The kitschy image of a half-naked Haitian adorning a bottle of Sailor Jerry rum is not an ordinary enticing picture, but an element of legend. A person familiar with American folklore will immediately recognize in the drawing one of the most famous works of the Jerry the Sailor tattoo artist. A sea drink is the best monument to a person who devoted most of his life to the romance of the sea.
Sailor Jerry is a young amber-colored rum, 40% abv. The color of the drink is due to the addition of caramel. The taste is spicy, with pronounced notes of vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and creamy toffee. All ingredients are natural. Rum can be served as a digestif or included in cocktails.
Historical reference. The Scotsman William Grant worked for 20 years first as an accountant, then as manager of the Mortlach distillery, before he was able to open his own business in 1886. Mr. Grant and his sons built their first distillery, Glenfieldick (for the production of whiskey), on their own: he did not have the money to hire workers. The new company was named William Grant & Sons. Things were going so well that already with the second generation of Grants, the company had offices in 30 countries.
Today, the firm is run by Peter Grant Gordon, the fifth generation of the family. By the beginning of the XNUMXst century, William Grant & Sons produced not only whiskey, but also gin, tequila, vodka and several premium rums. The assortment clearly lacked “simpler” rum: a high-quality, but inexpensive cocktail drink.
In 1999, Sailor Jerry spiced rum was created by order of the company in the Virgin Islands. Already in 2003, the drink won a silver medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Rum is named after “Sailor Jerry” – the famous tattoo artist Norman Keith Collins. In his youth, Mr. Collins really was a sailor, then he retired, and in the middle of the XNUMXth century he opened a tattoo parlor in Honolulu. In the soul of the master, romance coexisted well with a business sense: Collins became the founder of the tattoo school, developed the technology for quick and safe tattooing. Creativity “Sailor Jerry” is still popular among representatives of youth subcultures. William Grant & Sons has entered into an agreement with Ed Hardy and Mike Malone, who own the rights to the Sailor Jerry trademark.
Sailor Jerry rum manufacturers have tried to turn the drink into a lifestyle part. The company often sponsors youth music festivals. The calculation is that young people just like the taste of rum, and when they grow up, Sailor Jerry will make them nostalgic. Therefore, the drink is produced in several versions: from a solid 700 ml bottle in a gift box to a tiny flat flask that is convenient to carry with you.
