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.

Get ready for EXCLUSIVE two-way barrel magic – A rum shaped by a beer, then beer shaped the rum! This is a true flavour feedback loop and perfect flavour symmetry with both products sharing the same DNA: vanilla, oak, spice, tropical fruit, and warming alcohols echo across the pairing in seamless harmony.

Our old friends at Lord Byron Distillery are back with their Double Wood Blonde Ale Cask Finish Pure Single Rum and collaborating with the crew at Common People Brewing Co. and their Rum Barrel Aged Billycart Blonde to create the ultimate matched boilermaker. Spirit meets beer, beer meets rum, heritage meets craft, and the combo absolutely sings.

What we have on offer this month, is a bottle of exquisite pure single rum from Lord Byron that was matured for 4 years in ex-bourbon, then finished for 4 further months in a cask that previously held the Belgian Blonde Ale. You also get a single 440ml can of 10.3%abv Belgian Blonde Ale that was finished for 10 months in a barrel that the Lord Byron rum came out of. Even if you don’t normally drink beer, this is an excellent opportunity to taste for yourself the effect these two products have on each other. It’s a totally excellent scientific experiment!

If you want more of the beer – it’s available in 4 packs from our online store!

We’ve featured a few releases from family-owned-and-run Byron Bay Distillery Lord Byron. Each expression of their pure single rums we’ve offered over the years has been nothing less than exceptional. We’re absolutely proud of our long-standing association with this amazing distillery and beyond excited to talk about this months offering – but it’s not just from them alone this time.

For two years now, Lord Byron have been sending some empty barrels into the Northern Rivers hinterland to their mates at Common People Brewing Co (in Bangalow). These still dripping barrels have then been filled with a Belgian Blonde Ale to soak up the rummy goodness for ten whole months!

A Belgian Blonde Ale (in case you’re wondering) is bright, golden, and dangerously smashable – crisp pilsner malt, spicy Belgian yeast, a flicker of soft fruit, and a dry, clean finish that hides its punch. Light on the palate, big on charm, it’s the kind of beer that looks innocent and drinks effortless, but absolutely knows how to make an entrance. In the case of the Barrel Aged Billycart Blonde – it’s an ale that’s not to be taken lightly – weighing in at a hulking 10.3%abv!

At 3.6 standard drinks per can – BEWARE! – this ale will frikkin’ have’ya if not handled with care!

Last year – they canned their first batch of their rum barrel aged Belgian Blonde Ale especially for the Bangalow Billy Cart Races. One of those barrels was sent back to Lord Byron and was then filled with 4yo ex-bourbon aged Lord Byron Pure Single Rum (as part of their ‘Double wood program’) and left to finish for another 4 months before being bottled exclusively for the Rum Tribe at a delightful 45.2%abv.

And so, we thought what better way to fully enjoy this rum – than to offer it with a can of the beer that helped shape it! The ultimate matched rum-boiler maker. But what is a ‘boilermaker’ anyway and where did the term come from?

A boilermaker is the ultimate “clock‑off and don’t talk to me yet” drink: a beer for the thirst, a shot for the feelings (originally whiskey), taken in whatever order your day demands. Born in the rough‑and‑ready bars of 19th‑century American metalworkers, it was the after‑shift ritual for the folks who literally built the boilers that kept industry running. They didn’t want fancy. They wanted fast. And thus the humble, heroic boilermaker was born – part refreshment, part reset button, all attitude. Toss the shot, chase it with beer, and suddenly the world feels a little less like a 12‑hour shift at the smelter.

Our Tasting Notes:

The Rum:

Nose: A light and floral funkiness to this one. Sweet caramel custard, sultanas, Allen’s pineapple lollies, jasmine flowers, with a delightful petricore framework holding it all together

Palate: Such a lovely viscous mouthfeel – it’s incredibly oily and deliciously mouthcoating. A touch of pepper precedes a big bowl of funky fruit salad with all manner of tropical delights to be found – lychee, pawpaw, mashed banana – with every colour jube twisting and turning in there as well. 

