1736

Two famous rum smugglers whose names were lost to history were transporting rum across the coast of South Carolina. Local militia had caught wind of their plan and shipped out to capture the rum smugglers and their loot.  Afraid their famous rum would fall into the hands of the feds, the rum smugglers pushed their barrels into the sea, which they assumed they’d later be able to find. 

2018

Our founders were boating off the coast, when they found something strange--A BARREL! Completely intact, they pulled it to the shore, pried it open, and to their surprise found rum inside. Of course, they then had to try it...They were taken aback by the sweet flavor of the rum. The liquor had been kissed by the saltwater, which cut the bitterness and brought out the sweeter notes of the rum. 

That’s where the idea for Saltwater Woody was born...

OK. THAT STORY IS TOTAL BULLS%#T

THE REAL STORY. We just loved rum and loved America. We’re just 3 friends (Fred, Paul and Matt) who wanted to create a brand that encapsulated everything we loved: summer, fun, sunshine and the beach, all while creating a flavored rum that was American made and blended with REAL fruit juices. 

JANUARY 2019

We realized, WOW this is going to be HARD. Then drank some rum. 

MARCH 2019

We figured out the distilling process, flavor science, and, of course, a lot of rum drinking.

JULY 2019

We wanted to be different and create something that truly encapsulated everything we love about vacation and the beach. So we decided to cut our product with saltwater….yes, saltwater like the ocean. The saltwater helped bring out brighter flavors in everything we mixed it with, and made it delicious on the rocks. Then we drank a lot of it. 

AUGUST 2019 

Why not mix it with real fruit juice? Ok, now we’re on to something. The salt cut out the bitterness and truly highlighted the citrus. The distillery smelled like a grapefruit farm. Are we in Florida?

 MARCH 2020.

We had lots of delicious rum and lots of bottles. Time to start bringing this to the world. Banker Paul quits his job, becomes a professional rum slinger. In the same month, he also was supposed to have a wedding and take a sweet honeymoon. BIG MONTH. Then the world came crashing down…pandemic.  

PRESENT DAY.

We are determined to bring sunshine and fun to a world that seemed to need it most. We finally did it.  

So maybe we aren't a rum that was built by pirates or a rum recipe inherited from our great great grandparents, but our rum has something else: 3 friends' drive, our love of rum, and our love of America. Saltwater Woody is the embodiment of what we all want out of the world: SUNSHINE & HAPPINESS.