Get the story behind the rum bottler Romdeluxe
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In just three years, Romdeluxe has gone from being a hobby project for rum nerds to an internationally recognized bottler, where collectors have to fork out thousands of kroner to get their hands on the most coveted bottles. I spoke to the Jutland bottler's Master Taster about the journey and the industry as an independent bottler.
Many Danish rum enthusiasts probably think of the now legendary 85.2% strong DOK from Jamaica bottled in a black bottle with a roaring tiger head on the label when the conversation turns to Romdeluxe. The bottle was also the one that kick-started the Romdeluxe that exists today when it was launched at Nordic Rum Fest back in 2019
- the company has actually been around since 2016. But for the first couple of years, it was a hobby project started by Claus Andersen and Lasse Bjørklund, primarily making small bottlings and making sure they could buy a few bottles for their own consumption for cheap. In March 2019, Michael Ginnerup and I bought in, and a little over a year later Lasse Bjørklund left the company. Back in March 2019, Nordic Rum Fest was just a few months away, and we knew we wanted to bottle something crazy enough for people to notice us. We had good contacts with the Danish distributor 1423, where I had tasted an unaged DOK from Jamaica at a private event a couple of years earlier with 1600 esters at approx. 86%. I thought it would be fun to do something with it. So we were allowed to buy it and poured it into small, new 40-liter Madeira-infused casks so that it could take on some flavor as quickly as possible in the three months until we had to be at the fair, says Master Taster Kim Pedersen about what became the starting point for Romdeluxe's Wild Series in the black bottles with animal motifs.
This resulted in 170 bottles, and while it has become customary for new releases in the series to sell out in less than an hour, the first bottle was something that divided opinion.
- "
Half of the people at the festival thought we were crazy and that the rum tasted like hell
.
The other half also thought we were crazy, but that it tasted good. So we succeeded in bottling something that people noticed," explains Kim Pedersen.
However, the hype around the Wild Series bottles only took off with the fifth release in the series: a 25-year-old fully tropically aged rum from Guadeloupe.
- "I think the hype came about for two reasons. Firstly, there was a lot of 1998 rum from Guadeloupe in circulation - but not much from 1995 like this one. And then there were only 125 bottles. We knew a bottler who was short of money and therefore agreed to sell the rum to us. However, he only wanted to sell half of the cask, which is why we ended up with so few bottles, says Kim Pedersen."
The bottle helped position Romdeluxe as an independent bottler that could bottle exclusive quality rum. And that matters when you have to buy casks from either distilleries, other bottlers - or as is often the case - from large so-called 'Rum brokers' such as The Main Rum Company in Liverpool, where Romdeluxe finds some of their casks.
- There is a hierarchy among independent bottlers like us. It's not written down anywhere, but it's there. If you want to get into the best warehouses, you have to have been around for a while. The first casks we bought ourselves, we bought directly from other independent bottlers. We couldn't just walk in off the street and buy some of the best rums the brokers have in stock. But once you become a brand, sometimes they're knocking on your door to do business with you instead. I think we're at the point where we get to look at all the shelves," explains Kim Pedersen.
Three tongues - one rule
Today, when Claus, Kim and Michael have to decide whether to buy a cask and bottle it in their own name, they usually contact The Main Rum Company and tell them what they are interested in buying. For example, it could be 25 years gammel rom from Jamaica. Next, The Main Rum Company selects a number of casks that can match the wishes of Romdeluxe, who then selects the ones they would like to taste. The three gentlemen then sit down, taste the samples and decide which of the casks they want to buy. It is also at this point that it is decided which of the series from Romdeluxe the cask will be bottled for. However, according to Kim, this decision has changed once the cask has landed in Horsens, where Romdeluxe is located. If a cask is to be purchased, there is primarily one rule that applies.
- To put it simply, we don't buy something we don't like just because it's old and sounds nice on the label. But we also each have our own preferences. Michael, for example, loves Jamaican rum, but doesn't like agricole. He usually refers to it as 'rum that's just not finished'. Claus is a big Caroni fan, which I, on the other hand, am not. I'm more of an omnivore and appreciate Guyana, Jamaica, agricole and white rum. So if something falls outside one of our taste preferences, the other two can trump it. It's very much about gut feeling when we select casks. And if you look at our physique, there's plenty of room for it. By now, we have pretty good experience of what sells. Foursquare from Barbados, for example, is quite popular. But it's not just about money when we're selecting. If we find something crazy and quirky that we think is cool, we tap it. Even if it's for a narrow audience. And as Master Taster, I have the last word if we can't agree," Kim explains with a laugh about the consequences of the title he insisted on getting after Claus appointed himself CEO of the company.
