The first rendition of the Australia series by @boutiqueyrum was released in early-2021, which featured two rums - one of which was from @blackgatedistillery, a relatively young outfit founded in 2009 by Brian and Genise Hollingworth in Mendooran, New South Wales.

The distillery started off with an initial focus on whiskies, although Genise eventually led their expansion into rum production too. As quoted from @boutiqueyrum, their rums are primarily produced from molasses sourced from Queensland, and undergoes a long two-week fermentation using a speciality rum yeast, then double distilled through Black Gate’s two direct-fired copper pot stills with 630 litres and 300 litres capacity each. This specific release was then aged for three years in Tawny (port) casks, bottled at 50% abv, which I believe some dilution was involved, with an outturn of 220 bottles.

The nose on this one really piqued my interest. There was a huge influence of vegetal notes, not unlike a mezcal or an agave spirit. Being only three years of age, it came across rather fresh, spicy, black peppers, much sharper than I would’ve liked, but underneath it all was a thin layer of treacle to round the nose off.

The palate on the other hand was rather different from the nose, almost polar opposites if I may. It was buttery, oily, and despite its young age, had good depth and complexity that took me quite by surprise. That agave-like resemblance was prevalent at the beginning, but it then developed into richer notes of caramel, a hint of petrol on the sides, slightly dirty, and vanilla. In the finish were little hints of ripe plums, raisins, and molasses. With a little water, the rum opened up tremendously, the agave notes seemingly disappearing, and with it came more clarity, sweetness, and oranges. The port cask influence became much more pronounced too, providing a soft, rounded finish.

And even though this was perhaps only the second Australian rum I’ve had, aside from the ones from Beenleigh, it certainly had a lasting impression on me, a very good one in fact, and I am already anticipating tasting the new Australian rums from @boutiqueyrum’s Return to Oz!

Image Courtesy of @weixiang_liu