For our 25th anniversary, we made our second trip to the British Virgin Islands (BVI). After a great downwind sail from Anegada, we anchored in White Bay and swam up to Soggy Dollar Bar to enjoy an original Painkiller made with Pussers rum. The current owner of Soggy Dollar launched its own rum line, recently adding a Platinum to join the already competitive silver rum market.
The history of Jost Van Dyke dates back to the early 1600s when Dutch pirate Joost Van Dyk led an attack on a Spanish treasure fleet, resulting in a full Spanish attack on the island of Tortola. Van Dyk fled Tortola to a small island five miles away that would later bear his name. In 1672, the English captured the BVIs from the Dutch. Three hundred years later, the beaches of White Bay became home to the Soggy Dollar Bar, the birthplace of the original Painkiller.
Jerry O’Connell and his family purchased Soggy Dollar Bar and the adjoining Sandcastle Hotel in 2005. O’Connell knew he was not just buying a piece of property but rather a lifestyle. His staff has created a worry-free atmosphere where guests can leave their stress behind and truly be free.
In 2019, it seemed natural for O’Connell to start a rum production company beginning with Dark and Golden rums. The recently launched Platinum blends Caribbean rums, distilled four times with natural sugar cane molasses from the first press. Unfortunately, it is not disclosed where Soggy Dollar is sourced, distilled, or bottled.
Neat
The nose is very light with a smooth, pleasant aroma. We detect a bit of vanilla and coconut husk. The palate highlights the coconut husk, with the vanilla coming in on the finish. There is no alcohol burn from nose to finish.
Next
We used the Classic Daiquiri recipe, which lets a rum shine. We compared Soggy Dollar to Bacardi Superior, Terry’s favorite in the Daiquiri Challenge.
CLASSIC DAIQUIRI
- 2 ounces light Rum
- 1 ounce fresh lime juice
- ½ ounce simple syrup
- Shake and serve in a martini glass.
Soggy Dollar Daiquiri
The lime is the star of this cocktail, with the vanilla and coconut husk notes from the rum keeping the ego of the lime in check. The drink is refreshing and addicting, sending us back for more on these hot summer days. We loved that the rum had a co-star role in the glass.
Bacardi
Terry began with the Bacardi and was reluctant to turn it over to Clint. The vanilla note of the Bacardi softens the lime and uses the other rum characteristics to enhance the citrus. This creates a smooth drink that goes down quickly.
Overall
These are two completely different drinks, with Terry favoring the smoother Bacardi cocktail while Clint enjoyed the Soggy Dollar cocktail, where the lime and rum shine. At $26.99/bottle, $15.00 more than the Bacardi, we’ll leave it to you to decide if it’s worth the difference.
About Clint and Terry: We have sampled many a dram over our 33 years of marriage and quite often we don’t fully agree. Could be the difference is male/female taste buds. Or, somebody is just wrong.
