A.H. Riise

The history of A.H. Riise rum

Albert Heinrich Riise was a Danish pharmacist who settled on the island of St Thomas, a former Danish colony that is now part of the European Read more

The history of A.H. Riise rum

Albert Heinrich Riise was a Danish pharmacist who settled on the island of St Thomas, a former Danish colony that is now part of the European Read more

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 today forms part of the American Virgin Islands (along with St Croix and St John). In 1838, he was authorized by the Danish government to open his pharmacy in the town of Charlotte Amalie. There, he produced alcohol from a small still, including rum, liqueurs and bitters for stomach ailments. It was Riise's Bay Rum that made his fortune a few years later, although it wasn't 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 one step further. He presented his pharmacy and A.H. Riise rum at the Copenhagen World's Fair in 1888, winning a gold medal. This medal still appears on the cuvée 1888 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 1922 Rio and 1925 Paris World Fairs.

From 1928, the pharmacy was bought out, and A.H Riise rum was produced on the island of St Croix, at the Cruzan distillery. It was sold under several brand names, including Old St. Croix, Riise's Guava rum and A.H. Riise rum. These rums enjoyed a certain success, until their demise 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

Today, A.H. Riise rum is produced at the Cruzan distillery on the island of St Croix in the U.S. 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.

Back in the days of the family pharmacy, rum was distilled in pot-stills. Today, 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 top-of-the-range decanter called Non Plus Ultra. Read less

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