Albert Heinrich Riise was a Danish pharmacist who arrived on St. Thomas in 1838 with a royal monopoly on making alcohol for medicinal use, and used it to build one of the Caribbean's most important rum houses on cane brought over from neighbouring St. Croix.
From Apothecary Hall to Old St. Croix
Riise's rum was originally sold as Bay Rum and various pharmacy tonics from his Apothecary Hall on Charlotte Amalie's main street, but it was the trademark Old St. Croix, registered in the 1890s, that carried Danish West Indian rum to export markets worldwide. The brand has recently returned to that original name, and its newest bottlings carry the Old St. Croix mark again rather than the A. H. Riise name it traded under for most of the twentieth century.
Why two names appear here
This collection includes both. Older stock and some current lines still carry the A. H. Riise name outright, while newer releases are labelled Old St. Croix - Tidligere A. H. Riise, Danish for 'formerly A. H. Riise'. Both trace back to the same house and the same Caribbean cane; the two labels reflect a rebrand in progress, not two different producers.
FAQ
Is A. H. Riise still a Danish company?
The name and the house's history are Danish, and the rum is still blended and sold for the Danish market, even though the sugar cane and distillation are Caribbean.
What does 'tidligere' mean on the label?
It is Danish for 'formerly'. Old St. Croix - Tidligere A. H. Riise marks bottles from the brand's transition back to its original nineteenth-century name.
What should I try first?
A dark, pot-still rum in the classic Caribbean style is the most representative starting point, with the Non Plus Ultra range for something rarer and older.