ROYAL
DANISH NAVY WESTINDIAN
Bitter
TASTING NOTES Color
Light mahogany, polished amber.
Taste
Balanced camphor with citrus at the top, followed by warm spices.
Aroma
Citrus, light mint and dampened butterscotch.
Aftertaste
Curled mint with gentle notes of oak and camphor.
Royal Danish Navy West Indian Bitter is not dissimilar to what would be called a ‘tincture’, a base of alcohol (32% proof rum) heavily infused with herbs and spices, consumed for medicinal purposes. For our unique bitter, we have used our popular XO Reserve rum as the base, to which we have remained faithful to the ingredients A.H. Riise used 140 ears ago in his ‘apotek’, or pharmacy, on the Danish West Indian island of Saint Thomas. Royal Danish Navy West Indian Bitter includes extracts from more than 30 different botanicals, spices and herbs, the majority of them sourced in the Caribbean, including gentian root, quinine, bitter orange, cloves, sandalwood, cocoa beans, coffee beans and a touch of vanilla. Not to be confused with ‘bitters’, an aromatic additive for a ‘pink gin’ and numerous cocktails, bitter has a long history as a tonic and is drunk frequently in many Scandinavian countries, Germany and Italy. It was an extremely popular drink in postwar Denmark and is making a resurgence today, now being consumed with a wink, a smile and the comment.