Is the Australian rum renaissance coming?
Words by Husk Founder Paul Messenger
It seems like the rum category has been on the brink of a “renaissance” for at least 10 years but much of the premiumisation seen in other categories like gin, whisky and agave, driven by premium imported and local craft brands, has largely bypassed the rum category which remains dominated by mass market standard brands.
There are of course some stand out exceptions to this including the Bundaberg Master Distillers range which command significant premium prices and have been embraced by consumers with solid volumes. Spiced rums have also outperformed the category and there is a small but growing presence of ultra-premium imported brands including growing interest in imported French Agricole.
The very strong interest in agave provides an insight into what the future may look like for the rum category. In particular, the close similarity between agave spirits and agricultural or juice rums suggest the potential for a rapid increase in interest in this unusual style of rum. Both are fresh agricultural products that are typically produced directly from farm to bottle and as such exhibit that elusive character of “terroir” having a distinct taste and sense of provenance or place. They are also both highly versatile, are consumed in unaged, white or dark aged versions and are widely used in similar cocktails.
There are similarities between agave (pictured above) spirits such as tequila and cane juice spirits like French AOC Agricole Rhum and Australian Cultivated Rum.
Cane, like agave, is a raw agricultural product which has distinctive terroir.
The huge Australian cane industry which spans a 2100 km long strip of the coastal plain from Grafton in northern NSW to Mossman in Far North Queensland could revolutionise the category and the development by Husk over the last 10 years of an Australian Cultivated Rum expression made from freshly crushed cane juice will be pivotal to the development of this fundamentally new style of Australian rum. Is the Australian renaissance coming? You better believe it!
