Wicked, Wicked Dolphin! Crafting Quality Rum in Cape Coral

You don’t always have to jet off to the Caribbean when you want premium rums. You only have to visit Wicked Dolphin in Cape Coral to channel your inner pirate for the day!

In the past 20 years, the number of craft breweries and distilleries opening around the country has been staggering.

What were once small and novel tourist attractions have grown into sustainable models of entrepreneurship, and the popularity of drinking as recreation isn’t showing signs of slowing down.

Today, in the Sunshine State alone, there are nearly 50 Florida distilleries in operation crafting everything from vodka, gin, and bourbon to everyone’s tropical favorite — rum.

So it’s not surprising given the year round sunshine in southwest Florida and the island vibe that draws visitors from around the world, that a product called Wicked Dolphin rum might be a good idea.

Because, well, who doesn’t love dolphins, and rum!

Sometimes, however, like all Shark Tank tales, even the perfect storm of opportunity and initiative doesn’t always lead where it should.

But when a good idea gets in the head of someone like JoAnn Elardo, years of hard work and pivoting turn a passion for a better rum into a very Wicked Dolphin.

Thanks to her, rum is our new favorite way to enjoy Cape Coral!

Wicked, Wicked Dolphin

We visited the Wicked Dolphin rum distillery in Cape Coral recently, and to be completely honest, we weren’t expecting to be blown away.

Why? Well, because we love good quality rum.

We’re old enough and fortunate enough to have traveled enough and sampled enough, so we think we know a bit about rum.

In fact, finding good quality rum is usually the first thing we do as soon as we unpack someplace tropical that’s known for producing good rum.

And we’re not alone.

For years, the notion of good rum (for many Americans at least) has been cleverly crafted by the marketing folks at Bacardi.

It’s only been in the past 25 years or so that our collective palate and desire for something smoother and more drinkable has led us to discover better rums.

It was bound to happen.

We found out what Caribbean islanders and frequent travelers have known all along — good quality rum is well-crafted.

You can find good rum for cheap (like One Barrel, our favorite inexpensive rum from Belize at around $8 USD for a bottle in country) or at the finest rum bars around the world (we’re thinking Mount Gay 1703 Master Select from Barbados at $249 a bottle).

And much to our delight, you can now find it at Wicked Dolphin.

“I want someone to look at me the way I look at rum!”

Wicked Dolphin Distillery

Since 2012 when it began, the family-run Wicked Dolphin Distillery in Cape Coral has been producing excellent handcrafted and award-winning small batch rums, using Florida-raised sugar cane and the best locally sourced ingredients.

Owner and entrepreneur JoAnn Elardo began distilling rum in 2012, but in 2016, started with beer instead, opening the Cape Coral brew pub Big Blue Brewery.

But like so many other businesses where people gather, COVID restrictions took a toll and after just 4 years the brewery closed.

That closing may have been a blessing in disguise.

After its demise, JoAnn channeled her interest in fine rums and set about crafting small batch rums.

But she wanted to create something unique and superior to the cloyingly sweet and overly-flavored coconut rums she’d tasted on the market.

With her keen palate and astute business acumen, she purchased a small still and set about perfecting a recipe for coconut flavored rum.

Fast forward just a few short years, and this early experiment has led to some well-crafted and smooth rums being produced at the facility.

And for rum lovers, it’s our good fortune.

We think the Wicked Dolphin Coconut rum is among the best coconut rums we’ve ever tasted!

“If you keep on drinking rum the world will soon be quit of a very dirty scoundrel”

The Wicked Dolphin Distillery Tour

Tours at Wicked Dolphin Distillery walk you through the small production plant explaining each step of how ingredients are sourced, the cooking and fermentation processes — and finally distillation — then how they store the rum in barrels, and bottle the finished products.

It’s in the barrel room where you learn how each of the rums get their unique color and taste.

• The Wicked Dolphin Tours last around 45-60 minutes, and are small group tours limited to 25 people.

• To join a tour, make a reservation either by phone or online at their website. At the time of this writing, tours are conducted on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

  You can also book your own private tour which would be really cool for parties and group events.

• All tours are free of charge and include tastings and a delicious cocktail (see the recipe at the end of this post).

  If you’re not part of a tour and would just like to stop-in, you can still do a tasting.

• Taste 3 rums of your choice for free, or for $5.00 you can taste 4 rums and get a Wicked Dolphin shot glass.

We have been on many winery, brewery, and distillery tours around the world, but we have to say that our tour with Paul, Wicked Dolphin’s House Distiller, as our guide ranks right up there as one of the very best, and most educational as well as entertaining.

Making Wicked Dolphin Rum

Making great rum is quite a lengthy process. Ingredients must be cooked, then fermented and distilled.

To obtain the desired balance and flavor, impurities must be removed.

For example, to make Coconut rum the spirit is blended with organic coconut water.

Using coconut meat would leave behind too much oil so it’s not used.

Because of this process the coconut rum isn’t overly sweet with only 3.6g of sugar/serving vs up to 15g in mass produced rums.

That’s a pretty significant difference.

80% of the sugar used for production comes from Florida, and the distillery uses 6 tons of sugar each month for producing all their rums.

They have plans for expansion, and when they expand that amount will go up to 8-10 tons of sugar each month.

We’re not sure what 6 or 10 tons of sugar looks like.

