Charles Tobias, Pusser's Rum Founder, Passes
Some recent sad news in the rum world to report today. Charles Tobias, creator and founder of Pusser’s Rum, passed away on Oct. 14th, 2025, at the age of 91. His passing is particularly meaningful to me as a result of my extensive research into the history of Royal Navy rum, as well as a small personal connection to Charles.
By all accounts, Charles lived a multidimensional life. Born in Canada in 1934, he attended the University of Southern California, earning degrees in Aeronautical and Mechanical Engineering. He subsequently joined the US Marine Corps and flew missions in Vietnam and Laos. He was shot down, escaped, and returned to civilian life to start a tech company in Santa Monica, California. By his own account, he indulged in extravagant living during this phase—a 37-room mansion, multiple high-end cars, and a 57-foot yacht.
Charles later sold all these things and set sail on his boat, spending the next five years at sea —an adventure documented in The Way of the Wind, a film co-starring a chimpanzee and a cheetah. A mechanical failure while sailing near Gibraltar circa 1977 led to his introduction to the Royal Navy, who, in turn, introduced Charles to their rum. The experience inspired him to create a commercial version of the Royal Navy’s rum, utilizing a recipe provided by the Royal Navy. In 1979, Charles launched the Pusser’s brand, which, as part of the recipe agreement, contributes money to the Royal Navy Sailors Fund. Pusser’s later expanded into nautical-themed clothing and restaurants.
Charles eventually sold Pusser’s rum brand but retained Pusser’s other business interests until 2021, when he sold them as well. Pusser’s famously trademarked the Painkiller/Pusser’s Painkiller® name and vigorously enforced it, causing some controversy in hospitality circles.
My connection to Charles Tobias is via Michael Fogg, the person that Planteray’s Mr. Fogg Navy Style rum pays homage to. Michael was a friend who provided invaluable insights into the history of Royal Navy rum while I was researching The Rum Never Sets book.
When Charles approached the Royal Navy to obtain a list of the rums the navy used, they eventually gave him the recipe but also suggested that Charles contact ED&F Man in case they had additional information. ED&F Man is an old-line British company that supplied rum to the Royal Navy for about a century, until the daily ration ended in 1970.
When Charles rang up ED&F Man’s number in 1977, he was connected to Michael Fogg. While Michael was never involved in Man’s rum sales to the Royal Navy, he and Charles struck up a friendship that led to Michael leaving ED&F Man and becoming the Pusser’s brand manager prior to its 1979 launch. Michael worked for Pusser’s for decades thereafter.
When I started researching Royal Navy rum history in 2018, Gary Rogalski, Pusser’s CEO, put me in contact with Michael. Michael seemed a bit suspicious of me at first, but we soon became pen pals across the Atlantic, trading tidbits about the Royal Navy’s rum history and traditions. Michael and I eventually met in person in late 2019, which I wrote about after his 2020 passing.
Michael frequently mentioned Charles in our conversations, but I was completely caught off guard when I saw a voicemail from an unknown number — “Hey Matt! This is Charles Tobias from Pusser’s….”
Charles admitted that he’d asked Michael to “check me out” when we met, and report back to him. My call with Charles was a rollicking, wide-ranging conversation. I was the proverbial kid in a candy store, asking deep, obscure questions, a few of which I’m sure Charles had never been asked before. At one point, Charles alluded to the specific rums in the Royal Navy’s blend. I had a good idea of what they were by that point, but Charles wouldn’t confirm or deny my guess. However, he generously allowed me to record and later publish parts of our conversation as a two-part interview — after removing some of the more sensitive material. Even so, they’re quite fascinating reads:
https://cocktailwonk.com/2020/07/charles-tobias-part-one.html
https://cocktailwonk.com/2020/07/charles-tobias-part-two.html
Charles and I communicated sporadically over the next several years. Fast forward to 2025, when I was making the final additions to The Rum Never Sets. One addition was an interview with Aaron Roberts, who blended rum for the Royal Navy in 1963, following a recipe he’d written down and miraculously still possessed 60+ years later. Every historian has their list of holy-grail discoveries. The exact Royal Navy rum recipe, to the gallon and specific marks, had unexpectedly dropped in my lap.
It occurred to me that this recipe would be wonderful to share with Charles, the only other living person I know who has the exact recipe. I was eager to compare Arthur Roberts’ 1963 account with what the Royal Navy provided to Charles in 1977. Unfortunately, a very slow-moving game of phone tag ensued, and I was remiss at times for not giving higher priority to reconnecting with Charles. So, my heart dropped when one of Charles’ friends emailed me a few days ago, informing me that Charles had passed. I was saddened, not just for Charles and his family, but also for missing the opportunity to shed more light on a question of historical significance.
Charles Tobias’ rum legacy is more than creating one of the best-known and popular rum brands of the past half-century. There were many commercial “navy rums” before Pusser’s, but it was Charles who convinced the Royal Navy to share its recipe. Charles was an important bridge between Royal Navy rum traditions and today’s interest in navy-style rums. In hiring Michael Fogg, Charles, without knowing so at the time, helped preserve countless Royal Navy rum stories and important historic records. Finally, Charles’ version and promotion of the Painkiller recipe made it one of the most iconic tropical drinks, served in bars around the globe.
My conversations with Charles are among my most meaningful rum memories. Fair winds and following seas, Mr. Tobias!
