Karu Distilling Specialty Cask #1 ‘Rumbledore’ – May 2024
To say we’ve been looking forward to May’s ‘Rum of the Month’ for over a year now is a bit of an understatement! Our incredible Karu/Rum Tribe collaboration, code named ‘RUMBLEDORE!’ has finally been bottled and is ready for the ‘Tribe – Karu Distilling Specialty Cask ‘Rumbledore’!
- Matured in a Grand Marnier cask (we think this is a first!)
- Filled with a single cask chosen by Karu and Rum Tribe
- Bottled at a Batch Strength of 55%abv
- First ever Karu Specialty Cask expression
Now Nick and Ally Ayres have been mates of the Rum Tribe since we kicked off back in 2020. In fact, they are OG members of the ‘Tribe and we’ve been thrilled to watch them win medal after medal, award after award for their spirits – and of course, especially their pure, single rum – Outcask!
Nick and Ally and I have been talking about ‘doing something really special’ for around 2 years now – waiting and watching for what that ‘special something’ would be. Then at the start of March last year I got a call from Karu saying they had found that ‘special something’ and I had better get down there quick smart! I arrived about 5 days later and was greeted by a beaming Nick and Ally (and Seb!) proudly showing off a still wet Grand Marnier cask. Ta-DA!
For those unaware – Grand Marnier is a blend of barrel-aged congac and orange liqueur and sugar. The mix is then further matured in oak casks – which is what Rumbledore is.
I am here to tell you; I have NEVER smelt such a lusciously irresistible cask in all my years of sticking my nose into small wooden holes. I just can’t describe how luscious this cask smelled. How sweet-and sticky-and-orangy-and-honey-y and utterly irresistible this thing was. I almost wanted to climb inside!
This was, indeed, the ‘special something’ we had been waiting for.
Now we had to name the cask. You see, Nick and Ally don’t just number their casks – they name them. Usually a topical rum pun. Barilyn Munroe, Edwood Woodward, Craig Stavid to name a few that feature in their barrel racks. After a while we decided on ‘Rumbledore’ and so it became!
And then came the onerous job of selecting what we’d put in it. It’s truly a dirty job to go through cask after cask with the distillers deciding what we’d like to fill it with. But we put our shoulders into the task, and by unanimous decision we all chose a single cask of Outcask rum named ‘Barol Caskin’ which was (at the time) just over 2 and a quarter year old.
So, in the sticky end-of-summer heat in the Devils Wilderness we filled Rumbledore with the contents of Barol Caskin and put it away to let time, and the Devil’s Wilderness climate do its thing. It ended up spending just a little over 12 months in the Grand Marnier cask to allow it to catch the very last legs of the 2024 summer heat before being partially decanted at 3.3yrs old total and bottled at a generous batch strength of 55% abv. (Cut with pure, Devils Wilderness rainwater).
This rum is a whole lot of firsts for Karu. It’s the premier of their new look labeling. It’s their very first ever ‘Specialty Cask’ expression. The first time they’ve used Outcask as a base for further experimentation – and you can take it to the bank that this won’t be the last of the ‘Specialty Cask’ Rums from Karu!
It won’t be the last time we see Rumbledore, either. They have refilled it with more Outcask rum (although not a single cask this time – rather the Outcask Core blend). Will we be seeing how it progresses and have it back sometime down the track? – you can bet your sweet booty on it!
Our Tasting Notes:
Nose: Just so much deliciousness going on in this nose. There’s orange peel and honey, fairy floss and aniseed. Wafts of black tea leaves and doughnut dough drift through evening jasmine and fruit salad.
Palate: Wow – big and palate coating – with an initial kick of pepper that settles right down (the smallest ‘bloop’ of water eliminates it completely). Big fruity num-nums come bursting out with a delicious vanilla-creaminess that keeps those big 50%abv shoulders right in check.
Finish: Lovely, looooovely finish. It’s as chewy as bubble gum, rich and round, with big sultana notes, licorice allsorts and black coffee, as a sense of the citrus curls in and out.
Whilst this rum doesn’t SCREAM ‘Jaffas’ or ‘Terry’s Chocolate Orange’ – once you learn how it was finished, it all makes perfect sense! There’s just so many layers of flavour here. A cornucopia of fruit salad, candied peel, creamy-vanilla-caramels, aniseed-y and coffee notes – all the way through to floral aromas. This is BIG AUSSIE PURE SINGLE RUM with a European twist (… and a heart of absolute gold!)!
FROM KARU DISTILLERY
Hey Rum Tribers!
This is the first stop on our specialty cask release for Outcask Rum and, what a stop it is and I’m excited you’re here for it.
We took a single cask of our fully matured Outcask Rum and aged it for a further year in a Grand Marnier cask to see what differences it brings to our staple favourite.
What to expect is a richer aroma that you typically get from fortified or liqueur barrels with subtle sweet citrus of orange with candied spices. I have made a hefty dent in my bottle which is a good indicator we’re onto something good.”
Tasting Notes:
The Grand Marnier cask brings a new layer of sweetness to the aroma of Outcask Rum. Alongside subtle candied citrus, a hint of vanilla and warm spices whilst still keeping true to the notes of tropical fruit and creaminess from the original rum.
ABOUT KARU DISTILLERY
Launched in 2018 Karu Distillery by husband and wife team Nick and Ally, the focus has always been to create quality spirits that highlight the science and art of the distillation process.
Based in the Devils Wilderness NSW the range has grown to include Affinity a contemporary Australian gin, Lightning a navy strength gin, Morita a chipotle vodka and, of course, Outcask – their delicious golden rum.
Karu is fast becoming one of Australia’s most awarded distilleries, in 2021 Lightning gin took out the Trophy for best contemporary gin at the International Wines & Spirits Competition.
