwave

Appleton Estate vs Captain Morgan:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Appleton Estate had more branded searches than Captain Morgan among rum brands in New Zealand. Appleton Estate had about 1,900 branded searches, while Captain Morgan had 1,140. Appleton Estate made up 15% of all rum brand searches we track, and Captain Morgan accounted for 9%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about rum brands, Appleton Estate appeared in all five answers and Captain Morgan in none.

Among rum brands in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Appleton Estate, about 67% more searches than Captain Morgan

Appleton Estate 1.9K searchesCaptain Morgan 1.1K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Appleton Estate, mentioned in every answer we collected

Appleton Estate in 5 of 5Captain Morgan in 0 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Appleton Estate, the only one of the two named

Appleton Estate first in 5Captain Morgan never named

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Top rum brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Appleton Estate appeared in all five answers. Captain Morgan did not appear in any of the five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Appleton Estate1st
  2. Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva2nd
  3. Havana Club3rd
  4. Bacardi4th
  5. Coruba5th
  6. Kraken–
  7. Malibu–
  8. Captain Morgan–
  9. Sailor Jerry–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Appleton Estate5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Havana Club3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Bacardi1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Coruba1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Kraken0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Malibu0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Captain Morgan0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Sailor Jerry0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about rum brands

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 21, 2026.

Is Appleton Estate or Captain Morgan more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Appleton Estate and Captain Morgan by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine rum brands we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

Appleton Estate and Captain Morgan among rum brands in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Appleton Estate, Captain Morgan. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthBacardiKrakenMalibuAppleton EstateCorubaCaptain MorganSailor JerryHavana ClubDiplomático Reserva Exclusiva
Oct 202523.5%14.9%16.3%16%11.7%8.9%5.1%3.2%0.42%
Nov 202526.1%14.4%16.2%15.6%11.5%7.9%4.9%3%0.4%
Dec 202527.8%14.6%18.6%15.5%9.6%6.6%4.5%2.5%0.31%
Jan 202624.5%12.8%19.4%13.4%10.7%9.1%5.7%3.8%0.43%
Feb 202625.7%12.4%17.9%13.1%11.1%9.7%5.6%4.2%0.33%
Mar 202624.2%11.6%16.4%16.5%11.8%9.5%6%3.6%0.41%
Apr 202622%16.1%16.4%14.4%14.1%8.4%4.7%3.5%0.27%
May 202621%17.2%15.2%13.4%14.6%9%5.2%4.1%0.33%
Jun 202621.3%18.2%15.7%14%13.5%8%5.5%3.4%0.43%
Jul 202621.1%15.2%15.5%20.2%12%8.4%4.6%2.6%0.37%
Aug 202623.4%15.7%15.1%16.9%12.6%8.6%4.4%3%0.3%
Sep 202622.3%16.5%15.8%15%13.9%9%5%2.1%0.39%

How has the Appleton Estate and Captain Morgan comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for New Zealand rum brands in September 2026?

4 changes

  1. In September 2026, Kraken overtook Appleton Estate to rank 2nd among rum brands in New Zealand, with 16.5% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Malibu overtook Appleton Estate to rank 3rd among rum brands in New Zealand, with 15.8% of the searches.

  3. In September 2026, Appleton Estate lost share of searches among rum brands in New Zealand, from 16.9% to 15%.

  4. Captain Morgan’s share of searches among rum brands in New Zealand has gained ground for 3 months in a row, from 8% to 9% in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

12 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Appleton Estate’s and Captain Morgan’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Appleton Estate

8 branded search terms

  • appleton estate
  • appleton estate rum
  • appleton estate signature
  • appleton estate signature rum
  • appleton rum
  • appleton signature
  • appleton signature rum
  • jamaican appleton rum

Captain Morgan

4 branded search terms

  • captain morgan
  • captain morgan rum
  • captainmorgan
  • captainmorgan rum

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among rum brands

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