Red Mill has unveiled the latest release in its Special Cask Series, Ocean Rum (Bottling #1), after sending a specially-selected barrel on a voyage to Hobart and back.
In January, Red Mill strapped a single barrel of its rum to the foredeck of historic replica ship Endeavour for a journey down the coast to Tasmania and across the Bass Strait before returning to Sydney harbour.
Red Mill Rum Founder David Fesq says the idea came to be when he and Anthony Longhurst, Captain of Endeavour, spoke about the rich history shared by boats and rum, and by 2024 a barrel of rum was setting sail on the foredeck of the boat.
Selected from almost 300 barrels of aged rum at the Red Mill distillery, the prized Quarter Cask was just over 100 litres and made from recycled staves which previously housed a variety of different liquors. While the timber imparts a unique depth on the rum, the cask was also exposed to sea air and in constant movement through rough currents and ocean waves.
Fesq says: “The whole point of this idea is to bring a final flavour to the rum that can’t be achieved any other way. For a little over six weeks, this cask of aged Red Mill Rum has been exposed to the sun, waves, rain and constant rocking that really brings the integration of the oak and the liquid to another level. Timbers expanding and contracting. The rum warming in the day, cooling at night.”
After six weeks at sea between Sydney and Hobart, strapped to the boat in a hardwood cradle handcrafted by Fesq’s father, Mark, the barrel was returned to Red Mill in February with a little more angel’s share gone than usual.
Since de-casked at the distillery in Rozelle, the rum has been decanted and proofed down to an ABV of 42 per cent and bottled under the Special Cask Series. With only 193 hand-numbered bottles available, Ocean Rum (Bottling #1) will be available tomorrow from Red Mill.
Fesq continued: “You’ll find it’s got the classic Red Mill profile of golden, gently sweet biscuits and toffee, but with an added length and richness that this whole process has added. You’ll also taste that hint of salinity that surely comes from prolonged sea air exposure. We love it and are very proud to release a small amount to our Your Shout! Club Members.”
Richard Wesley, Assistant Director Fleet and Collections at Sydney’s Sea Museum, added: “Rum and life at sea have a long history together. It conjures romantic images of pirates but it was actually a staple of the nautical world. The Royal Navy supplied a daily to sailors from 1866 up until 1970. We were pleased to honour this tradition by welcoming the Red Mill cask on board our return voyage to Hobart to give a traditional sea finish to the contents.”
