Black Gate: BG073 Cask Strength – Single Cask Rum

Nose: Sultanas, Golden Syrup, Nutmeg, toffee – strong and dark.

Palate: Lots and lots of juicy sultanas and raisins.  Some golden syrup – although not as much as on the nose.  Hints of cocoa and sweet spices.

Mouthfeel: Whoa – this is strong and thick.  A little burn on the tongue – but not as much as you’d expect from the ABV.  Quite dry.

Finish: Sweet spices, dried fruits, and some brown sugar.  It lasts a long time – the spices just don’t quit.

This Covid-19 special release bottling of Black Gate’s BG073 single cask rum is bottled at a whopping 65.4% ABV with no additives. It was a limited run of 10 bottles that were sold at a virtual Black Gate tasting held by Whisky Freedom / NTD Spirits. This rum will also be released as a standard release that is not cask strength.

There’s a bit of a story regarding how the barrel for this cask was obtained – with Black Gate having just finished getting a new still built, and having some leftover copper sheets. Burns (maker of said still) swapped the leftover copper for 6 casks – 2 of which were vintage Port casks, including the one that this rum was aged in, which is a 225L cask from McWilliams in Griffith.

The Black Gate distillery is is run by the husband & wife duo of Brian and Genise Hollingworth. The distillery is located in the Central West region of New South Wales, in the town of Mendooran – which is approximately 45 minutes north of Dubbo by road, about 6 hours north of Canberra by road, and about 5 hours north-west of Sydney by road.

All of the rum at Black Gate is distilled by Genise – with her husband, Brian, distilling the whisky. When making the rum, Genise uses a distillation technique similar to sour mash – with the pot ale being put back through with the next distillation.

This is one hell of a rum! Strong and sturdy, and absolutely bursting with flavour. This is a realy whisky-drinker’s rum; so even if you’re not much of a rum drinker (I won’t judge you – honest), I’d highly recommend giving this a go if you come across it – or even buying a bottle – and if you like your rum; don’t hesitate, just grab a bottle if you can!