The Freimeisterkollektiv is a grouping of individualists – an alliance of independent craft distillers and leading bartenders. Our customers should know what they drink. And from whom. The production of our products is subject to complete transparency.
Rum expert Nicolas Kröger and distiller Thomas Neubert have teamed up for the Freimeisterkollektiv to develop a completely new kind of spirit. White rum and fresh strawberries form the basis of this experiment. The initial thought was to create something using a similar method to what would usually produce a raspberry spirit, but to radically transform the outcome by using a high-quality white rum as a base, instead of flavor-neutral alcohol.
Nose
Strong strawberry notes in the nose, reminiscent of strawberry jam.
Taste
Strawberry jam is first present on the palette but very quickly simmers down to a harmonious mix of cane sugar, toffee, and hints of parmesan.
Finish
The finish is accompanied by hints of black pepper and pineapple.
Ingredients
White rum, fresh strawberries
Preparation
Nicolas Kröger macerates the fresh strawberries in white rum, which extracts the delicate aromas of strawberries, beautifully combining them with the typical, mild character of white rum.
The Gutsbrennerei Zinzow is where Thomas Neubert distills this macerate. Using a similar method to his spirits, he instead applies rum to extract the strawberry’s flavor, rather than a neutral alcohol. This allows the distillation process to not only translate the strawberry aromas, but also that of rum. These two components blend into a unique and multi-layered drink. The nose is dominated by a strawberry jam character, while the typical cane sugar aroma of high-quality rum joins the palate.
The result is a surprisingly complex distillate, which manages to define a completely new spirits category.
Boldekow, Vorpommern
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Thomas Neubert
Distiller | Bodekow, Western Pomerania
Thomas Neubert is a skilled distiller. Before he dedicated himself to the trade side of distillation at the small Schloss Zinzow estate distillery, he worked in the aroma industry. Zinzow in Vorpommern is a tiny town in the municipality of Boldekow with a total population of 668.
Thomas Neubert produces fruit brandies, spirits, gin, and liqueurs in his landmark protected distillery. This gin that was awarded with gold at the craft spirits festival DESTILLE BERLIN.
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Nicolas Kröger
Rum Connoisseur, Restaurateur | Berlin
On his 15th birthday Nicolas Kröger was given a distillery, small enough to fit on a table, by his grandfather. This gift was the start of his passion for smells, aromas, and the mysterious alchemy of distillation.
He is a trained hotel specialist and sommelier. Besides working as a bartender in Yorkshire, he used to run an under-the-counter distillery. The constant experimentation there led him to expanded his knowledge on distillation. In London he worked behind the bar at the Ritz as well as the prestigious The Scotch Malt Whiskey Society (SMWS). He also trained as a butler in South Africa, where he developed bar concepts for some of the countries’ best resorts. When Kröger moved to Berlin he worked at the Lebensstern and also became the bar manager at Salut! bar. Two years ago he took over the Rum Depot and now runs a spirits manufactory under his name.
He supports the Freimeisterkollektiv in conceptual questions, as well as supervising product development and sales.