Wicked Dolphin is no stranger to USA Today’s 10 best in the U.S. readers’ choice awards.
This Cape Coral gem has been named one of the best craft rum distilleries every year since 2016 when it kicked off a four-year, first-place run.
This impressive feat was followed by second (in 2021), third (2020), fifth (2022) and sixth-place (2023) finishes over the next four years.
That brings us to the 2024 list, released Tuesday, Oct. 23, when Wicked Dolphin was once again named the fifth-best craft-run distillery in the country.
Thirsty for more?
From its award-winning rums to popular tours, here are five things to know about this beloved distillery.
What’s a Wicked Dolphin?
The name comes from none other than distillery owner JoAnn Elardo herself, the avid animal advocate and founder of the Cape Coral Animal Shelter. As Wicked Dolphin distiller Steve Teklits tells it, JoAnn “has four dogs at her house at all times.”
“And we have very pesky dolphins in Florida,” he said. It was around 2 or 3 a.m., he continued, when JoAnn’s dogs picked up on the echolocation of nearby dolphins. As the dogs became more agitated by it, the dolphins picked up their distress and spurred them on. JoAnn and her husband eventually figured out the dogs’ early morning antics were a result of “those wicked dolphins.” And just like that, the distillery name was born.