Meet Louis Goddard-Watts, Founder at Premium Spiced Rum Brand: Sly Dog

SLY DOG is a premium spiced rum brand unleashed to the public in March 2021. SLY DOG is on a mission to change the direction of travel for the rum category, we have rejected the tired and over used themes of pirates, parrots and palm trees and crafted a brand that elicits stylish fun, substantiated by outstanding quality.

We believe in the SLY DOG moment, the moment of being out with your friends, creating unforgettable memories (depending how much you drink) and enjoying fantastic drinks. We don’t take ourselves too seriously and don’t want our customers too either!

SLY DOG Spiced Rum is a blend of premium Caribbean rums, from carefully selected distilleries in Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, aged for up to 3 years. The combination of our tropical spices with fiery Caribbean rum delivers a smooth, warming and exquisite taste with soft sweetness that is seriously delicious, crafted for sly and cunning beasts.
 
 

 

How did you come up with the idea for the Sly Dog, what do you think makes Sly Dog unique?

 
SLY DOG was in development for 18 months, the trends of rum and spiced rum were starting to gather pace and as I had been drinking spiced rum for a while, I was shocked at how poor the on-trade offering was for spiced rum. The gin and craft beer boom had provided customers with a much wider choice of premium craft drinks, but choices of spiced rum had not stretched further than a mass-produced Kraken or Sailor Jerry.

During development, we were clear that we would not sacrifice any elements of quality to cut costs, we want to demonstrate how incredible and versatile a well-crafted spiced rum can be if certain cost saving measures of the ‘big boys’ aren’t taken.

Apart from the unique style of the brand and bottle that help make it instantly recognisable, the liquid is what sets SLY DOG apart from the competition. We worked with one of the UK’s leading flavour masters for 12 months, working on hundreds of flavour combinations until arriving at the distinctive recipe of SLY DOG. Since our inception, we have scooped 10 medals for the quality of the liquid!
 

 

How has the company evolved over the last year?

 
SLY DOG was unleashed in a very difficult period for the drinks industry, like most industries, the on trade was non-existent, brands and venues were just trying to survive so it was probably not the most sensible time to launch. We initially launched online and into some online retailers and our local independent shops and it was only my brother and I doing everything in the business.

A year later and we have grown to have a team of 8, managed to open 5 national wholesalers and now have sales teams operating in 4 different cities in the UK which is testament to our determination and confidence in SLY DOG’s huge potential and as the country has come out of the pandemic the on-trade opportunity is thriving so it’s a very exciting time for a brand like SLY DOG.
 

What can we hope to see from Sly Dog in the future?

 
SLY DOG has a very clear objective, become the most popular premium spiced rum within the on trade, we need to get more lips on our liquid to let them know that there is a better alternative than what they have been served before.

SLY DOG has an incredible young team that are forward thinking and always looking for innovative ways to give the brand the exposure it requires. You can expect to see SLY DOG causing mayhem at a few festivals this summer and looking further, we have some NPD being cunningly crafted in the Doghouse, so you’ll have to keep your sly eyes peeled.