A.H. Riise XO Founders Reserve No. 5 44,4%
A. H. Riise XO
Founders Reserve no. 5
A collector´s item.
Every now and then, you come upon small extraordinary, and sublime treats. Small treasures that cannot easily be reproducing on a large scale. XO Founders Reserve 44,4% is number 5 in this series of limited collectricble items.
A small treasure trove of blends that represent a limited, exclusive snapshot that we believe cannot be recreated. The precious spirit are available in extremely limited and varying volumes. Each batch is based on how much, or rather how little, the golden casks have to offer. Each batch is a unique, and each bottle are numbered.
The garden of the West Indies
If rum has an absolute origin, it must be in the West Indies. Christopher Columbus discovered the islands on his second voyage to the New Wolrd in 1493. With him he brougt, among other things, sugar cane. The most suitable island growing sugar canes was St. Croix. Due to its lush nature, it was nicknamed "The Garden of the West Indies".
St. Croix was the center of sugar cane agriculture in the Danish West Indies from the early 1700s. But sugar was no t the only commoduty. It soon became apparent that the residual product molasses could be used for the distillation of a sweet, aromatic alcohol.
One of the pioneers in the production of West Indian um was the Danish pharmacist Albert Heinrich Riise, who lived and worked in the Danish West Indies from 1838 - 1878. His pharmacy in the capital Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas, produced bitters and rums as medicine for stomach pains and other sickness. His rum quikly became popular, and in 1893 the old A.H. Riise company placed Danish West Indian rum on the world map and recieved international recognition at the World Exhibition in Chicago.
A.H. Riise developed and refined strong brands such as "Old St. Croix Brand", Riises Guave Rum", A.H. Riise rum, and more. In the aftermatch of his succes, Riise was awarded many honorary positions on the islanbd of St. Thomas. Amongst others he became the Director of the National Bank of St. Thomas and was made Knight of the Order of Dannebrog in 1860 abd Kinght of the Royal Order of Vasa in Sweden.