Buffalo Wild Wings announced today the introduction of its first co-branded wing sauce: the dark and sweet, but subtly spicy Captain Morgan sauce. The wing chain created the Captain Morgan sauce after customer research indicated a great interest in new sauces. The sauce’s flavor profile falls somewhere between Mild and Medium in Buffalo Wild Wings current 12-sauce lineup, has a fruity sweet flavor with hints of cinnamon, pepper and citrus and— despite the fact that Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum was used in making the sauce—is entirely non-alcoholic.

The Captain Morgan sauce will join the 12 signature sauces offered at Buffalo Wild Wings’ 245 restaurants. Though the Captain Morgan sauce is currently a limited-time offer, Buffalo Wild Wings hopes to make it a permanent fixture on the menu and extend it to additional menu items.

“Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum is one of our top-selling brands and its demographics are nearly identical to ours, says Kathy Alberga, Senior Vice President of Buffalo Wild Wings. “Recent taste tests indicated our guests love the smooth ‘sweet with just the right touch of spice’ flavor combination provided by our non-alcoholic Captain Morgan sauce. It’s a natural fit,
“We expect to hear a lot of orders for Captain & Coke with Captain & Wings beginning this week,”
Alberga says.

The Captain Morgan sauce introduction is being supported by a number of marketing initiatives including: some 30 in-store appearances by Captain Morgan and his Morganettes, extensive free samplings, and new advertising creative. Developed by Minneapolis-based Periscope, the Captain Morgan sauce print ads portray a chicken in pirate gear with the tagline, “New Captain Morgan Sauce. It Gives Chicken A Whole New Personality.” Radio and TV spots center on a variation on this theme. The campaign, which began airing on February 16, focuses on Buffalo Wild Wings’ key 105 markets. Of these, 13 markets are running TV, 43 markets are running cable, and 85 markets are running radio or a radio sponsorship.