A.H. Riise

The history of A.H. Riise Rum

The letters A and H in A.H. Riise are the initials of Albert Heinrich Riise, the founder of the popular brand. In 1810, he was born in Ærøskøbing, a small village in Denmark. After finishing school, he worked as an apprentice in a pharmacy and soon began studying in Copenhagen. During his botany and chemistry studies, he kept working in various pharmacies.

Still, being a local pharmacist wasn’t enough for him – something drew him out into the world. When he had the opportunity to become a pharmacist on the Danish West Indian Islands, he didn’t have to think twice about it. After working in a group practice, he soon founded the St. Thomas Pharmacy with a physician he had met there. The Danish government appointed him as the sole official pharmacist of the island and gave him a licence to produce alcohol with the condition that he would supply the poor on the island with medical products for free.

Riise made the best of this opportunity and started producing rum and a herbal bitter. Although the distillates were originally created to aid digestive issues, he soon found customers who were far more interested in them for their taste. The name of the brand spread quickly and the revenue surged.

After Albert Heinrich’s death, his sons Karl and Valdemar took over the business. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the company has been led by the Poulsen family.

How is A.H. Riise Rum produced?

A.H. Riise rum blends rums from different Caribbean regions and Central America, including Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Barbados, Nicaragua and Panama. Depending on the region, different yeast types and maturation processes are preferred, which express themselves in the character of the finished rum. It’s the job of the master blender to find the perfect mixture of light, sweet, spicy, complex and heavy rums and make them into a blend.

The A.H. Riise assortment

Unlike many other rum brands, A.H. Riise exclusively sells matured rum (golden rum, brown rum). White, non-aged rum is currently not part of the assortment. Many of the bottlings additionally carry the title XO (for “extra old”), which is indicative of a maturation of five years or longer. If you want to get to know the brand from a different side, we recommend you try the classic herbal bitter A.H. Riise Bitter.

A.H. Riise at Gustero

Besides whisky, gin, liqueur and champagne, you can find a large selection of high-quality rums at Gustero. Of course, we also offer several special A.H. Riise releases that no rum fan should miss out on. Besides classics like the A.H. Riise Royal Danish Navy Strength Rum, you will also find special limited editions like the A.H. Riise X.O. Reserve Port Cask Limited Edition Rum, which is matured in port casks or the A.H. Riise Family Reserve Solera 1838 Limited Edition Rum, which is matured in the Solera system. We also carry liqueur and spiced rum by A.H. Riise. Browse our selection now!