Norman ' Sailor Jerry' Collins (1911-1973) was born in in the city of Ukiah, California. After a turbulent childhood, he fled to Chicago where he met the legendary tattoo artist Tatts Thomas, who taught him the trade, encouraging him to practise on corpses in the local morgue. Collins then spent some time in the navy & travelled to Asia, which inspired him to incorporate the motifs of naval & Asian culture in his work. After an honourable discharge, he opened up shop in Hawaii, where he made a name for himself tattooing passing sailors. Sailor Jerry rum was created in Philadelphia to keep the legacy of the great man & great sailor alive. His unique designs feature heavily on the bottles on sale today.