Just to be clear: Cavalieri Rum is not the first Limburg rum. Brouwerij Wilderen in Sint-Truiden also has a dark rum liqueur with its Omerta Rum (35°), a blend of an imported five-year-old Jamaican Rum. Law student at UHasselt Lucas Hendrix (23) has now also developed his own rum, which he plans to market around the world.

Smart

In choosing the name, he made a smart association: Hendricks Rum. It would immediately open doors everywhere, as the link to the world-renowned gin brand Hendrick’s was there for the taking. But as a fledgling legal expert, he also had his reservations about the potential ramifications. And so Luc Vannitsen was called in, a family friend, and with years of experience in marketing spirits worldwide. He sells around 24,000 bottles of his Cavalieri Gin every year to enthusiasts across Europe. The perfect man for expert advice.

Cavalieri

“Calling the new rum ‘Hendricks’ was not a good idea,” explains Luc Vannitsen, who also runs the Hoenger cooking workshop in Diepenbeek. “That’s why I suggested we work together. By turning it into Cavalieri Rum, Lucas can ride on the success of our gin, and we can both help market the other’s speciality.” And so from now on, in addition to Cavalieri Gin in three flavours, there is also an exclusive rum, made in Limburg to a recipe by Lucas Hendrix.

Accessible

“We chose a Jamaican style rum as the basis,” explains the young entrepreneur. “You’ll find ingredients like maldon sea salt, cinnamon, ginger and caramel. We consciously chose an alcohol content of 38°, which makes the rum broadly accessible, and avoids burning the throat. A mild but distinct flavour, combined with a sweet fragrance. That will undoubtedly appeal to a wide audience.”

Win-win

Luc Vannitsen is confident that sales of the new rum will be just as impressive as those of his gin. “We’ll strengthen each other,” reassures the boss of Hoenger. “We are delighted to offer Lucas’ rum everywhere we go, and he does the same with our gin. A win-win situation which will help us conquer all of Europe, in fact, the whole world.”

Incidentally, Cavalieri gin and rum are not only available by the bottle, but can also be personalised in larger volumes, to distribute as corporate gifts.