Sweden Rum Fest 2023, the first edition

8 August 2023 | Buyer's Guide
Sweden Rum Fest 2023, the first edition

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First edition of a Rum Fest in Sweden, under the elegant and short name of Stockholm Rum & Caribbean Drinks. Although this country is not generally associated with rum, it is nevertheless home to a fervent community of connoisseurs of this drink made from sugarcane.

Let's go back to the basics: why does rum hold a special place in the glass of the Swedes? On one hand, this can be explained by the sugar (beet-based) past of the Nordic countries, but above all it is because this drink allows them to travel to more...exotic countries! As you can see, the Swedes have a fondness for sugar.

logo sweden rum fest

Here we are on our way to the very first Rhum Fest, in the very cozy and chic district of Östermalm. The day is radiant and lends itself perfectly to a tasting of sun juice. At the entrance, we receive a small bag containing a tasting glass, or rather a glass goblet, as well as a voucher for a very famous soft drink: the famous Australian ginger beer, Bundaberg.

Once inside, we discover no less than 15 stands offering between 1 and 4 brands of rum each. There are mainly South American rums distilled from cane molasses or honey, as well as Swedish rums which follow this same manufacturing method (you will have a hard time finding sugarcane in Sweden, for sure) . A few agricole rums are also present, including Rhum J.M.

Swedish rums are interesting because they offer a wide variety of distillation methods, as well as a variety of molasses from different origins. Some distilleries have fun with different fermentation times and yeasts, thus creating sometimes unusual aromas.

Rhum Fest Stockholm

This is particularly the case of the Revsund Lysande Rom distillery, where we discover an astonishing blend of flavors, with acid notes reminiscent of English candy, lychee, pineapple, salak, and even a goat cheese finish. So, convinced?

We also had the opportunity to taste the HARREL Prolog Pure Swedish Rum. Although interesting, it did not completely seduce us. Alcohol is very present and it could perhaps benefit from an opening time, which is however difficult to achieve during these events.

Entrance to the event at Linnégatan 87
Entrance to the event at Linnégatan 87
Stand HARREL Svensk Rom
Stand HARREL Svensk Rom
Change of glass, phew!
Change of glass, phew!

This fair offers paying tastings, which may surprise those who come from France, but it is actually quite common in northern European countries. So don't forget to take your credit card, or bring a Swedish friend who can pay via Swish, the local mobile payment system. Otherwise, you can always fall back on the free ginger beer stand.

Niklas Blomquist, co-founder of the event and the Cane Rum Society bar
Niklas Blomquist, co-founder of the Cane Rum Society bar

To end our visit, we made a final stop at the stand of Cane Bottling Co, the independent bottling brand of Europe's largest rum bar, located in Stockholm. This bar is part of our favorites in Stockholm concealed in our guide. We discover three almost cask-strength rums. These were slightly reduced to reach the desired alcohol content.

The first, a 21-year-old South Pacific (Fiji), distilled in 2002, seduces us with its totally different profile from the Fijian rums that we know at Excellence Rhum. It is fat, lively, with tertiary notes of undergrowth and a strong empyreumatic presence.

We continue our tasting with an Enmore from 1988, which has spent 34 long years in barrels and displays a mild alcohol content of 55%. Abundant sweetness and bewitching indulgence characterize this rum.

We end our trip and our tasting with an irresistible bottle: a 1998 Caroni, aged for 25 years and displaying an alcohol content of 61%. This rum offers us a beautiful palette of fruity and floral flavors, with in the background the characteristic note of tar specific to Caroni. The 1998 Caroni are renowned for being light rums (for Caroni at least), leaving room for a certain smoothness, which we greatly appreciate.

Before leaving the premises, we would like to warmly greet Niklas, the founder of this bottling range and the Cane Rum Society bar for the work done.

We inform him of our intention to be present next year, perhaps even as exhibitors! To be continued…

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Written with ❤️ by ​

Alexandre Beudet
Alexandre Beudet
Founder of Excellence Rhum