The Real McCoy is based on the story of Bill McCoy. In January of 1920, McCoy was the first to fill a boat with alcohol in the Caribbean, sail it to New York City and legally act as a floating liquor store three miles off shore. Three miles off shore was international waters back in the day. McCoy made a name for himself because he never adulterated the alcohol, which copy-cats did with their rum. That’s why McCoys’ spirits became known as The Real McCoy. Fast forward to the twenty first century, Bailey Pryor – Founder and CEO – met Master Distiller Richard Saele and came up with the idea to make The Real McCoy while filming a documentary in the Caribbean. Together, they developed a Barbados rum, adhering to McCoy’s strict regimen of never adulterating the rum with added flavors, sugars and perfumes. As a result, Richard Saele has won ‘Rum Producer of the Year’ at the ISC Awards six years in a row.