Finish: A liquorice note starts to become apparent as the palate morphs into the finish (it becomes also apparent when you sniff the empty glass that just held it too, interestingly). Lovely long and creamily chewable, with buckets of tropical fruit taking their turn in the spotlight.

Wow – this is a very Caribbean style rum from Lord Byron with that light, creamy, pleasantly (non-challengingly) funky fruit driven, less caramel-ley profile I associate with Caribbean rums as a generality. A lighter flavour profile – but certainly not lacking in flavour, in fact quite the opposite – this is a flavour bomb and a half. Just the flavour profile sits tilted more on the fruity/herbaceous/floral side than heavy caramel, Dutch liquorice, bitter dark chocolate and black espresso.

The Beer:

Look, I’m no beer expert by any stretch. I’m not a fan of lagers or bitters to be honest – but this Belgian Blonde Ale is an altogether different beast. It’s creamy, fruity and not as dry as the aforementioned. An ale has more residual sugar left after the ferment than lagers resulting typically in a sweeter beer (and this does sit on the sweet side), which makes it much more enjoyable to this spirit drinker.

Not my normal tipple I admit, but I’ll be grabbing another 4-pack to help finish the bottle with. Purely for scientific purposes you understand.(wink wink)!   

The Verdict:

Well to me, it’s the fruitiness that ties the rum and the ale together. Whilst all the hallmarks of Lord Byron spirit are there, this is a much fruiter rum than any I can remember from them (and I’ve just gone to check a few ½ empty bottles of Lord Byron to confirm).

FROM LORD BYRON

Nose: Layered and expressive with sweet bourbon cask influence over a floral, slightly herbal backbone. Caramel, cookie dough and honey sit alongside apricot and tropical fruit. Deeper complexity emerges with pine needles, jasmine, tree bark, dried ginger, clove and citrus peel notes. Subtle smoky, savoury and mineral tones add further depth.

Palate: Full-bodied and textured with a creamy, slightly waxy mouthfeel. Bourbon and rye spice lead into honeycomb, toasted oats, roasted nuts and salted vanilla. Fruit evolution moves through fermented pineapple to ripe tropical notes. Mid-palate layers of white tea, wintergreen, cedar, nougat and baking spice are supported by long, dry tannins and a defined oak structure.

Finish: Long, dry and evolving, showing bourbon warmth, dried apricot, toasted oak and nougat. Herbal and floral elements linger with soft spice fading gradually into a complex, drying finish.

FROM COMMON PEOPLE BREWING CO

We have been getting very creative and collaborative again down at the brewery with our regular autumn Belgian Blonde. For the second year running we have teamed up with Lord Byron Distillery to get some of our Billycart Blonde into some of their rum barrels.

Now, just as this year’s Bangalow Billycart Derby is about to kick off, we have released the 2026 version of this very special beer. This is an extremely limited release and won’t last long!

Over the past 10 months our Belgian Billycart Blonde has been residing in ex-rum barrels from our friends at the Lord Byron Distillery, creating an otherworldly beer for the senses.

When the brewers put their collective noses together, closed their eyes and inhaled the sweet aroma… mmmmmm..

Then tasted the nectar… yes, it’s all there…

The silky smooth vanilla and oak notes imparted by the barrels. The characteristic rum flavour. The phenolic and spice from the Belgian Blonde beer. And the warming heat from the higher alcohols. All working in perfect balance.

ABOUT LORD BYRON

The earliest record of the Restall family in Byron Shire dates back to 1897 when Jack Restall was the local butcher in Billinudgel. Although this fact wasn’t discovered by Brian and Helen Restall until recently, it explains why they have always had a deep sense of affinity with the area and to traditional trade and craftsmanship.

For several years, Brian was the CEO of Cape Byron Power, a local Northern Rivers’ 100% renewable electricity generator located adjacent to the local farmer owned sugar mills at Condong and Broadwater. It was within this role, Brian came to realise that almost all of the food-grade molasses, created by the local sugar mills, was used for cattle feed. Given the sub-tropical environment of the Northern Rivers region, Brian and Helen felt that there was clearly a higher and better use for a small part of this local molasses.  