The rule that the three gentlemen must like what they bottle themselves has been broken once, according to Kim Pedersen.
- When we bought the New Yarmouth cask that was to become Wild Series no. 8, there was excess space on the pallets that were to transport the rum here to Horsens. And Michael hates paying freight, so when we had to, he wanted to utilize the space. The broker offered a 19-year-old cask from Long Pond in Jamaica. Based on the description, Michael thought we couldn't go wrong. So we bought it without tasting it, and it became Wild Series no. 9. Fortunately, it tasted great and was well received by customers.
In fact, Romdeluxe also has a dogma that stems from their roots as a company started by rum nerds for rum nerds.
- We would never think of taking a case of our most coveted bottles and storing them in a basement, only to suddenly find them in a few years when the price has increased significantly. We get quite annoyed ourselves when we see others doing this. We've only kept bottle #1 of all our Wild Series releases, which is currently on display in the store. We've talked about one day selling them and giving the money to charity," says Kim, who would estimate that this collection is currently worth at least 250,000 kroner.
Thehunt for the best casks
In the market for independent rum bottlers, the best casks are in high demand. According to Kim Pedersen, very few bottlers, like Luca Gargano from Italy's Velier, are allowed to buy rum directly from the distilleries and bottle it under their own name. Partly because the distilleries want a guarantee that the rum is treated, bottled and marketed in a way they can vouch for - and partly because many of the distilleries have a very limited stock of gammel rom, which many bottlers would like to get their hands on, but which the distilleries would also like to bottle themselves.
- But I also disagree with Luca Gargano that rum aged exclusively in the tropics is necessarily best. I think that rum ages more gently on the continent, so you get different notes and there are less heavy wood notes in the rum. I like that it's a mix of tropical and continental aged rums. But it's a matter of taste, says Kim Pedersen and explains that as rum's popularity grows, the stocks of gammel rom at the distilleries are dwindling fast. As a result, some of the oldest rums are now hidden away in the warehouses of brokers such as The Main Rum Company and not at the distilleries themselves.
One of the hardest casks for Romdeluxe to get hold of is the 24-year-old Caroni they bottled in the spring of 2022
- we had to really fight for the right ones to get our hands on it. The little bit Caroni that's left is really in demand," explains Kim Pedersen
, adding that it's
not among the best casks that you get the most rum for your money, according to Kim
- "
When you get over 30 years old, you really pay a lot extra per year in terms of what it means for the quality of the rum. It may have value for collectors, but if you're buying to drink - and I think you should - it's not always worth it. Our Wild Series is usually ripped off the shelves the second we put it on sale. But I think you get a lot of great rum for your money in our Collectors Series, where the best rums end up if they're not either over 60% alcohol or at least 30 years old.
That
series is a bit overlooked, and I think that no. 2 in the series - a 25-year-old gammel rom from Guyana - was an absolutely fantastic glass.
While the quantity of gammel rom is dwindling and demand is increasing, Romdeluxe has reserved an old cask that they don't know if they will ever be
able to bottle.
- It will end up with a bottle price of around DKK 10,000. I don't think we can sell that in a time of crisis and inflation. Nor do the three owners agree on whether it's worth the price. It will be for collectors, but if you're going to drink it, it's not certain that such a high price is worth the experience. So for now, it's staying on the shelf," concludes Kim Pedersen.
Romdeluxe Whether the old, exclusive cask will ever end up in a
bottle
, you'll have to wait and see. Until then, you can explore the Danish bottler's selection here.
At the time of writing, the next bottling in Wild Series Rum will be released on December 3, a 24-year-old Nicaragua rum - exclusively for Whisky.dk, which is also holding a tasting
in
the cozy surroundings of Sjølund. Master Taster Kim H. Pedersen will give the lecture, and participants will of course have the right of first refusal on the new release. There will be tasting:
The brand new 24 year Wild Series Rum - Exclusive to Whisky.dk
and Collectors Series Rum
Barbados 19 years Foursquare Distillery 50,7%
Panama 16 years Secret Distillery 59,6%
Dominican Republic 15 years Secret Distillery 65%
Trinidad 13 years Ten Cane Distillery 64%
Imperial Navy 10-11 years Secret Distilleries 57.18%
Belize 8 years Travellers Distillery 60%
The Oddmar Edt. 3 years Richland Distillery 43.1%.
