Tag Archive for: Australia

Requiem SV Songvaar – August 2021

Four words to excite any rum lover – ‘Tin Shed Distilling Requiem’! This month we bring you the latest in the series – Requiem SV Songvaar.

The legendary South Australian distillery has released their second rum and we have ALL of it for the Tribe! Tin Shed released their first rum release, The Requiem ‘SS Ferret’ to much fanfare, rave reviews and a complete sellout almost instantly. Turns out the Rum Tribe has a long history with head distiller, Mr Ian Schmidt, and we begged him to give us all of his new release Requiem SV Songvaar for our members.

The boys at Tin Shed know what they are doing when it comes to distilling fine spirit and matching it to first rate wood. The Requiem SV Songvaar is a molasses based rum, distilled in copper pot-stills at the distillery in Adelaide. Aged onsite for 5 years in Jim Beam bourbon and charred port casks, then blended and finished for 2 years in a shiraz cask. This is Australian artisanal distilling and maturation at it’s finest and like their first release, will quickly become a collectors item.

Their first rum release won Best Australian Rum in 2020 at the ‘Tasting Australia Award’s – then went on to the World Rum Awards in 2021 where it took out a gold in the 6-10 year old category. Not bad for a distillery’s first foray into rums, dontcha think?

This is a serious pot still rum for grown-ups, with no added sugar or spices, no added colour and non-chill filtered; and no better way to raise a glass to those in peril on the high seas. 

Requiem SV Songvaar

By definition, a ‘Requiem’ is a final mass, a prayer for the dead, a final tribute. Each release of the ‘Requiem’ brand will pay tribute to a ship, wrecked or lost at sea – and to the seafarers who sailed in those ships.The Requiem SV Songvaar continues this tradition.

Whilst this is only the second rum Tin Shed Distilling has released, they have been making world class spirits since 2010.  Previously, Ian and Vic at Tin Shed Distilling have been specialising in Single Malt Whisky and their brand ‘Iniquity’ is legendary in both Australian and international whisky circles and is certainly no stranger to gold medals. Their Requiem Rum brand is quickly following suit. They’ve also started playing with Vodka as well, so look out for a hat-trick of different gold-medal winning spirits in the Tin Shed stable very shortly would be my bet.

Get out your glasses, chill down your shakers and get some nice cubes of clear ice ready for Requiem ‘SV Songvaar’.

Requiem SV Songvaar

Our Tasting Notes:

Colour: Rich Reddy-brown

Nose: Sweet funky oak notes give way to banana custard with a hint of new-leather

Palate: Lovely mouthfeel. Rich fruit mince, a little spice, a touch of caramel.

Finish: More of the same – all the flavours take a bow as the curtain slowly closes.

A delicious and fruity rum that exhibits the pleasing leather notes I’ve come to know and love from the Tin Shed stills.

  • PRICE : $149


  • ABV : 46%


  • BOTTLE: 700ml


  • REGION: Australia

  • No Added Sugar/ No Added Colour/Non-Chill Filtered


Requiem SV Songvaar

FROM TIN SHED DISTILLING

This rum is a little too civilised for hard core rum tragics. The exposure to the FO Shiraz cask has lent extra layers of complexity and subtlety not normally associated with funky rums.  Delightful!

Nose: A hint of faint civilised Jamaican funk, Caramel, orange, mixed spice, Chocolate, Baked Apple and cinnamon

Palate: Moderate civilised Jamaican funk, chocolate, raisins and Demerara sugar

Finish: Sweet and gentle lingering finish, Dutch liquorice

ABOUT TIN SHED DISTILLING

Tin Shed Distillery was established in 2010 by Ian Schmidt and long time drinking buddy Vic Orlow. Ian is a straight talker with little time for fake extravagances – and his distillery certainly reflects this attitude. From the unassuming front door, through to the utilitarian stacks and rows of ageing whisky, to the small stills – this is grassroots craft distilling at it’s finest!

There’s no ‘Visitors Centre’ here (although Ian welcomes visitors by appointment) – the distillery is the visitors centre. What you get is plain and simple – almost spartan. A distillery, bond store, bottling plant and office all under one roof. It’s all about the spirits at Tin Shed Distilling.

What Tin Shed Distilling lacks in size, flashyness or ‘pomp’ it certainly makes up for in the quality of it’s products. Ian and Vic’s philosophy is ‘only bottle what we like to drink’ – and the results of this attitude were apparent from day one. The very first batch of their Iniquity Single Malt Whisky made the Whisky Bible’s ‘Liquid Gold’ list in 2015 with a score of 94 –described as “a gorgeous experience”. Subsequent whisky bottling have won many accolades and now it’s Tin Shed’s rums turn in the spotlight!

