If you’re looking to learn more about rum, then an excellent resource to tap into is Rumcast. Hosted by Will Hoekenga and John Gulla, Rumcast features content about rum champions who’re producing the spirit all over the world.
On a recent episode, Rumcast explored the fascinating world of Australian rum with the production manager of Beenleigh Distillery, Steve Magarry. From discussing the Beenleigh Distillery product range to pulling back the curtain of Australia’s rum history, Steve provided some awesome insight.
Rum down under
The episode began with Steve introducing the long history of Australian rum, which dates back to the early 1800s. The first Ozzie rum distillery was set up in 1823 and within a few years, Australian rum was winning awards all over the world.
The Beenleigh Distillery, based in Queensland, would become Australia’s longest running rum distillery. Started in 1884, the distillery acquired its first copper pot still from a man called James Stewart who sold rum illegally from a boat called The Walrus.
Steve went into depth about the type of ingredients that’s used to produce Beenleigh rum. Molasses is sourced from a local sugar mill and mixed with rainwater collected from the roof of the building.
The characteristics of Australian rum
Next, Steve revealed the profile of what makes Ozzie rum unique, emphasising vat maturation. Australian rum distilleries tend to use a mixture of bourbon and brandy vats to age rum, leading to a funkier profile with a high-ester quality.
As far as the Beenleigh range goes, there’s some impressive bottles to choose from. Steve recommended the five-year double cask, aged in bourbon and brandy barrels. He also highlighted the seven-year port barrel.
Interestingly, Beenleigh also own the coveted Inner Circle rum brand, which comes in Black Dot, Red Dot and Green Dot varieties.
To listen to the episode in full click here and learn more about what makes Australian rum so damn special.
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