Spirits · Caribbean blend (origins vary by expression)
Denizen
Blended Caribbean rums built with cocktails, and the classic Mai Tai, in mind.
- Founded
- 2006
- Founded by
- Nick Pelis
- Based in
- Caribbean blend (origins vary by expression)
Making it since
2006
Their story
Denizen is the rum line of Citizen Spirits, a New York company founded by Nick Pelis in 2006. Rather than distilling, Denizen works as a blender, pulling together rums from different Caribbean islands into bottlings designed for mixing.
Its best-known release, Merchant's Reserve, was created to echo the kind of rum blend Trader Vic turned to for his 1944 Mai Tai after his original aged Jamaican rums ran out.
How it's made
Denizen blends with E&A Scheer, a Dutch rum specialist dating to 1712. Merchant's Reserve is roughly 80% Jamaican rum from distilleries such as Worthy Park and Hampden, aged in Jamaica, and about 20% molasses-based rum from Le Galion in Martinique.
Why we carry them
If you want to make a proper Mai Tai at home, Denizen Merchant's Reserve is the bottle we point to. It has the funk and depth the drink needs.
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