Rhuby Rhubarb Liqueur

Product of: Sweden

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Rhuby is flavoured with fresh rhubarb juice which also helps give this Swedish liqueur it delicate pink hue, although both colour and flavour are enhanced by the addition of natural essences from Sodermanland in the south of Sweden.

The Scandinavians love rhubarb and most Scandinavians grow rhubarb in their own gardens. They even have a Rhubarb Festival, held annually in the town of Sodermanland in the south of Sweden. It is against this background and her upbringing in Sodermanland that veteran drinks industry marketer, Ylva Binder, decided to make a Rhubarb liqueur.

Ylva first experimented in her own kitchen and discovered that flavouring the rhubarb with Bourbon vanilla beans made the best tasting liqueur. She then contacted Master Distiller, Solveig Sommarstrom, to formulate a liqueur which could be produced on a commercial scale. The rhubarb is collected close to the distillery in Aker Styckebruk, Sodermanland. The green and pink petioles are juiced to release their flavour and this is heated until it is just warm enough to dissolve the added sugar and a small amount of vanilla.

No artificial colorants or stabilisers are used but a small amount of natural rhubarb essence is added to add a more pungent aroma to Rhuby. To prevent the liqueur turning brown with exposure to ultraviolet light, the rhubarb juice is filtered to remove the colour and a natural colour essence is added to the liquid. The natural sourness in rhubarb is balanced with a small amount of cane sugar (200 grams per litre) and the wheat neutral spirit on which Rhuby is based comes from an Organic distillery in Sodermanland, Sweden, the origins of which date back to 1580.

First launched in the summer of 2011, a second batch was launched early in September 2011 but Rhuby really came to life on a commercial scale with a subtle reformulation and the launch of a bespoke cognac XO-like decanter bottle in September 2013.

Review and Tasting

Sampled on 12/12/2011

Appearance:

Slight haze, light baby pink.

Aroma:

Steaming rhubarb crumble filling and potpourri perfumed scents.

Taste:

Stewed rhubarb and vanilla with faint clove spice. Well balanced with just enough sugar so retaining some rhubarb tartness / citric acidity.

Aftertaste:

Subtle sharpness from rhubarb and acidity lingers in the slightly floral finish with sweet cupcake frosting (butter icing).