Old St. Croix (Riise) Danish Navy NAVAL CADET

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 42% | Chill filtration: Yes | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Part of the Royal Danish Navy Collection, Naval Cadet brings together spirits from selected casks at various distilleries in the Caribbean and Central America. Alongside its pronounced sweetness, the blend reveals tropical fruit and hints of salt water and tarred rope. It is bottled at 42% alcohol.

The edition was developed together with the cadets’ association of the Royal Danish Naval Academy. Founded in 1701, the academy is regarded as the world’s oldest naval officer school. Naval Cadet pays tribute both to the sailors of the historical Danish West Indies and to today’s officer cadets. A share of the sales proceeds goes to the cadets’ association; by the end of 2025, this had raised more than 37,900 euros.

This bottling comes from batch B4, with a release of 1,399 bottles. Each bottle contains 0.7 litres and comes in gift packaging.

Naval Cadet can be enjoyed neat at room temperature.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: The intense nose combines liquorice root and orange peel with coconut and mint. Pronounced estery fruit aromas are accompanied by a hint of a fruit cellar.
• Palate: On the palate, the blend is sweet, rounded and powerful, with a full-bodied, almost oily mouthfeel. Eucalyptus, mint and citrus notes provide a fresh contrast to its richness, while liquorice and balsamic vinegar bring a bitter dimension.
• Finish: The long finish begins with a fruity, supple character. Softer, warm leather notes emerge as it develops.

Distillery/Bottler:

The story of Old St. Croix begins with the Danish pharmacist Albert Heinrich Riise, who opened his pharmacy on St. Thomas in 1838. He used alcohol made from local sugar cane in his medicinal preparations. These included Bay Rum, a hair elixir based on twice-distilled rum. This work led to his experiments with rum; the neighbouring island of St. Croix supplied sugar cane.

Riise introduced the name Old St. Croix for exports to Europe and the USA. In 1893, the brand won a gold medal at the World’s Fair in Chicago. After subsequently being marketed as A.H. Riise, it returned to its historical brand name in 2025. Today, the work behind Naval Cadet centres on selecting and blending cask spirits from various Caribbean and Central American distilleries.

Facts: