Stroh Austria GmbH () is an

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

n manufacturer of

liquor Liquor ( , sometimes hard liquor), spirits, distilled spirits, or spiritous liquor are alcoholic drinks produced by the distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar that have already gone through ethanol fermentation, alcoholic ferm ...

s, especially spiced rums and high-proof rum-like drinks used in warm drinks and cooking. The Stroh

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

is one of the best-known spirits from Austria. The (technically incorrect) term ''Stroh Rum'' has colloquially become a generic synonym for spirits with a similarly high alcohol content in Germanic speaking regions. Stroh - Austrian Rum - IMG 3452

Background

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

had no colonies in tropical regions with rum or easy access to rum importation, the imperial government regulated the manufacturing of a rum-like product, where the

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

molasses aroma was replaced with a mixture of

flavorant A flavoring (or flavouring), also known as flavor (or flavour) or flavorant, is a food additive that is used to improve the taste or smell of food. It changes the perceptual impression of food as determined primarily by the chemoreceptors of t ...

s and coloring added to alcohol from sugar beets. This class of products was named ''Inländer-Rum'' (literally "domestic rum"). It resulted in a distinctive product smelling primarily of

butterscotch Butterscotch is a type of confection whose primary ingredients are brown sugar and butter. Some recipes include corn syrup, cream, vanilla, and salt. The earliest known recipes, in mid-19th century Yorkshire, used treacle (molasses) in plac ...

and

vanilla Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus ''Vanilla (genus), Vanilla'', primarily obtained from pods of the flat-leaved vanilla (''Vanilla planifolia, V. planifolia''). ''Vanilla'' is not Autogamy, autogamous, so pollination ...

. It became a regional specialty, available from several brands, in the countries that followed the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, most notably today's Austria and the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. Some manufacturers have since switched to using sugarcane by-products according to

European Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organisation created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisbo ...

regulations, while the typical "Inländer" flavor is provided by traditional essences. So the result can be regarded equal to a spiced rum. The product designation for ''Inländer Rum'' is no longer standardised in the

Codex Alimentarius Austriacus The Codex Alimentarius Austriacus is a collection of standards, guidelines and product descriptions for a variety of foods. It was originally established by the Austrian-Hungarian Empire in 1891 and is still in use today. The Codex Alimentarius Aus ...

Company History

In 1832, Sebastian/Boštijan Stroh founded a small distillery in St. Paul (

Carinthia Carinthia ( ; ; ) is the southernmost and least densely populated States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The Lake Wolayer is a mountain lake on the Carinthian side of the Carnic Main ...

Lavanttal The Lavanttal ('Lavant Valley', , Gams, Ivan. 1992. "Labotska dolina." ''Enciklopedija Slovenije'', vol. 6. Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga, pp. 87–87. or ; Southern Bavarian: ''Lovnthol'') lies in the Lavanttal Alps in southern Austria in the eas ...

). His widow, Maria Stroh, continued the business with production facilities at Karfreitstrasse 18 in Klagenfurt. By 1857 the company had expanded into large-scale

liqueur A liqueur ( , ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of Liquor, spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-age ...

and

brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured ...

manufacturing. Stroh became one of the dominant brands of ''Inländer Rum''. At the 1900 Exposition Universelle in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

the product was awarded a gold medal. The company is still privately held by Austrian owners.

Product line

The company is best known for its flagship product, ''Stroh, The Spirit of Austria'', and its bottled hunter's punch ''

Jagertee Jagertee (also Jägertee) is an alcoholic punch historically made by mixing "Inländer-Rum" with spiced black tea. It is served warm and is typically consumed during winter in the cold parts of Central Europe. Although Jagertee is easily made at ...

'', which is typically drunk warm and is served at ski resorts. Stroh has also made other packaged liquor products that are mostly available only in Europe, including Stroh Punsch, Stroh Cream, Stroh Fire and Stroh Cola. In the United States Stroh is known for its unusually high alcohol content, with the version most readily available there being 160 proof and frequently labeled as ''Stroh 160'' (labeled as Stroh 80 in Europe). In Europe it is available in five variants: ''Stroh 38'', ''Stroh 40'', ''Stroh 54'', ''Stroh 60'' and ''Stroh 80'' (representing

alcohol by volume Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as alc/vol or ABV) is a common measure of the amount of Alcohol (drug), alcohol contained in a given alcoholic beverage. It is defined as the volume the ethanol in the liquid would take if separated from the rest ...

and corresponding to 76, 80, 108, 120 and 160

proof Proof most often refers to: * Proof (truth), argument or sufficient evidence for the truth of a proposition * Alcohol proof, a measure of an alcoholic drink's strength Proof may also refer to: Mathematics and formal logic * Formal proof, a co ...

(US) respectively). Stroh products are internationally sold and are available in more than 40 countries.Company's history on http://www.stroh.at/en/brand/history/

Product use

Exports to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

, and

Benelux The Benelux Union (; ; ; ) or Benelux is a politico-economic union, alliance and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighbouring states in Western Europe: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The name is a portma ...

account for about two-thirds of the company's sales. The overproof rum-like product is seldom drunk neat and most commonly used in cooking or for mixing in homemade

or other warm punches (including in '' Feuerzangenbowle'', or mixed with hot tea, honey, and butter). Because of its flammability it is used for lighting drinks on fire, such as the Flaming B-52, or in strong cocktails such as the Von Tiki. A lower proof product version is packaged and sold in small syrup containers for soaking waffles. Stroh is a common household and commercially important ingredient in the making of syrups, cake frostings, pastries, and other desserts in

Austrian cuisine Austrian cuisine consists of many different local or regional cuisines. In addition to Viennese cuisine, which is predominantly based on the cooking traditions of the Habsburg monarchy, Habsburg Empire, there are independent regional traditions ...

due to its sweet flavor and strong butterscotch and vanilla aromatic notes. An example is in preparation of rumtopf, a fruit based

compote Compote or compôte (French for ''stewed fruit'') is a dessert originating in medieval Europe, made of whole or pieces of fruit in sugar syrup. Whole fruits are cooked in water with sugar and spices. The syrup may be seasoned with vanilla, lemo ...

, and rum prune cake. It is also an ingredient in Bananas Foster variations, although less of the alcohol should be used. The company has licensed the name for the spirit to be used by Walter Heindl GmbH in confectionary products such as ''Stroh Pralinen'' and Stroh flavored chocolate balls.

Product packaging

Stroh is packaged in brown glass bottles meant to emulate the hip flasks worn by hunters and others in the countryside during winter. Playing to its historic roots, some products are also packaged in larger jugs employing swing-top rubber stoppers. Other variations include Stroh in syrup containers, mini-bottles, and cans.

References

External links

* {{official website, http://www.stroh.at Austrian brands Companies established in 1832 Drink companies of Austria Economy of Klagenfurt Rum brands