Whilst awards are great, with a distillery as small as Tin Shed, they don’t drive sales. As Ian puts it – “by the time the results are out, we’ve sold all of the spirit we entered”. What’s more important to the boys at Iniquity is feedback from ‘the Den’ (Tin Shed’s members club) and the drinking public at whisky shows. Love this rum – then join Iniquity’s ‘the Den’ and stay up to date with all new Iniquity releases and everything that’s happening at Tin Shed Distilling.

Tin Shed Distilling
Tin Shed Distilling

About SV Songvaar (1884-1912)

The Songvaar was formerly known as the Barcore and built as a three-masted iron ship at Stockton, England, in 1884. The vessel measured 278.6 feet (84.9m) in length, 40.8 feet (12.4m) in breadth, 24.5 feet (7.5m) in depth and displaced 2128 gross tons. It was built by Richardson, Duck and Company, and was a large vessel by sailing ship standards, built during the heyday of sail when iron ships had reached a pinnacle of design.

The Songvaar sank on the same day as the Titanic – but unlike that disaster, the story was not tragic in terms of human loss.

Whilst at anchor between Point Pearce and Wardang Island the Songvaar’s captain was ashore arranging clearance, leaving the vessel fully loaded. On board the chief mate saw dark clouds on the horizon and dropped a second anchor in preparation for a storm. The storm blew out, the tide dropped and the Songvaar sat onto the second anchor, which pierced the hull just behind the foremast. With decks awash and the wheat swelling, the Songvaar settled “peacefully and quietly on the bottom” (Chronicle, April 20 1912) standing fully upright. Several salvage attempts failed and the vessel remained upright for eight years until it was damaged by a storm. It was subsequently demolished with explosives as it had become a hazard to shipping.

Today the Wreck of the SV Songvaar sits in around 10m of water which makes it easily accessible to divers.

HUSK Pure Cane 50 – March 2021

For March we go completely left (sugar cane) field and have an amazing drop for the Tribe that defines ‘farm to bottle’ from one of Australia’s leading distilleries. A spirit that is as pure as it looks in the bottle and has to be made with only the freshest sugarcane, hence is only made and released once a year.

Be warned, the crystal clear nature of this belies the absolute flavour monster that it is. Once you crack the top, the nose will instantly let you know you’re in for something very special – even lifechanging! We are absolutely tickled pink to be offering the very latest release (Batch 3 – 2020 Cane Harvest) of Husk Distillers legendary ‘Pure Cane 50’ – even before the distillery itself does!

For those who haven’t tried a pure, unaged agricole before – be prepared to be amazed! This is a sweet, sweet treat that exudes funk and cane sweetness.

Husk Pure Cane 50

The Pure Cane 50 is the big (and I mean BIG) brother to Husk’s Pure Cane. The ‘standard’ Pure Cane is 40% – but the ‘Pure Cane 50’ is (as the name suggests) sold at 50% ABV giving the otherwise delightful ‘Pure Cane’ the kick in the pants it needs to really get that sweet and funky vibe!

The Agricole style of rum (based on the fermentation of fresh sugar cane juice rather than molasses) is the lesser known brother to most of the rums we Aussies tend to drink en masse. It must be made from fresh sugarcane juice and so is seasonal to produce. We’ve featured Agricole style before (the fabulous ‘Iridium X’ from Mt Uncle  is one example) but we’ve not released an un-aged agricole before. Apart from being rested for ‘several months’ – the Pure Cane 50 is pretty much as it comes out of the still (100% column still for this release). In this context, unaged means it has spent exactly zip, zero, nada time in a barrel.  No time in wood means no colour transferred to the spirit – hence it’s totally clear and without colour. The Pure Cane 50 is distilled, then left sit to ‘rest’ a month or so in totally inert containers before being diluted to the required strength and then bottled. SIMPLE!

Yep, unaged Agricole is definitely a blast right out of left field for those who have never experienced it before – and this Husk Pure Cane 50 is an absolutely brilliant example of the style.  What’s more – the Rum Tribe has got the scoop on yet another fantastic product – yes, we’re proud to be the first in Australia to offer this 2020 harvest Pure Cane 50. We’ve even got to market before the distillery itself! :)

Check out the HUSK Cocktail Booklet!

