When we started the new Red Mill project, we weren’t really thinking about the old CSR rums that originally filled the unique, brown Fesq bottles way back in the 1930s to 1970s. There’s no particular reason for this, other than I always thought of Red Mill as a drink of the times, and it’s simply a different time now – different tastes, different needs, different appreciations. It was never so much about recreating it, as it was about continuing the Red Mill journey.
I also had a reference point I had learned to love first hand while living in the Caribbean- the golden, spicy and refreshing Rums known as Spanish or Cuban style rum.
So, we set about working on fermentation and distillation trials through 2020, first working on equipment we leased at a commercial distillery, before using our own still. These were column distillations based on refined sugar fermentations, and were by design light and elegant. Refined but delicious in style. We made Rum throughout 2020 and 2021 with that approach and filled ~200 casks.
In 2021, while waiting to commission our own distillation capabilities, we also had our friends at another Sydney distillery make a batch of new make Rum for us. They have a large pot still, and this molasses based Rum created a nice counter point in the blends.
In each case, we always have a real focus on balance and deliciousness. Today, we have our own production capabilities in the White Bay distillery.
The last part is, without question, the most important in our eyes. We elevage (age/raise) our Rums in a section of casks we have sourced from around the world. Often from areas or estates that would never share barrels. Generally, they are all ex-grape/wine casks, meaning they previously held either fine wine, some type of fortified wine or a brandy, (like Cognac). We also balance this with a suite of ex-Whiskey casks. Blending these in various ratios creates our three core Rums – the Classic, the Original and the Gold.
The journey continues, of course, as we’re finding our way with the Rums we’ve made. (We released our first aged Rum in May 2024).
David