Region & History

Is Inländerrum real rum? The answer begins in the old Habsburg Empire, which had no colonies with sugarcane fields. Rum was a coveted flavor but an expensive import, so distillers and merchants recreated it as best they could.

This earlier imitation rum consisted of diluted spirit, rum essence, and caramel coloring. Inländerrum was first officially described in the Codex alimentarius Austriacus, Volume III, published in Vienna in 1917, at that time with at least 40 percent alcohol, after preliminary work had been carried out from 1891 to 1898.

The company Stroh became the face of Inländerrum. According to the company, Sebastian Stroh began distilling in St. Paul im Lavanttal in 1832; his widow Maria Stroh continued the business in Klagenfurt, where the company is still headquartered today.

The great turning point came with Austria's accession to the EU in 1995. A transition period applied to Inländerrum, ending on December 31, 1998. Since January 1, 1999, the drink has consisted exclusively of rum alcohol made from sugarcane, supplemented with Inländerrum essence, which itself is produced from rum distillate; foreign alcohol has been excluded ever since. Anyone reading today that Inländerrum is distilled from beets or potatoes is describing the era before that.

The rum component has a backstory that plays out far from Carinthia. For centuries, sugarcane was grown and processed on plantations by enslaved people, and the resulting molasses became a commodity of the Atlantic trade.

Since February 13, 2008, "Inländerrum" has been listed as a geographical indication in the EU register, classified under other spirit drinks. Distillation and finishing must take place in Austria, and the alcohol content must be at least 38 percent. Under EU law, however, it is still not considered rum, since it is flavored.