Our Tasting Notes:

Nose: Fresh cut cane at first with a funky over-ripe tropical fruit note that really stands out. A touch of lipstick there as well in-behind it all plus a ‘mystery note’ that I cannot quite place! 

Palate: Sweet, fruity, with some spice. Coats the mouth nicely with a big sweet burst of tropical fruit, a little spice and a weirdly (in a good way) astringent note that really gets in behind the tongue. 

Finish: Sweet and long, rolling through a tropical orchard with older fruit left on the ground. 

Husk Pure Cane 50

  • PRICE : $86


  • ABV : 50%


  • BOTTLE: 700ml


  • REGION: Australia

  • No Added Sugar/ No Added Colour/Non-Chill Filtered


Husk Pure Cane 50

FROM HUSK

This paddock to bottle spirit was made from sugarcane harvested towards the end of the 2020 season.

Pete harvested the sugarcane from the paddocks behind Husk Distillery and brought it to our sugar mill where Anthony and the team were waiting to extract the first press juice.

The fresh, vibrant juice was pumped straight into the distillery where our yeast got to work turning the highly concentrated sugars into alcohol.

The rich aromas and complex flavour compounds that developed in the fermentation reflect our unique terroir and the specific growing conditions of 2020.

These flavours concentrate in the distillation – for this batch, Pure Cane 50 was column distilled in our Forsyth still.

The distilled spirit was collected and slowly reduced, rested and gently stirred for several months to marry and preserve those bold characteristics.

Rum lovers will best enjoy this full flavoured cultivated cane spirit in a punch, a daiquiri or a piña colada.

Those who enjoy the sweeter things in life can also mix Pure Cane 50 with ginger beer and a squeeze of lime.

We hope you enjoy Pure Cane 50 – the new taste of Australian rum.

Husk Pure Cane 50

ABOUT HUSK

Husk distillery is a little different from most distilleries in Australia in that it practices a ‘farm to bottle’ philosophy. Sugarcane is grown at the distillery specifically for their rums. It’s this attention to detail that makes Husk a truly exceptional producer of quality spirits (most importantly… RUM!).

In 2012, Paul and Harriet Messenger decided that diversifying their cattle and sugar farms income streams would be a sound business idea. The fact that both of them are in love with Caribbean rums, and they were already growing cane on the farm made the decision to move into distilling a pretty easy (although nerve-wracking I’m sure) one. And so they set up a small distillery in a farm shed to begin learning their new craft. (See pic of small green shed in pics form Husk)

Husk Stills

Only a few years later is was readily apparent that their distilling business had outgrown the tiny shed that started it all – and they decided to ‘well’ get on with expanding. Not only making rums at this stage – but also gins. In fact, their ‘Ink Gin’ has become a best seller in Australia (and with good reason). And so in 2016, construction of a whole new distillery (complete with cellar door, bar and barrel house) was begun.

After 2 and a half years construction – the new distillery centre was finally completed in 2019 and is not only a wonder of modern distilling – but an absolutely lovely building to boot. If you’re travelling anywhere near Byron bay – it’s definitely worth a detour!

Husk Distillery
Husk Distillers

Iridium X Rum 10 year old – October 2020

The ultimate rum ‘Barn Find’! What happens when a distillery that has won dual gold medals for their 5 year old rum finds 2 barrels of 10 year old rum in the back of their bond store? The Iridium X Rum 10 year old!

The Rum Tribe is proud to exclusively present the only 10 year old rum ever released by The Mount Uncle Distillery – the Iridium X Rum 10 Year Old (and a single cask release at that!).

Hand crafted, estate hand-bottled, individually numbered – this single barrel rum is a small slice of tropical Far North Queensland for your tastebuds.

The Mt. Uncle Distillery is an award winning rum producer famous for their dual gold-medal winning 5 year old Iridium Rum and recently they found two 300L barrels of rum that have been forgotten about for 10 years in the back of the bond-store. One an Agricole style and one a dark rum. We have bought BOTH of them! One for this release and one for early next year.

This month we are very proud to have the exclusive access to Mark Watkins latest creation – The Iridium X 10 Year Old ‘Rum crafted with Sugar Cane’.

The fantastic ‘Iridium Gold 5yo’ from Mt. Uncle Distillery has won such high profile international accolades there are perhaps no Aussie rum-fans that haven’t heard of it. Produced in Far North Queensland in the Atherton Tablelands, the Iridium Gold 5yo took out ‘Best Rum in the World’ at the World Rum Awards in London last year. It has also won World’s Best Pot Stilled Rum 5 years and under at this year’s awards.

