A.H. Riise The Thin Blue Line Denmark West Indies spirit drink 70 cl 40%

A blue line on black. The symbol comes from within the ranks of the police and stands for the people who place themselves between chaos and an ordinary Tuesday. Here it sits on a bottle whose contents were drawn from casks across the Caribbean and Central America and married together in Denmark.

The expert's description

A.H. Riise The Thin Blue Line Denmark West Indies Spirit Drink 70 cl 40% is a West Indies Spirit Drink built on A.H. Riise's XO Reserve blend, matured in oak casks and bottled at 40%.

The words Spirit Drink on the label are not an accident, and they deserve a straight explanation. EU rules for rum allow no added flavouring, and they cap how much sugar may be used to round off the finished spirit. A.H. Riise sits outside those limits, so the label reads West Indies Spirit Drink rather than Rum. What is in the bottle is Caribbean distillate, but it has been sweetened and flavoured. If the soft, sweet style is what you enjoy, this is squarely it. If you want a dry rum with edges, look elsewhere.

The blend is the same one used for A.H. Riise's XO Reserve, assembled from selected casks at distilleries in the Caribbean and Central America. The colour is dark amber, the texture is full, and the oak sets a dry frame around the vanilla and caramel. This is a purpose-made release rather than a variation on the standing range.

Thin Blue Line Denmark is a Danish non-profit supporting serving and former police officers who have been physically or mentally injured in the line of duty. The organisation runs retreats, network meetings and professional support groups, and part of the proceeds from this bottle goes to that work.

Behind the name stands Albert Heinrich Riise, born in Ærøskøbing in 1810 and trained as a pharmacist in Copenhagen. In 1838 he was granted a royal privilege to run the pharmacy in Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas, and from 1843 he sold medicine, bay rum and spiced spirit blends from his shop on Dronningensgade. The brand is now called Old St. Croix, so bottles carrying the A.H. Riise name come from before the change.

Tasting notes

Nose

Leather first, dry and faintly dusty, with a trace of sea mist underneath. Behind it sits a herbal tone and the soft sweetness of vanilla.

Palate

Full and sweet, vanilla and caramel leading. Yellow fruit follows, peach and ripe mango, and a herbal edge arrives late to keep the sweetness in check.

Finish

Dry tannins take over, and leather and tobacco linger. The sweetness lets go sooner than you expect.

Specifications

Name: A.H. Riise The Thin Blue Line Denmark West Indies Spirit Drink 70 cl 40%
Producer: A.H. Riise
Region/Country: The Caribbean and Central America
Type: West Indies Spirit Drink
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Oak casks
Edition: The Thin Blue Line Denmark
EAN no.: 5712421014706
Serving suggestion: Neat at room temperature in a glass that gathers the aroma

Flavour profile

Sweet · Vanilla · Caramel · Leather · Tobacco

Did you know?

When A.H. Riise moved back to Denmark in 1879 he settled into a large villa in Frederiksberg and renamed it St. Thomas after the island where he had spent almost forty years. The villa was demolished in 1900, but the name stuck. The spot is called St. Thomas Plads on Frederiksberg Allé to this day.

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Frequently asked questions about A.H. Riise The Thin Blue Line Denmark West Indies Spirit Drink 70 cl 40%

Why does the label say Spirit Drink instead of Rum?

Because sugar and flavouring have been added. The EU rules for Rum restrict both, and a spirit that falls outside them cannot be sold as rum in the EU. The liquid is Caribbean distillate, but the legal category has to be West Indies Spirit Drink.

Who are Thin Blue Line Denmark?

A Danish non-profit that supports serving and former police officers injured physically or mentally in the line of duty. It organises retreats and network meetings among other things, and part of the proceeds from this bottle funds that work.

Is it one to collect?

It is made to be poured rather than stored. What collectors look at is the label, which ties the bottle to a specific organisation and to the era when the brand still carried the A.H. Riise name. Since the change to Old St. Croix, bottles like this one are not being reprinted.

How is it best served?

Neat at room temperature in a glass that gathers the aroma. The sweetness carries itself, and chilling shuts down both the vanilla and the leather. In a drink it works best with coffee or chocolate, where the sweetness has something to push against.

How does it differ from a standard XO Reserve?

The liquid is the same XO Reserve blend. The difference is the label and the purpose: The Thin Blue Line Denmark was created in support of the organisation of the same name, and the bottle was designed around it.

Why is the brand now called Old St. Croix?

The brand has changed its name and continues as Old St. Croix, referring to the island of St. Croix in the former Danish West Indies. The range carries on, but the A.H. Riise name is leaving the labels.

Does it work as a gift?

Yes, particularly for someone connected to the police. The label is not decoration, it ties the bottle to a real organisation and a real cause, which gives the gift a story beyond what is inside.