A.H. Riise

The history of A.H. Riise rum

Albert Heinrich Riise was a Danish pharmacist who moved to the island of St Thomas, a former Danish colony that is now part of the US Virgin Islands (along with St Croix and St John). In 1838, he was allowed by the Danish government to open his pharmacy in the town of Charlotte Amalie. There he produced alcohol with a small still, including rum, liqueurs and bitters to treat stomach ailments. It was Riise's Bay Rum that made his fortune a few years later, although it was not quite a rum, but rather a cologne.

The success of his products then led him to produce a real rum. It was sold to the Danish Navy (diluted to 33%), in Denmark, but also in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Albert's son Frederik, a photographer by trade, took the family business a step further. He presented his pharmacy and A.H. Riise rum at the 1888 World Exhibition in Copenhagen and won a gold medal. This medal still appears on the 1888 vintage dedicated to this event.

At the time, A.H. Riise rum was a blend of rums from the Caribbean (from the St Thomas pharmacy, but also from Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad) and Central America. It was also presented at the World Fairs in Rio in 1922 and Paris in 1925.

From 1928 onwards, the pharmacy was taken over and A.H. Riise rum was produced on the island of St. Croix at the Cruzan distillery. It was sold under several brands, including Old St. Croix, Riise's Guava rum and A.H. Riise rum. These rums were quite successful, until they disappeared in 1965.

A young Danish company, A.H. Riise Spirits, wanted to pay tribute to the past of Danish spirits, and relaunched the brand in the 2000s.

A.H. Riise Rum

A.H. Riise rum is now produced at the Cruzan distillery on the island of St Croix in the US Virgin Islands. Before 1960, St Croix was a sugar-producing island, so the molasses used at the distillery was almost entirely local. It now comes from Guatemala.

This molasses is diluted with rainwater and fermented for an average of 24 hours.

In the days of the family pharmacy, rum was distilled in pot-stills. Now it is produced in a high-performance multi-column complex.

The rum is then put into old Bourbon casks from the Jim Beam distillery. It is often finished in other casks, such as Sauternes or Port.

A.H. Riise offers a wide range of rums, spiced rums, liqueurs and bitters. It regularly bottles limited editions, as well as a premium decanter called Non Plus Ultra. Read less