🥃 Stroh
Austrian spirits brand since 1832 (Carinthia, now Klagenfurt); best known for Stroh Original Inländer Rum, or Stroh 80, at 80% ABV.
Stroh is an Austrian spirits brand started in 1832 by Sebastian Stroh in St. Paul in Carinthia; today the company is based in Klagenfurt. Best known is Stroh Original Inländer Rum, known as Stroh 80, at 80% ABV (160 proof in the US, where the version is sold as Stroh 160). It is used in hot drinks, punches and baking.
The official website names 1832 as the beginning, when Sebastian Stroh began distilling spirits. According to available data, the business was then continued by his widow Maria in Klagenfurt, and by 1857 production had expanded to liqueurs and brandies. In 1998-1999 the family sold shares in the company to Eckes AG, and in 2008 the director Harold Burstein bought out the company in a management buyout. According to available data, it is now owned by Austrian owners.
Inländer Rum has a particular story. Austria-Hungary had no tropical colonies, so, according to available data, a "rum-like" drink developed that is made not from sugar cane but from spirit made from sugar beet, with added flavourings and colouring. According to Spiritradar, since 2008 the base has been cane molasses, but the company keeps the exact recipe as a family secret. Different sources describe the new EU rules differently, so whether the drink meets the EU category "rum" is not claimed here.
The range includes Stroh 80 (80% ABV), Stroh 60, Stroh 40 and Stroh 38; catalogues also list 54, 55 and 35%. In German-speaking countries the word "Stroh Rum" has become a generic name for strong rum-like drinks.
Why this matters to you. Stroh 80 is not an ordinary rum: it contains 80% ABV. It is used diluted, in hot drinks and baking, not as an ordinary drink. Check the strength on the label: between Stroh 38 and Stroh 80 the difference is more than double. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| Year founded | 1832, Sebastian Stroh (St. Paul, Carinthia); now Klagenfurt |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | Reg. (EU) 2019/787: membership of the rum category is not confirmed; the name Inländer Rum is a traditional Austrian one |
| Raw material | according to Spiritradar, cane molasses since 2008; the recipe is a family secret |
| Alcohol (% vol.) | Stroh 80: 80 % ABV; Stroh 60: 60 %; also 40 and 38 % |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Stroh → kind of → 🌴 Rum and sugarcane spirits → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Previous step
- 🥃 Jägertee
- Made from
- 🥃 Sugar cane and molasses
- What it contains
- 🍷 Ethanol
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Part of
- 🌴 Rum and sugarcane spirits
- Related to
- 🌍 Central Europe
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Rum, 🥃 Captain Morgan, 🥃 Captain Morgan, 🥃 Ron Zacapa, 🥃 Ron Zacapa, 🥃 Brugal, 🥃 Brugal, 🥃 Domači rum, 🥃 Inländerrum
Frequently asked questions
Is Stroh 80 an ordinary rum?
No. It is an Inländer Rum, a rum-like drink at 80% ABV (160 proof in the US), used in baking, hot drinks and punches. Whether it belongs to the EU category “rum” is not established.
What does the strength look like on a US bottle?
The US version is sold as Stroh 160, which is 80% ABV, so it is far stronger than ordinary rum.
What is Inländer Rum, and why “domestic”?
Roughly “domestic rum”: the Austria-Hungary name for a rum-like drink that did not need imported cane.
How do people use it at home?
In small amounts, diluted, in hot drinks, punches and baking. A heatproof mug suits a hot drink.
Who owns the brand?
According to available data, Austrian owners, after a management buyout.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Ethanol — The alcohol formed during fermentation that makes you drunk.
- 🥃 Rum — A distillate of sugar-cane molasses, syrup or juice: in the EU at least 37.5% ABV, no flavourings or added alcohol, up to 20 g/l of sugar; in the US bottled at 40% ABV (80 proof) or more.
- 🌍 Central Europe — Curd cheese (quark), cheeses and butter in peasant cooking.
- 🥃 Captain Morgan — Captain Morgan is a Diageo rum brand launched in 1982. Its flagship is the spiced Original Spiced Gold, made with vanilla, natural flavours and spice; the range also has White Rum and an alcohol-free 0.0%.
Similar
🥃 Božkov · 🥃 Old Monk · 🥃 Havana Club · 🥃 Captain Morgan · 🥃 Bacardi 151 · 🥃 Barceló
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
What it includes
Sources
- Stroh Austria: офіційний сайт (Sebastian Stroh 1832, St. Paul, Carinthia; Klagenfurt; Eckes 1998–1999; management buyout 2008; Inländer Rum)
- Spiritradar: Stroh (міцності 80, 60, 40, 38 %; основа — меляса; виробництво в Австрії)
- Regulation (EU) 2019/787 on spirit drinks (OJ L 130, 17.5.2019), Art. 2 and Annex I
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)