So..if 5 years ageing can produce a world beating FNQ rum, have you ever wondered what 10 years aging would do? Well – the time has come to find out for yourself.

This months fantastic The Iridium X Rum 10 Year Old is due for release to the general public later in the year  – but we here at The Rum Tribe get exclusive members only access on tasting this eagerly anticipated Far North Queensland (FNQ) NQ Agricole-style rum.

‘Rhum Agricole’ refers to rum made from sugar cane juice – as opposed to most rums that are made from molasses.  On the labels, the The Iridium X 10 Year Old is declared as ‘Crafted with Sugar Cane’ rather than Rhum Agricole – the reason for this is simple. Technically, you can only call a cane-juice rum ‘Rhum Agricole’ if it is produced in one of 23 designated areas of the French Caribbean.

Our Tasting Notes:

Nose: Sweet and oaky, chewy jube lollies tropical fruit and a big hit of crushed pineapple.

Palate: Smooth and creamy, more pineapple, coconut and tropical fruit juice.

The Iridium X Rum 10 year old

  • PRICE : $129

  • ABV : 47%

  • BOTTLE: 700ml

  • REGION: Australia

The Iridium X Rum 10 year old

FROM THE DISTILLERY

The Iridium X Rum 10yr Old is a cane syrup-based rum, produced from cane harvested off the rich and red volcanic soil of sunny Far North Queensland.

A single cask release which has been rested in ex-red wine all American oak Hogsheads in the tropical environment in the north of Australia. The tropical environment of Far north Queensland has allowed the Iridium 10yr to rest gracefully & depreciate in volume, with high amounts of angel share due to the FNQ’s warm climate.

The label is inspired by the environment in which the rum has been crafted and rested for its lifetime in Far North Queensland with the back-silk screen print representing the calm rippling waters of the Great Barrier Reef.

Hand crafted, estate hand-bottled, individually numbered this single barrel rum is a small slice of tropical Far North Queensland for your tastebuds.

Iridium 10 year olds younger sibling (the Iridium 5 year old) has taken out World’s Best Pot Stilled Rum Under 5 years in 2020 and World Best Rum under 5 years in 2019.

Nose: Sweet Sweet can and crème brulee

Palate:  Bottled at 47% ABV, the rum retains a sweet cane and crème brulee on the nose and forefront of the palate with middle touches of caramel, coconut and rice pudding and soft oak on the back end.

ABOUT MT UNCLE DISTILLERY

The Mt. Uncle Distillery must be about the best kept non-secret in the Australian spirits scene. I’m willing to bet that only a scant handful of our members have ever heard of it – I’ll bet even less know they make the world-famous Iridium Rum. Like I said – it’s not as if Mt Uncle distillery is a secret – it won Distillery of the Year in 2017 at the International Wine and Spirits Competition. In 2018, it won medals for all spirits it entered in the IWSC.  Mt. Uncle Distillery did receive some notoriety in 2015 with it’s ‘Big Black Cock’ single malt  whisky (with the obligatory, explanatory picture of a rooster on the label) – but the Mt Uncle brand seems to remain just under the radar of the average Australian spirits fan. We hope we can help change all that.

Built in 2001, the Mt. Uncle Distillery is the brainchild of Mark Watkins and it remains Far North Queensland’s only distillery. Mark originally hails from Tasmania where his dad and grandad (and great grand-dad) engaged in some “fairly dodgy stuff” (his words!). Of his ancestor’s nefarious activities, it is distilling which remains a firm childhood memory for Mark. Now a legitimate and licensed distiller, Mark has continued to involve family and his wife Claire handles the distilleries sales and marketing for Mt. Uncle.

Nestled in a banana plantation and surrounded by macadamia and avocado orchards – Mark set out to build a distillery that could showcase the local produce within the gins, rums and liquors that it creates.

One would think the climate too hot that far north to age spirits. However, being on ‘the tablelands’ means slightly milder highs (but still quite warm) during the day but cooler nights. That constant cycling of temperature aids the maturation process by causing more ‘movement’ of the rum in the casks – thus exposing more directly to the wood. The ‘Angels Share’ is surprisingly low at 3-8%. “Our locality allows us to get very fast successful ageing of spirits due to the warm days and cooler nights here in Walkamin,” he said. “We only use the best quality products and processes and that’s why our products shine.”

Mt. Uncle Distilery
Mt. Uncle Distilery