HUSK RUM – Inside The Barrel House

WORDS: Ocean Road Magazine PHOTOGRAPHY Supplied

Come join us on a new voyage of taste

It’s March. It’s hot and humid, the cane growing season is in full swing and summer rains have filled the rainwater tanks. The distillery is busy distilling and bottling gin, rotating barrels, blending and bottling rum from past years spent resting on oak.

In the quiet calm of the barrel house, away from the bustle and clink of the bottling hall, two men are contemplating racks of rum barrels filled more than three years ago. They seek complexity and balance. The younger man pulls a valenche from a barrel and fills two glasses, handing one to the older man while meticulously recording aroma, congener notes, oak levels and flavour. He is Quentin Brival, Head Distiller and native of Martinique, the home of Rhum Agricole. The two discuss the grassy, herbaceous, citrus notes of the spirit. The older man, Husk founder Paul Messenger, finally says “That’s it, that’s what we are looking for – the spirit of the Caldera Coast”.  They select several barrels and roll them out to be carefully blended for the next batch of Husk Signature ACR – Husk’s premium Australian Cultivated Rum marque.

Born out of the soil, water, climate and 160 years of cultivation of sugar cane in the Tweed Valley, inspired by a yearning passion to craft the defining spirit of the Northern Rivers region, Signature ACR stands as a testament to the unwavering commitment of these men to quality and authenticity. From freshly crushed cane juice to new rum spirit sub-tropically ageing in charred Australian wine barrels, every drop captures the essence of its origin. With Husk Signature ACR, Australians are invited to taste something new, developed over 12 years of craftsmanship, learning, and pioneering a new style of rum.

Husk Signature ACR embodies the true character of this land. With toasted oak, dried fruit, fresh pineapple and blonde tobacco notes it offers a premium sipping experience that complements the fabric of life in this place.

Husk Signature ACR is now available online, from Husk Farm Distillery and by request from your local bottle shop. www.huskdistillers.com