Brian and Helen have travelled extensively and worked around the world. Brian loves dark spirits and Helen is passionate about light spirits. Together they strive to create a small-batch, handcrafted range of spirits that aims to deliver a superior tasting experience. They are members of the Australian Distilling Association and have been trained and mentored by Bill Lark’s team in Tasmania – Bill, being the first person in 153 years to get a micro-distilling license, and is affectionately known as the “Godfather” of the craft distilling market in Australia.

Today, Lord Byron Distillery stands as one of Australia’s most principled and quietly ambitious rum producers – a distillery that champions provenance, purity, and flavour without ever losing its laid back Byron soul. For the Rum Tribe, they’re not just collaborators; they’re old friends who keep delivering the kind of rum that reminds us why we love this category in the first place.

ABOUT COMMON PEOPLE BREWING CO

Common People Brewing Co. are situated in the lovely town of Bangalow in the Northern Rivers region of NSW. The people behind this new craft brewery are family and friends. They’re Common People. The majority of them were born and raised in the Northern Rivers region. After exploring the world and finding life partners, they each found their way back to their roots.

Common People has a core range of crafty and sessional beers that are always on offer, including an IPA, a Pale Ale, a White Ale, a Hazy IPA, a Lager and a Stout. They also get super crafty with Seasonable brews which hang around for a few months, and always have something new for you to try with their limited-edition Special Batch Brews. CPB Co.  have engaged Northern Rivers suppliers and builders throughout every phase of the brewery build. They work with nearby farmers and producers to facilitate circular business practices, such as donating spent grain to feed livestock.

From the Heroes of Hogo, the funsters of funk, the absolute dudes of Dunder! This is Killik’s oldest release to date, and we’re proud and excited to have it EXCLUSIVELY for the Tribe – The Killik Gewurztraminer!

The Killik Gewurztraminer is a high ester new make that was first matured for 4 years in ex-bourbon before finishing for 9 months in a Gewurztraminer Cask. Gewürztraminer is an aromatic white wine known for its intensely perfumed notes of lychee, rose petals, spice, and tropical fruit, and this really comes through in the finished rum. Disgorged at 62% then cut with reverse-osmosis purified water to 50%abv for bottling. And obviously – nothing at all added other than love. Just handcrafted, pure single rum.

The Rum Tribe is no stranger to Melbourne’s Killik Handcrafted. We’ve tried a range of their products over the years and our heart is always with their matured pure single rums – and this months Gewurztraminer is an absolute doozy!

Killik don’t make rum the way most Australian distillers do. Right from the start they lean into a flavour profile that’s still largely unexplored in Australia but absolutely iconic in the Caribbean: hogo, also known as funk. Jamaica is widely regarded as the spiritual home of hogo, but a handful of Aussies – Killik and Nil Desperandum among them – are proudly chasing that same wild, fruity intensity through the use of dunder and muck in fermentation.

And Killik aren’t just dabbling. Their raw spirit is genuinely world‑class. Their unaged rum, Killik Silver, has been racking up medals everywhere, including a Gold Medal and Best in Class at the World Spirits Awards. Their rum is being hailed worldwide thanks to some indy-bottlers (like Dead Reckoning) taking their product around the globe. They’ve proven themselves as Australia’s leading producers of high‑ester rum, and we’re absolutely bloody thrilled to be part of another Killik first: a Gewürztraminer cask maturation.

Hogo began as a Jamaican hallmark – an unmistakable, hard‑to‑describe aroma and flavour created in part by wild yeast fermentation. It’s bold, funky, fruity, and often downright outrageous. In Killik’s case, hogo tends to show up as tropical fruit, overripe banana, strawberry, bubble-gum, and a creamy, almost milky note.

The secret behind that funk lies in the wild yeasts that drive fermentation. And the secret behind those yeasts? Dunder and muck.

Dunder is the leftover material in the still after a distillation run – dead yeast, water, caramelised residue, and whatever other gunk can be scraped out. Traditionally, Jamaican distillers would toss this into a literal pit in the ground. Today, most use large containers like IBCs. Killik’s dunder pit? An old dairy vat – perfectly on‑brand.

