The Grove Christmas Rum Cask

Description

LIQUID CHRISTMAS CAKE! Well it’s official…Christmas is here! We are stoked to have secured an allocation of The Grove Christmas Rum Cask Batch #2 with Christmas spices and flavours by the bucket load.

But wait up! This is NOT A SPICED RUM…this is a PURE RUM and every single flavour comes from the amazing spirit and meticulously chosen casks it is aged then finished in.

The Christmas Rum Cask is a nearly 6-year-old, pure single rum from Western Australia’s beautiful Margaret River region. Distilled in 2017 from a fermented molasses/brown sugar mash in a copper pot/column hybrid still. Primarily aged for a smidge under 5 years in a single ex-Cabernet cask, then transferred into an ex-Tokay (a sweet, white wine – originally from the Tokaj region of Hungary) barrel for a years’ worth of finishing. Bottled just for Christmas at 46%abv.

The result is easily the most classically ‘Christmassy’ rum I have ever tasted. As a ‘concept’ rum – it hits the nail right on the head. This is an elegant and sumptuous ode to plum pud, Christmas cake and fruit mince pies that will have you salivating at the first smell. What’s even more amazing is that this is a pure, single rum. There are no infused spices or fruits, no added sugar and no caramel. This is all the work of the spirit plus choice of wood to age and finish it. This rum absolutely showcases the talent in distilling, and maturing rum that The Grove Distillery team possesses, it seems, in spades!

We hate to be the first to say it – but ‘it’ is just around the corner now so we are doing everything we can to make sure you’ll be stocked up right with everything rum-wise you need to see out the silly season, and even keep a smile on your dial the whole time.

Our Tasting Notes

Nose: Wow – the nose is exactly like sticking my face into the towel that wrapped my  mums rum-soaked Christmas cake whilst it matured (as a kid – I swear I don’t stick my face into mum’s cakes anymore!). It’s uncanny!

Palate: A succulent and viscous mouthfeel gives way to a huge fruit mince and Christmas cake hit. It’s all there – the nutmeg, the all spice, the cloves and, of course, those sweet and sticky stewed fruits and mixed peel. There’s even a distinct (and utterly delicious) egg-nog note to round off the rich fruit!

Finish: No surprises here – waves of Christmas num nums roll around the mouth in a blissful yuletide spin cycle.

Man this is a rum that really hits the mark in what it was aiming to be – this is Christmas in a glass.  I must admit to being slightly sceptical of the 40%ABV– but I admit my scepticism was unfounded. This is defiantly not lacking in the big flavour stakes.  The Christmas Rum Cask is a rich, round and sumptuous rum that delivers exactly what it’s label promises. Ho Ho Ho!

From The Grove

In 2017 we made our rum mashes from heavy grade-A molasses, dark brown sugar, rainwater and yeast and fermented 7 to 10 days in 500 and 1000 litre fermentation tanks.

The mash was distilled through 5 runs in our 350 litre copper, Arnold Holstein, pot/column combination still to 68% ABV then cut back to 58% ABV with distilled water.

We sourced a fresh 225 litre, French oak ex Cabernet wine cask from a neighbouring vineyard and filled it with the rum, leaving it to age in our barrel stores for over five years.

We then dumped the barrel in September 2022 and filled an ex-Tokay barrel and let this age for a further 12 months in the top of our barrel store, allowing it to soak up the rich sweetness of the 10-year-old Tokay.

The Team dumped the barrel in late September 2023 and James slowly cut the rum back to 46% ABV with distilled water after which it was non-chill filtered and bottled ready for a very special Christmas release. The char of the ex-bourbon barrel imparts some smokiness on the rum and the sweetness of the tokay gives it its distinct Christmas flavours.

Crafted with dedication and aged for six years, this limited-edition release has been finished in ex-Tokay casks for the final 12 months, resulting in a rum that’s nothing short of superb, rich, and truly special.

Tasting Notes

Colour: A bright, deep reddish-mahogany tone that captures the essence of the holiday season.
Nose: Immerse yourself in the merry, familiar aroma of Christmas cake and fresh toffee, invoking cherished memories of yuletide treats.
Palate: The festive blend of caramel and vanilla, perfectly complemented by an infusion of rich spice and the subtle presence of dried fruits, gives the taste of a pudding in a glass.
Finish: A warm, smooth, and satisfying long finish, you’ll be cheering to this drop all Christmas long.

About The Grove

Established as a boutique winery in 1995 and evolving in to liqueur and spirit production in the mid-2000’s, The Grove Distillery was the first craft-distillery in Wilyabrup, Margaret River. From the beginning, Founder Steve Hughes and Head Distiller James Reed had a focus on dark spirits, and after nearly a decade of distilling and barrel-ageing rums, whisky’s and bourbons, this distillery is creating some one-of-a-kind pieces of Australian craft-spirit history.

Head Distiller James lived in the Caribbean in his sprightly youth and it’s here that he saw the locals in Saint John on the Virgin Islands making their rum in ex Jack Daniels barrels sourced from the US. He knew that to make a delicious dark rum he would need to do the same.

Luckily, James also makes some of the best Kentucky-style corn mash whiskey (bourbon) you can get. It’s the barrels that have aged our bourbon that we then use to age our Rum – giving it it’s distinct flavour.

We hand-bottle everything before it’s sent out, winning awards both locally and nationally for what we do here. This is the spirit of the Grove, its bravery, it’s not being satisfied with normal, it’s making bloody good spirits while having a good time.