The story of Santos Dumont

When the name Santos Dumont is mentioned, all innovation and invention enthusiasts are instantly alert. And especially fans of aviation. After all, the name of the Brazilian rum brand Santos Dumont is firmly linked to one of Brazil's most exciting inventors.

At the end of the 19th century, there was an extraordinary man in Brazil named Alberto Santos Dumont (July 20, 1873 - July 23, 1932). He was a world-renowned aviation pioneer, aristocrat, celebrity, style icon, as well as heir to a wealthy family of coffee and sugar cane producers in Brazil. His father was a French engineer and the coffee king of Brazil, in fact he owned a huge plantation called Cabangu (in the state of Minas Gerais, near São Paulo). Using the latest inventions to help them run the plantation with efficiency, the Santos Dumonts became very wealthy and went from growing sugar cane on the plantation to distilling rum and cachaça.

Vráťme sa však k Albertovi. Už od útleho detstva ho fascinovali všetky stroje, ktoré sa na plantáži používali. Výnimkou nebol ani parný traktor, ktorý riadil už ako dieťa. Malý Santos Dumont bol veľkým fanúšikom spisovateľa Julesa Verna a všetky jeho knihy prečítal ešte pre 10. narodeninami.

Po tom, čo jeho otec v roku 1891 spadol z koňa a ochrnul, rodina sa presťahovala do Francúzska. Alberto tu začal s navrhovaním, konštruovaním a skúšaním leteckých strojov. Triumfom bola výhra ceny "Deutsch De La Meurthe Prize" 19. októbra 1901, pri ktorej na vzducholodi obletel Eiffelovu vežu v stanovenom čase pod 30 minút. Táto udalosť z neho na začiatku 20. storočia urobila svetovo preslávenú osobnosť. Na popularite získal najmä u obyčajných ľudí, keď polovicu z výhry 100 000 frankov rozdelil svojim zamestnancom a druhú polovicu rozdal chudobným občanom Paríža.

However, the aerial experiments and races continued on. Another pearl from his life is connected with this. The pocket watches of the time were impractical when piloting, and Alberto needed a watch on which he could keep track of the time without his hands becoming distracted by piloting. He therefore ordered the first men's wristwatch, made especially for his needs by his close friend and jeweller Louis Cartier. This historic watch is now on display in the museum alongside one of his aircraft.

Santos-Dumont made the first flight in his plane on 6 March 1909 in Issy-les-Moulineaux. The plane flew well, yet was challenging to pilot. In May he flew 2 km on it and in September he had already flown a distance of 18 km.

The story of Alberto Santos Dumont has become so interesting that it has been made into a series on HBO.

Brazilian plantations are still the largest producers of sugar cane today and owned by the Santos family (probably Alberto's relatives on his mother's side). Santos Dumont rum, like Alberto, is exceptional and has something typically Brazilian about it. It is known as a sweet, aromatic and well-aged rum whose special feature is that it is also blended from the typical Brazilian cachaça (cane juice spirit). It is reminiscent of Spanish rums, but without the notes of burnt wood. As a hint of the success of this brand, Santos Dumont is also one of the top 10 best-selling rums in our e-shop.

Santos Dumont is a rum brand with a fascinating history, taking its name from the Brazilian aviation pioneer Alberto Santos Dumont. The brand's founders were inspired by Santos Dumont's aeronautical spirit and his passion for freedom to create a rum of the highest quality designed to capture the joy and adventure of flying.

Santos Dumont offers a wide range of premium rums made by expert master distillers from hand-selected sugar cane varieties. Each rum is crafted according to a unique recipe and careful aging process to offer a unique taste experience.

Whether you're looking for a quality rum for a special occasion or just want to discover a new spirit. Santos Dumont is a brand that stands for quality and innovation and one you should definitely try.

Santos Dumont XO rum is produced by A.H.Riise Spirits in Dragore, Denmark. A.H. Riise, which is one of Scandinavia's largest spirits companies that produces, markets and distributes brands of whisky, rum, vodka and gin. The company (founded in 2016) is named after its most famous spirits brand, A.H. Riise Rum, a tribute to Albert Heinrich Riise, who founded rum production on the island of Saint Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands in 1838.

There are three rums in the Santos Dumont portfolio - Santos Dumont XO, which is aged in three bourbon, cherry and port wine casks, Santos Dumont Elixir XO and Santos Dumont Heritage. All are limited edition and each bottle is numbered and bears the numbers of the casks in which its contents were aged.
And then there are the two rum liqueurs on offer - Santos Dumont XO Palmira, Santos Dumont XO Gewürztraminer, which cannot carry the rum label because they have a higher sugar content per litre than permitted.