NH Collection Maldives Reethi Resort completes world’s first certified underwater rum ageing

For centuries, the maturation of fine spirits has been a land‑bound ritual, guided by oak, air and time. At NH Collection Maldives Reethi Resort, that tradition turned seaward. In partnership with Planteray Rum, widely regarded as one of the world’s best premium rum brands, the property has completed the world’s first certified underwater ageing of rum in glass bottles by a resort, with the inaugural batch earning glowing evaluations for its depth and complexity.

For twelve months, while the resort itself was undergoing a transformation, the rum matured in a gentle rocking motion, shaped by hydrostatic pressure, slow currents and the constant temperature of the deep. Resting in custom‑designed metal cages ten metres beneath the surface, a selection of Planteray Rum bottles lay undisturbed in their ocean cellar, at a site identified by our resident Aquafanatics dive experts as sheltered from harsh currents, protected from excessive sunlight and calm enough to let time do its work uninterrupted.

Brought ashore for the resort’s reopening on 21 December 2025, the sunken treasure, still bearing the fingerprints of marine life that had embraced it during its underwater repose, revealed a character that surprised even seasoned experts.

“Underwater, time and conditions interact differently with the liquid. After a year beneath the sea, the rum has developed enhanced roundness, smoothness and complexity,” said Fannie Thibaud, Deputy Master Blender at Planteray Rum.

“A passion project and an ambitious experiment, our sea-aged rums bring together innovation, artistry and storytelling in every sip,” said Valentin Osolos, General Manager at NH Collection Maldives Reethi Resort. “We couldn’t have done it without our partners at Planteray Rum, who immediately recognised the potential to create something the industry hadn’t seen before and helped us reimagine what craftsmanship can look like in the Maldives.”

By choosing to surrender control to nature and letting it work in patience and silence, with only occasional dives to check the integrity of the cages, the spirit becomes inseparable from its setting in the UNESCO‑protected Baa Atoll.

Buoyed by the success of this inaugural vintage, Planteray Rum has already entrusted the resort with new varieties, now undergoing their own year‑long transformation beneath the waves. The programme is set to become a permanent feature of the resort’s culinary and mixology offering. At Handhuvaru, the resort’s signature mixology concept, guests can experience the new maritime vintage neat or in imaginative cocktails such as Chai on the Rocks, combining aged XO rum with warming chai spice and subtle tropical sweetness, or Mocha Molasses, an intense expression of overproof rum layered with espresso and dark chocolate.

For more information about NH Collection Maldives Reethi Resort, please visit https://world.nh-hotels.com/en/nh-collection-maldives-reethi.