A.H. Riise Royal Danish Navy Strength is the fruit of a long fermentation, followed by a "Vedderburn and Plummer" distillation, one of the 5 listed by the British at the end of the 19th century, and finally a blend of batches aged in ex-bourbon oak casks for up to 20 years.
No cold filtration was used, and no caramel was added. It's the long aging process that gives this A.H. Riise its color.
This is the low scale Royal Danish Navy version. The 55° allows the aromas to stand out and gives this rum more power than the version reduced to 40°.
Nico's tasting notes
Summary: sweet - orange - spices - vanilla
The nose opens with the powdery sweetness of a marshmallow, a very hushed, satiny sweetness. Heavy fruit grows beneath this thin film, with papaya ready to burst. The whole is resolutely sweet and hearty, the woodiness damp and sugar-laden too. Christmas spices married to orange zest recall the Shrubb prepared at the end of the year in the West Indies. The wet wood is still well swollen, opening a little to reveal a soft heart of nougat and caramel. Vanilla adds to the mellowness.
On aeration, the heavy exotic fruits of the first moments return, followed again by Christmas spices. The mellowness has taken on added importance, and we imagine a really thick rum that would flow very slowly. This caramelized side contains an enormous amount of spice, much of it cinnamon and nutmeg. The cottony feel is still represented by vanilla, but also by a fluffy rose that might recall Turkish delight or marshmallow again. Shrubb took the form of orange tea with speculoos.
The palate is very soft and sweet, with no detectable 55%. The rum expresses itself more on the spicy side, which tickles the palate nicely in the mid-palate. The blend is quite savory, with pepper and cinnamon, like a spicy four-spice blend. The exotic fruits are sweet and tangy, passion fruit being the first to come to mind. Then orange zest adds a touch of freshness, supported by bitter cherry jam.
The finish is very vanilla and sweet, the rum sticks to the lips.
"This rum is a real bonbon, a liqueur whose power is expressed more through the spices..."
