Danish Rum Producer Starts Aging Rum in WWII Bunker

Danish Skotlander Rum will do what no one has done before: Mature rum in a bunker from the Second World War. The local dairyman in Aabybro in the North of Denmark owns the historical building, and he was excited about the spirit experiment from day one.

But why? Isn’t the best location for aging rum the tropics? Anders Skotlander, owner of Danish Skotlander Rum explains:

“The cold climate in Denmark offers us something different. Previously we have tried aging rum at sea on an old schooner – the movement of the sea and the difference between summer and winter gave us a really interesting rum. Now let’s try the complete opposite – the rum is being kept still and the temperature in the bunker is 12ºC night and day, all year round.”

“The rum will have to age for longer than normal in the cold and humid environment, but we believe that the slow maturation will reflect the Danish terroir and result in a very sophisticated rum. At least that’s what we hope – but we really don’t know,” Anders says with a smile.

Skotlander Rum also slow ferment the rum mash for four weeks during the cold Nordic climate.

 

Niels Henrik Lindhardt is the owner of the dairy where the bunkers are located. Because there are actually two of them.

“My father used to age cheese in the other one with great succes. But I never found any purpose for this one so it has been untouched for the past 70 years. So when Anders Skotlander dropped by one day with a good idea and a bottle of his rum, I was convinced immediately,” Lindhardt says.

The Danish Food Administration approved Skotlander to install 10,000 liters of rum and the first small batches will be ready for sale in 2018.