Even so none of the rums are overly sweet.

For distillation, Wicked Dolphin uses a 750 gallon American copper pot still, the largest in Florida, which they call “Harriet” along with a copper 7 level column still.

It’s a lot of work with each of their rums taking 9 distillations to achieve the perfect end product.

Paul explained that the the process creates heads/heart/tails, but only the heart is selected for aging.

For the proper balance and flavor, the spirits are then aged in used American white oak bourbon barrels that were used to age premium Kentucky bourbon.

The barrel room holds 160 barrels with the spirit at various stages of aging, and because rum likes it hot and humid to age, the tour at this point can be pretty warm, but not uncomfortably so.

These award winning rums all made with local, natural ingredients have made Wicked Dolphin the “Florida Rum.”

The Wicked Dolphin Rums

When it comes to flavored rum, personal preference dictates what excites your own tastebuds.

But a good place to start the tasting is with their number one seller — Wicked Dolphin Vanilla Bean.

There’s a good bit of vanilla competition on the market from some mega-producers like Bacardi, but what makes this vanilla rum stand-out is that it’s not overwhelmingly sweet.

Just a splash or two straight over ice is very drinkable!

Remember Malibu Coconut Rum from our misguided high school and college years? Maybe it’s even THAT DRINK for you?

Well, take heart and try a bottle of Wicked Dolphin Coconut Rum. It is SO much better than the Malibu you remember!

Key Lime, Mango, and Pineapple rums are also available for those who enjoy these flavors in their cocktails.

These weren’t our favorites, but were all very good — especially the Pineapple which would make a perfect mixer to any tropical drink.

They were all quite smooth and not at all overdone with artificial flavoring.

Finally, if you’re a love of Spiced rum, you won’t be disappointed here. Wicked Dolphin Spiced is made with a secret recipe of locally sourced organic honey, spices, vanilla, and Florida orange peels.

If you usually go for Sailor Jerry’s or Captain Morgan Spiced, you owe it to yourself to try Wicked Dolphin Spiced. Smooth, balanced, and aromatic.

You won’t be disappointed.

If you enjoy dark rum, you have to try Wicked Dolphin Black (think Black Seal rum).

Made with a rich blend of molasses and notes of vanilla and caramel, it’s perfect for making a “Dark ‘n Stormy”, and smooth enough to enjoy on the rocks.

For serious rum connoisseurs Wicked Dolphin produces excellent Reserve rums.

There is a 3 year old Gold Reserve with a bit of a whiskey note, and an amber Bottled in Bond 6 year old limited release which is beginning to win awards.

But the show-stopper, and in fact their most awarded rum, is Silver Reserve.

Barrel-aged for 1 year, it is a light amber rum with vanilla and butterscotch notes and oh so smooth.

If you love rum, don’t leave Wicked Dolphin without a bottle.

“There’s naught, no doubt, so much the spirit calms as rum and true religion”

Other Fun Wicked Dolphin Spirits

For a limited time you can enjoy Wicked Dolphin Cold Brew Coffee rum.

Traditionally distilled in the copper pot still and blended with locally sourced coffee, this dark rum is coffee all the way and makes a great summer cocktail simply served over ice.

Blueberry and Strawberry Rumshine are made using fresh local blueberries and strawberries and the same distillation process as the other rums. Both are sold in a mason jar with fruit inside.

But rum is not all that’s made here — Wicked Dolphin also produces an excellent sugar-free vodka, a spirit they distill 6 times in pot stills making for a clean smooth vodka.

Florida Senate Bill 46

As with other Florida distillers, JoAnn has high hopes that Florida Senate Bill 46 and its companion bill in the Florida Legislature will pass.

This bill would change the rules on how distillers sell their products, and allow them to sell cocktails on-site.

If the bill indeed passes, JoAnn plans to expand the facility and build an outside tiki bar to sell cocktails.

{UPDATE - July 2021}

Good news!

Senate Bill 46 passed in late June 2021.

As of July 1, Florida distilleries can produce 250,000 gallons annually, three times the quantity previously allowed. revises what the requirements are for Florida’s craft distilleries to be licensed, and limits how much booze they can sell in gift shops and tasting rooms.

SB 46 also makes it so distilleries can’t ship products to customers and adds limits to how many craft distilleries can share common ownership.

Going forward, SB 46 makes it so that distilleries can produce more booze per year, going from 75,000 gallons to 250,000, but they’ll only be able to sell 75,000 gallons in gifts shops or tasting rooms.

A maximum of 10 craft distilleries can share common ownership under the new law, but also requires that a minimum of 60% of their finished branded products must be distilled in Florida by July 1, 2026, and they have to contain at least one Florida crop.

Cocktail Recipes

Here’s the cocktail you’ll likely enjoy on your tour — it’s heavenly on a hot day.

Check out more cocktail recipes on the Wicked Dolphin website!

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If You Go:

Wicked Dolphin Rum Distillery — Cape Spirits, Inc.

131 SW 3rd Pl, Cape Coral, FL — 239-242-5244

Tour Fee: FREE

Volunteer: If you’d like a hands-on experience and to learn more, Tuesdays are “volunteer days” when you can help with bottling, labeling, and packaging.

Buy: Wicked Dolphin rum is also sold at liquor stores throughout SWFL — be sure and ask your bartender when you’re out for a night on the town!

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