I had some time to kill and had a dig for Dug. The more I dug, the more I found, and it was all very interesting so I kept going. Captain Dug Picking sounds like a classic character - an archetypal sailor/beachcomber/tiki entrepreneur:
Welcome to the best little decanter collection in Alamo Collective
Oakland Tribune, Aug 25, 2007 by Joan Morris
SAM TULLIS is the first to admit that his collection is not what you'd call run-of-the-mill.
While others find joy in endlessly collecting stamps or coins, china dolls or figurines, stuffed bears or even doorknobs, Tullis' collection is limited, finite and provocative.
Tullis, who lives in Alamo, collects brothel decanters made by Captain Dug. The miniature decanters, which when originally sold contained the Captain's "famous" blue mai tai mix, celebrate the legal brothels of Nevada. Each features winsome, curvy figures of women, a map locating the brothel and little doubt about what profession the decanters depict.
Grinning, Tullis tries to explain his attraction for the small, cork-stoppered bottles. There is a beauty to them, Tullis says. And then there's the Wild West romanticism of the world's oldest profession.
"The brothel aspect intrigues me," says Tullis, who has his collection displayed in a built-in wall unit. "We go hunting in Wyoming and as we drive through Nevada, you can hear them on the CBs, trying to talk the truckers into stopping."
While he finds each decanter attractive in its detail and design, he is more drawn by the hunt for the rare, unique bottles.
The decanters were made from 1976 to 2000 by Dug Picking, a sailor turned Nevada restaurateur. Picking was born in Estonia, but began traveling the world on the high seas at a young age. In 1954, Picking settled in Nevada, where he worked in restaurants, bars and casinos. In the late 1960s, he opened his own place, Dug's West Indies in Carson City, specializing in Polynesian Chinese cuisine.
His first two decanters, made in 1974 and 1975, featured nautical themes and were sold at his restaurant. The following year, the owner of the nearby Moonlight Ranch brothel asked him to make one for the ranch.
The decanters were so popular, other brothels began asking to have their establishments immortalized by Captain Dug. He eventually made 47 brothel decanters and a few unrelated bottles. The numbers produced, however, were small. Some had as a few as 700; others as many as 1,500.
The designs and the limited numbers have combined to make the decanters rare and, in recent months, extremely valuable. A bottle in mint condition recently sold for $700.
Brothel decanter with mai tai mix label:
Full brothel decanter collection here - the guy who runs this site also sells on ebay where he mentions that "Captain Dug recently passed away in February 2007, just shy of 82 years old." He seems to be in the know and may have more info to share?
Here are the two nautical decanters from Dug's West Indies. Seems odd that many of the brothel decanters contained Mai Tai mix, but Dug's ships were filled with bourbon :-?
Dug's West Indies Clipper Decanter and box:
Dug's Outrigger Decanter:
More decanter info:
Dug's West Indies Decanter Collection. There were only two styles commissioned as seen in this lot. Both in original box. The first is of a schooner 6 x 8 inches. The second is of an sail-powered outrigger with a man and a woman on board. 6 x 6 inches. Both have on the reverse "On Carson City's Million Dollar Mile, Doug's West Indies, Home of the Original Blue Mai Tai, Polynesian - American - Cantonese Cuisine, 3439 North Carson Street, Carson City, Nevada, Largest Collection of Authentic Maritime Antiques in Nevada, First (Second) of a Series of Limited Editions, 1974 (1975)." Both are full with Cyrus Noble Whiskey and the seals are unbroken.
Found another postcard on ebay with an interior shot, and going by the pic at the top of my post, a young Captain Dug?
An old-timer reminisces:
Dug's West Indies, again on North Carson Street, was one of the best Polynesian restaurants you could ever hope to find. His exotic drinks were works of art (although he did short-pour the rum once in awhile) and his selections and quality were outstanding. As much as I'm a fan of John Ascuaga's, his Trader Dick's could never quite equal the consistency of Dug's West Indies.
There is also a newspaper clipping in the Nevada State Library and Archives on "Dug's Windjammer" at Carson City. Other than that, I found some old licensing board minutes that mentioned a couple of subsequent business names (1988-The Barn, 1991 Guadalajara De Noche) at the same address, but after that nothing more. Looks like the building might still be there?
[ Edited by: Paipo 2007-10-31 03:34 ]
