​Mass. Man Wins $16K Smoker Grill​

HAMPTON, NH — “Yeah right.” That’s what John Bray thought when first told he had won a custom Sailor Jerry Road Ready Smoker Grill.

“I figured no such luck,” laughed Bray, of Lynn, MA.

But, in fact, Bray had gotten lucky.

Earlier this month, according to a press statement, representatives from the New Hampshire Liquor Commission (NHLC) and Martignetti Companies of New Hampshire formally presented Bray with the smoker grill at the NH Liquor & Wine Outlet on I-95 Northbound in Hampton. Now, the question is, what will he cook first?

“Maybe a pig. I’ve got to see how this works,” Bray said, adding once he gets the hang of it, he expects to cook ribs, brisket, chickens, and more in his new smoker grill. An experienced griller, Bray said it took him about a year to get the hang of his current smoker, which is much smaller in scale.

“It takes a while. But then you get it just right.”

More than 1,200 entries were submitted for a chance to win the Road Ready Smoker Grill, valued at about $16,000. The smoker grill comes with two burners, a charcoal grill and a full-size smoker, outfitted on a custom trailer. The smoker grill was delivered to Bray’s home on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016.

This is the fourth year Sailor Jerry Rum has teamed up with NHLC to offer customers the chance to win big. Last year, Michael Berube won a custom powder blue 1966 Dodge Charger. Two years ago, 72-year-old Helen Hescock, a school bus driver from Enosburg Falls, Vermont, took home a Custom Sailor Jerry 1953 Ford 100 Pickup. The previous year, Long Island resident Eric Christensen won a 1948 Custom Sailor Jerry Jeep Willys Overland Wagon.

“Millions of consumers from across the country shop at the New Hampshire Liquor Commission’s 79 statewide NH Liquor & Wine Outlets and we are thrilled that a loyal Massachusetts customer has taken home this prize. We send our congratulations to John Bray as this year’s winner,” said NHLC Chairman Joseph Mollica. “NH Liquor & Wine Outlets are known for an unbeatable selection of wines and spirits at the most competitive prices. NHLC is also committed to offering unique and exclusive opportunities to our 11 million annual customers and this Sailor Jerry Sweepstakes is certainly an example of that commitment.”

Bray, who is a machine-tech mechanic at Arwood Machine Corporation in Newburyport, Mass., said he often travels north for snowmobiling and he frequently stops at the Hampton NH Liquor & Wine Outlet on Interstate 95 Northbound. In addition, Bray said his mother previously owned a home in Wakefield, and he traveled back and forth regularly. As his “go-to” rum, Bray indicated he has always submitted entries for Sailor Jerry Sweepstakes.

Known as the father of old-school tattooing, Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins (1911–1973) is considered by many to be the foremost tattoo artist of all time. Sailor Jerry, who developed his craft in a time and place where hard work and sacrifice were deeply valued, tattooed thousands of military men who passed through Hawaii, playing a prominent role in shaping US military culture in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Sailor Jerry Rum was rooted in the ambition to create something as iconic and enduring as Sailor Jerry’s artistic legacy. The rum was based on the spiced rums created and drank by sailors—to improve the taste of on-board rum rations, sailors would spice it with ingredients from the ship’s galley.

Submitted by E.J. Powers.