JimmyRum RumRum Barrel 41 – January 2025

Lets kick off 2025 with a exclusive Rum Tribe selected bottling of what could be JimmyRum’s best barrel ever…from Victoria’s legendary (and first) craft rum distillery – The JimmyRum RumRum Barrel 41.

A sensational single cask, pure rum from JimmyRum for only $139 and one LUCKY TRIBER wins the CASK STRENGTH version (65.8%)…so look out for that Golden Ticket!

Now our good mate James (or ‘Jimmy’ when his rambunctious side comes out) is a producer of some of Australiana’s most sought-after artisanal rum. Yep – this month none other than a double feature from one of the friendliest guys in the business – James MacPherson aka JimmyRum! A specially selected cask – Barrel 41- presented at (after much discussion and back-and-forth between Jimmy and Myself) at a perfect 49.5%.

The JimmyRum RumRum Barrel 41 Rum Tribe Special is a single cask JimmyRum that has been under the watchful eye of James for some time now. The ex-bourbon cask was identified as a ‘standout’ very early on in its maturation – and it’s been earmarked for something special ever since! Attentively fussed over for the rest of its 5+ year in the barrel – James has been patiently waiting for just the right moment to disgorge and get it into the bellies of Australia’s most discerning rum drinkers.

After much deliberation, diluting and sampling this gorgeous rum, it was decided to bottle at 49.5% – the strength that James I really thought it shined! Sadly, there was just not enough to offer it at cask strength as the bloody angels had done quite a number on this one. Interestingly, although the angels took their share- they were kind enough to bump the abv slightly higher in the barrel than it went in at, (from 64.63%to 64.85) JimmyRum and (and the Tribe of course!) are very excited to be able to offer this sensational single cask pure rum to the Rum Tribe – and at a price that you’re not gonna believe!

JimmyRum prides itself on being Victoria’s first dedicated rum distillery. That’s all they do – rum. They don’t do gin or vodka or whisky – just 100% cane based spirit (rum in any other country but ours) products and aged rums. At the heart of the distillery is Matilda – the magnificent, and beautiful, 1500 litre copper hybrid still. Born in the beautiful Northern Italian city of Trento, Matilda is simply stunning, extremely talented, highly intelligent and in fact, some say more so than her care takers.

Our Tasting Notes:

Nose: Huge Christmas cake aromas, Jasmin flower perfume, creaming soda and mixed peel all floating harmoniously on a silky oak cloud

Palate: An initial rush of flavours – and a notable lack of alcohol burn – lovely integration. So complex, it’s a [pleasant] chore to sit and sift and sort through the melee of flavours. Whilst there’s definitely an oiliness to this, it’s also – at the same time- rather crisp -even just slightly . Dark, unsweetened chocolate, espresso coffee (unsugared) sit behind soft citrussy wafts, just-overripe tropical fruit, vanilla mock cream and a timid, yet discernible Jaffa note.

Finish: Marvellously chewable finish. A real pleasure to mull over in between sips. Sticky date pudding notes, more chocolate and coffee with cream on the side, with a pleasant, damp earthiness becoming noticeable as the fruit flavours fade. Just enough pepper on the tongue to keep it crisp and neat.

Bloomin heck, Jimmy – this is a pearler! So easy to drink it’s scary. Smooth, with little if any alcohol burn noticeable (amazing, really – at just a smidge under 50%abv.)

FROM JIMMYRUM

This exclusive bottling of our RumRum is one we have been waiting for a special reason to bottle for.  Barrel 41 was filled with a slightly lighter profile than our standard RumRum distillate.  As it’s aged over the last 5 years, we have been tasting it and found it to be a standout amongst a lot of our barrel.  Our best barrel?  Well, that is up for debate, but it is definitely one of the more outstanding tasting barrels we have, hence the reason we felt it was special enough for its own release.

ABOUT JIMMYRUM

Jimmy Rum Distillery is the brainchild of James McPherson. Just like our last two Aussie producers, independent bottler Justin Boseley, and Australian distilling legend Ian Schmidt, James McPherson is a ex- mariner. I’m not sure – but there seems to be some sort of pattern forming here with rum and a maritime association…. Can you imagine that? 

As his 20 year career at sea as a marine engineer was coming to an end, James McPherson started a ridiculous rumour of opening a rum distillery. The idea started to grow and before he knew it, James was on a trip to North America, the Caribbean and Europe to do some deep and thorough research on craft distilling (it was a tough trip!). Arriving home, well and truly bitten by the craft spirits industry, Jmaes was inspired by the incredible passion the distillers had for their product and the craft.

So there you have it. Who’d have thought that a throwaway line would come true? What started as a ridiculous rumour is now JimmyRum—a passion project to distil premium craft Australian rum.

The JimmyRum Distillery opened in 2019 in the town of Dromana on the Mornington Peninsula.  They have an excellent bar and restaurant – and run distillery tours and rum education sessions frequently! If you’re in non-lockdown Melbourne, the distillery is only a day trip away. I’m pretty sure if you mention you’re part of the ‘Tribe, Jimmy will make sure your visit is special!