MAD MONKEY BOTRYTIS – WILD, RARE & ABSOLUTELY UNMISSABLE

Tribe… this month we’re unleashing something truly special. Something wild. Something decadent. Something that captures Adelaide’s soul in a bottle.

Introducing Mad Monkey Botrytis – a Rum Tribe exclusive, and a strictly limited release crafted with nothing but wild yeast, patience, and pure Mad Monkey chaos. This is the kind of release that disappears fast and becomes legend even faster.

The Mad Monkey Botrytis cask begins as molasses sourced from the three sugar refineries of the NSW Northern Rivers – Condong, Broadwater, and Harwood Sugar Mills. This was diluted then allowed to ferment in an open-top container utilizing only the natural yeasts in the air of the distillery. No dunder, no muck, no ‘commercial’ yeast – just 100% airborne naturally occurring ‘Dudley Park’ yeasts (I mean can you even get more ‘terroir-ey’ than that?) for 2 weeks at 33 degrees. Twice distilled in Mad Monkey’s copper pot still ‘Albert’ – matured exclusively for 3 years and 8 months in an ex-Starward (American oak) whisky cask that was seasoned with botrytis wine, then cut with reverse-osmosis purified water to our bottling strength of 45% abv.

🥃 A RUM WITH WILD ADELAIDE DNA

This beauty starts with molasses from the Northern Rivers of NSW, then ferments in an open-top tank using only the wild airborne yeasts floating around Mad Monkey’s distillery. No dunder. No muck. No shortcuts. Just pure Dudley Park terroir doing its thing.

“No dunder, no muck, just 100% airborne naturally occurring ‘Dudley Park’ yeasts…”

Twice distilled in their copper pot still “Albert,” matured for 3 years and 8 months in a first‑fill botrytis seasoned cask. And yes – that botrytis barrel smelled like heaven.

🔥 WHY THIS RELEASE IS A MUST‑GRAB

• Exclusive to Rum Tribe – you won’t find it anywhere else.
• Strictly Limited Release – hesitation = heartbreak.
• Wild Yeast Fermentation – true Adelaide terroir.
• Pure Single Rum – double pot distilled, zero additives.
• Botrytis Cask Finish – rich, delicate, and dangerously moreish.
• 20.8% angel’s share – the heavens took their cut… what’s left is magic.

This is the kind of rum that makes collectors sweat and drinkers grin.

🌴 MAD MONKEY – ADELAIDE’S RUM REBELS

Mad Monkey isn’t just Adelaide’s first dedicated rum distillery – they’re award magnets.

• Champion Rum – Royal Australian Spirit Awards 2023, 2024, 2025
• Best Rum – Tasting Australia Spirit Awards 2025

Their tiki‑themed rum‑garden, sugarcane patch, yuzu orchard, and bee‑hives make the place feel like a tropical oasis dropped into an industrial precinct. And Alec – the mastermind behind it all – is one of our own Tribe members.

“A testament to the flavour, balance, and craftsmanship behind every bottle.”

💥 THE BOTRYTIS MAGIC

If you’re not sure what ‘Botrytis’ wine is all about – well it’s like a supercharged sweet, dessert wine. Botrytis wine, commonly known as “noble rot”,  is crafted from grapes deliberately infected with Botrytis cinerea, a mould that pierces the grape skin. This process causes water to evaporate, concentrating sugars, acids, and flavours to create richly textured, honeyed wines.

The mould requires specific weather conditions-misty, humid mornings followed by dry, sunny afternoons-to properly develop. If the weather stays wet and humid, the fungus can turn into destructive “grey rot”. When conditions are perfect, the mould dehydrates the grape, which shrivels like a raisin and gains a complex, intense flavour profile.

“Producing a delicate and complex rum that is moreish to say the least.”

⚡ FINAL WORD

Mad Monkey Botrytis is everything we love: rare, wild, handcrafted rum made by people who live and breathe the craft. This is Adelaide terroir in a bottle – a rum with a story, a soul, and a finish you’ll think about long after the glass is empty.

Strictly Limited Release. Only for Rum Tribe. Only this month.

Don’t miss your chance. This one will be talked about for years.

Our Tasting Notes:

Nose: Rich, luscious and heavenly. Seriously, this nose is incredible. Rich fruit mince cooling on Nan’s stove top with just a touch of wild yeast funk on top of fruit salad, milk bottle lollies and some fresh vanilla pod in there and a sprinkling of candied citrus rind as well.

Palate: Wow – Alec mentioned mint and I totally get it! A surprisingly light mouthfeel with more of that rich sweet fruit – but with a peppermint highlight on the palate. Notes of Pascal’s chocolate eclairs  and espresso coffee.

Finish: Medium length finish and rather dryer than expected, actually. Those fruit notes perpetuate but are much less sweet than they presented on the nose. No big changes or spot-changes in the finish, just a mellow fade out that keeps you smacking your lips as the flavours roll around.

Wow – this rum is incredibly well layered with superb alcohol integration. It’s (dangerously) easy to drink neat, sublime to ponder over with a big cube of ice and I can say with certainty – sits perfectly with a splash ginger beer and lime. Haven’t thrown it in a Daquiri yet – but I’m sure That Rum Chick will let you know how it stacks up in one of those shortly!

From Mad Monkey

This rum was produced using solely wild yeast that resides in the distillery, combined with the delightfully delicate Botrytis influence from the barrel, producing a delicate and complex rum that is moreish to say the least. A solid 20.8% angel share.

Method: Double Pot Distilled
Yeast: Entirely Wild Yeast
Maturation: 3yrs 8 months
Barrel: American Oak & Ex Mariposa Botrytis

Zero additives except reverse osmosis water to break back to bottle strength.
Non-chill filtered.
Designed to be sipped neat, over ice or however you damn please

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Medicinal, Citrus oils, Copper and Allspice
Palate: Caramel, Mint, Cedar and a lingering mineral finish.

About Mad Monkey

Way back in 2018, long before global pandemics and capacity restrictions were a thing, two monkeys were stumbling along their own crooked paths, dwelling on their dreams of bringing a slice of the Caribbean to little old South Australia.

Through sheer serendipity, the two monkeys’ paths crossed deep in the Barossa Valley, at an annual Australian Distiller’s Conference. After bonding over their shared ideals, and comparing their varied skill sets (and with the aid of some of Australia’s finest spirits) two Caribbean fever dreams began to manifest themselves as one…

7 years later, we present to you Mad Monkey – South Australia’s first dedicated rum distillery, nestled deep in the heart of Dudley Park. Using a mix of open fermentations, specialty yeasts and a little black magic, we aim to introduce our world to yours.