Flying Dutchman No. 1

A tropical dance from the first Rum producer in the Netherlands.

Zuidam Distillery was founded in 1975 in the Netherlands by Fred van Zuidam. The beginnings were humble indeed. It took them over 10 years before the business started taking off – that is after his wife Helene started designing the packaging for the products. These days the distillery is run by their two sons Patrick and Gilbert, however father Fred is still involved in all recipes and mother Helene still makes the design. They use local windmills for the production of malted barley, helping preserve an important Dutch heritage of their World-famous windmills.

Zuidam is supposed to be the first Europen Rum producer and it is certainly the first Rum producer in the Netherlands. Their Flying Dutchman No. 1 is crafted from pure cane molasses. It’s triple-distilled in pot stills and aged for at least 1 year in virgin American oak barrels. The flavorful dance of caramel, pecans, cardamom, and dried maple reminds us more of tropical islands than of windy Dutch plains. I guess you really can have a tropical cocktail anywhere…