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Rum aged in Second World War bunker

Danish brand Skotlander Rum has become the first in the world to mature its spirit in a bunker last used during the Second World War.

The project marks the first time rum has been matured in a war bunker

Niels Henrik Lindhardt, a dairyman based in Aabybro, a North Danish town, owns the building and was “excited about the spirit experiment from day one”.

Skotlander Rum will also slowly ferment the rum mash in the bunker for four weeks before maturing in the same location.

Owner of Skotlander Rum, Anders Skotlander, said that while the tropics are traditionally the part of the world associated with rum maturation, Denmark’s cold climate “offers us something different”.

“Previously we have tried ageing 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,” he said.

“Now let’s try the complete opposite – the rum is being kept still and the temperature in the bunker is 12°C night and day, all year round.”

Skotlander added: “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.”

With approval from the Danish Food Administration, Skotlander has stored 10,000 litres of rum in the bunker. The first batches should be available in 2018.

Spirits producers have long experimented with unusual maturation methods, as this top 10 list of ageing innovations shows.

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