The dunder is then “fed” with whatever carbohydrate‑rich fruit or scraps are lying around the distillery or nearby farms. This sugar kickstarts a secondary fermentation driven by whatever wild yeasts happen to land in the pit. The result is a bubbling, foul‑smelling, cow‑pat‑coloured vat of microbial chaos. This gloriously disgusting brew – rich with wild yeasts and the flavour compounds they produce – is called muck, and a portion of it is added to the next fermentation to seed the rum with the local wild yeasts.

The use of dunder and muck dates back to Jamaica’s earliest rum‑making traditions, when enslaved workers discovered that reusing these by‑products provided a reliable, renewable source of yeast. As rum production industrialised, distillers shifted to commercial yeast strains for consistency and efficiency. Wild fermentation – and the funk it created – nearly disappeared, surviving only in a few traditional distilleries.

Thankfully, the modern rum renaissance has brought dunder and muck back into the spotlight. And here in Australia, Killik have been the pioneers, reviving this old‑school Jamaican technique and proving that high‑ester, wild‑fermented rum can thrive on Aussie soil.

EVERY PURCHASE OF THE RUM OF THE MONTH GOES IN THE DRAW TO WIN!

Our Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose is massive and immediately apparent on popping the cork. An explosion of tropical fruits with pineapple leading the charge followed by a burst of Allen’s Strawberries and Cream and Milk Bottle lollies. There’s also some vanilla and candied peel there, a whiff of jasmine, a sprinkle of vanilla, as well as just a pinch of musty oakiness.

Palate: Big oily mouthfeel with a minimum of spiciness (esp for 50%abv), huge creamy fruit, reminiscent of spicy fruit roll bikkies – but sweeter. Lots of lollies from my youth come and go on the palate – more milk bottles, but also jubes, hubba bubba gum and a hint of musk-sticks as well.

Finish: As the sweet fruits of the palate fade – there is a burst of mild-menthol, some mild ginger spice, more vanilla and floral notes as it fades.

Once again Killik have really pulled out something special for us! This is a medium funk Killik with huge amounts of sweet lolly goodness. It really is a sweet-tooths rum with little to no dryness or tartness or astringency. This really is something different – sweet and oily enough to be mistaken for a liqueur at first – but this is all rum baby! Would make a sensational desert rum with a big cheese board with dried fruits. I won’t be mixing this – ever!  

FROM KILLIK

Hi Rum Tribe!

I am very excited about this rum! This time we have for you a high-ester, pot distilled release built on long, wild fermentation. It was intense, oily and full of tropical funk off the still. It spent four years in a single ex–white wine American oak cask to build character, structure, and depth.

On the nose, our signature ester profile leads with pineapple, papaya and lychee, layered with strawberries and cream, vanilla, and seasoned oak. 

A nine-month finish in a Gewürztraminer cask lifts the aromatics further, bringing floral intensity, sweetness and spice without losing that core estery punch. Gewürztraminer is a highly aromatic, floral and musky variety with distinctive lychee notes. It’s often used in fortified styles and is a natural fit for our ester-driven profile.

After tasting across a range of proofs, we chose to release this at 50% ABV, where the balance of fruit, funk, and oak showed at its best.

In my opinion, this is a fantastic release and I hope that the Rum Tribers are going to love it! 

Thanks so much and best wishes, 

Benjamin Pratt

ABOUT KILLIK

Born in Belgrave, Victoria, Killik Handcrafted Rum is a family run distillery that aims to fill the void of great Australian rum. Their aim is to create products that were not only top tier in quality, but are also the most unique Australian rum you can find.

“HIGH ESTER IS THE DIRECTION THE RUM WORLD IS MOVING “
Callan Pratt – Partner, Killik Handcrafted Rum

Our rum utilizes a wild fermentation which leads to a high ester content referred to as “hogo” in the rum scene. Killik Handcrafted Rum is the first Australian dedicated rum distillery committed to this traditional Jamaican style of rum production.

The Killik lineup is perfect for creating classic cocktails or enjoyed neat.