Dead Reckoning Venezuela – October 2025
Dead Reckoning is BACK! With a rum that started it all – the Saint Teresa…We are proud to launch to total Australian allocation of the 11.5 year old, rare single cask that is the Dead Reckoning Venezuela !
The Dead Reckoning Venezuela release is a rare offering from the Saint Teresa Distillery. Whist most of their rum is matured through their Solera maturation system (and released under the ‘Saint Teresa 1796’ label), this Dead Reckoning release is a scarce single cask release of this historic distillery’s rum.
We are stoked to have the entire Australian allocation for his latest Dead Reckoning creation. This single cask rum has been 11.5 years in the making. 8 years in Venezuela tropically aging in ex-bourbon cask before making its way half-way round the world to the ‘dry climate aging’ capital of Australia – Adelaide – for 3 and a half years in an ex-Makers Mark bourbon cask. Over the 3.5 years in Adelaide, the 200L cask gave a whopping 25% of its volume to the Angels – but in return those Angels increased the abv in the barrel by 3%.
The Dead Reckoning Venezuela juice hails from the Saint Teresa Distillery in Venezuela. The Saint Teresa Hacienda has existed since 1797 and was making ron (rum) from about 1830 – that’s around 200 years! The distillery and estate remain family owned and run to this day.
Now Saint Teresa’s main product (the Saint Teresa 1796) is a Solera style rum. The solera method is based on stacking multiple layers of aging barrels (called “criaderas”) on top of each other, with each layer progressively topping up the next one down and blending with it, year after year. The word “solera” comes from the Spanish word “suelo” which means “floor”. So as the angels take their share, the barrels are topped up with the contents of the slightly younger barrel and the average age of the barrel slowly increases over the years. The purpose of this labour-intensive process is the maintenance of a reliable style and quality of the rum over time.
While he might be the Barron or the Barrels, Captain of the Casks, the Doctor of Dry Climate Aging and indisputable Icon of Indy rum bottling in Australia – and fast becoming the world – Justin Boseley and his Dead Reckoning Rum brand!
But Justin wasn’t always ‘The Rum Baron’ – in fact it was during his tenure on ‘mega-yachts’ that he first discovered that the rum he’d been brought up on (so to speak) wasn’t actually anywhere near as good when compared to rums on the world stage. It was a Venezuelan rum that caused this epiphany – the Saint Teresa. And this month, Justin pays homage to the ‘rum that started it all’ with his very first release from the country that taught him what rum, ron and rhum could be! We’re proud to have exclusive Australian access (yes, we have to share Dead Reckoning with Europe and the USA nowadays!) to this sensational rum.
Our Tasting Notes:
Nose: A lovely floral, herbaceous nose with jasmine, fresh-cut vanilla pod and gingery citrus rind over a light funky fruit backbone
Palate: Slightly dry on the palate with little to no pepper. Huge and sweet on the palate, Big fruit notes with just a sprinkling of funk is the main attraction here. It’s Christmas cake with just the smell of nan’s custard on the stove, marmalade of buttery toast and more of those vanillery nums and candied peel notes.
Finish: It’s a rather short finish with a very clean, crisp end – however there’s little to no astringency (just the merest suggestion of ‘fruit tingle cheeks’. The fruity notes peak and fade quickly and you’re left with more of those lovely flowery, perfumy notes.
One sip of this and it’s easy to see how Justin Boseley’s rum journey was changed for good (.. and for the good!). Such bold flavours that come and go like a shooting star! What it ‘lacks’ with such a short finish, it more than makes up for whilst it’s rolling around your mouth.
FROM DEAD RECKONING
Looking back to the year 2000, it was my 1st year working on Superyachts . I was handed a rum by a fellow Ozzie deckhand whist working in Categena Spain . With 1 sip I knew my rum world had changed. The Queensland distilled rum I was used to was like 2stroke oil compared to what was in my glass – a Venezuelan rum. It became the staple diet for many months until we eventually took the vessel over to the Caribbean.
Fast forward to 2021 I knew I had to find & import some of Venezuela’s finest for a Dead Reckoning release .
A column still distillate usually isn’t what I aim for when chasing a new project , I traditionally like the robust overload of flavour provided with a heavy pot still. But … with a lengthy period of time with correct barrel management & influence a great rum can be created.
Surprisingly the ABV had a minimal 3% rise compared to 100% pot still high congerer rums like Killik & Jamaican examples I have in barrels. Definitely more homework & tests need to be undertaken to see what & why column still abv has minimal increases compared to the pot distilled rums.
A combination of tropical & Australian dry aged environments, this is a very easy sipper that stands up both neat or in a cocktail.
Enjoy !
ABOUT SAINT TERESA
The Hacienda Saint Teresa was founded in the Aragua Valleys of Venezuela in 1796, where it still stands to this day. It was first founded as a plantation growing coffee, cacao and sugar cane – the raw material used for rum. Our Hacienda is more than a home. It has withstood wars, revolutions, and invasions. Throughout our history, several events have allowed us to face adversities and rise to the challenge. This is a key element of the Saint Teresa mindset and continues to motivate us to produce the world’s best rums, all whilst making a positive impact within our community.
The Hacienda Saint Teresa has always been strategically located. It offers an abundancy of water, lush terrain, warm days and cold nights, all ideal for agricultural activities. It was the perfect location for maturing rum and growing sugarcane. The making of outstanding rums has become this country’s legacy over the ages.
Today, the Hacienda Saint Teresa is where all the magic happens. From harvesting the sugarcane to bottling our award-winning rum. The Aragua Valleys provide the perfect environmental conditions to age our remarkable liquid.
Saint Teresa is the oldest family-owned rum company in Venezuela. In 1826, a young German merchant named Gustav Julius Vollmer arrived in Venezuela and met a woman of revolutionary blood named Panchita Rivas. Soon after, the two married, and the Vollmer Rivas family was born.
It’s currently operated by the 5th generation of the Vollmer family, the great-great grandsons of Gustav Julius.
ABOUT DEAD RECKONING
Justin Boseley, has immersed himself in rum for the past 20 years; a journey starting as a deck scrubbing lad with a thirst for Rum and adventure culminated in him becoming a Chief Officer; driving billionaire’s mega yachts around the world. This life of salty seadog adventure took him to Rum’s heartland, the Caribbean islands for 6 months a year, every year.
When he wasn’t at the helm of a mega-yacht he could be found hanging off a bar or at a distillery sampling the best the Caribbean rum scene had to offer. Upon ending his days at sea there was only one thing he knew better that navigating around the world’s oceans- that was Rum. For 10 years Justin has scoured the globe discovering & importing the world’s best rums into Australia.
Dead Reckoning is Australia’s first independent rum bottler, and each release from his bond-store is an anticipated event that never fails to please! The Dead Reckoning brand has also recently branched into the US market with huge success. The Rum Tribe is incredibly proud of our close association with Justin and Dead Reckoning.
