St. John’s Bay Rum Fragrance – A Brief History

November 17, 2009

St. John’s Bay Rum Fragrance – A Brief History

Filed under: Fashion Accessories, Fashion Trends — Tags: aftershave, Bay Rum, classic fragrance, men's cologne — The Clotheshound @ 1:33 pm

Bay Rum cologne is a classic fragrance with a long history and is currently experiencing a resurgence in popularity as men are looking for classic and timeless products. St. John’s Bay Rum, the best of all varieties due to the specific climate and water of St. John, has survived since its creation in 1838 by Albert H. Riise, a Danish scientist, despite some “near death” moments:

An ad for Old Bay Rum

1921 – Prohibition restricts the production of bay rum, bringing the industry to a virtual halt. In order to comply with the act, manufacturers begin to use salicylic acid (the active ingredient in aspirin) as the denaturing agent. Word quickly spreads that the new bay rum is not only drinkable but will relieve aches and pains.

1952 – John Webb and Joe Felix, a native of St Barth, create a new look for St Johns Bay Rum by using the traditional “fish pot weave” made from Tyre palms on the bottle. The new packaging creates a new industry on St Barth, which thrives until 1995 when Hurricane Luis destroys all the Tyre palms on St Barth.

1995 – Hurricane Marilyn delivers a crushing blow to both the Virgin Islands and the West Indies Bay Co. The factory and much of the company’s inventory is destroyed, but thanks the dedication of the tireless employees, shipments to U.S. accounts resumes within two weeks. Sadly, many of the accounts in the Virgin Islands and throughout the Caribbean are lost forever.

Today – The vision of making St Johns Bay Rum an internationally known product is fulfilled through the internet. The product is currently sold to accounts in Europe, Asia, Australia and South America. St. John’s Bay Rum makes a wonderful gift for the Holidays and Tuttle is pleased to offer it this year on our website, http://tuttlecatalog.com/holiday.cfm.