QHA-Review_July_digital

A SPIRITED BUNCH
WE’RE ALSO ZERO-WASTE. AFTER PRODUCING OUR RUM, WE ARE LEFTOVER WITH A
COMPONENT CALLED DUNDER, WHICH IS DIRECTED TO ORGANIC CATTLE FARMS.
“Nil Desperandum is made with production techniques
and ingredients that directly reference some of the
greatest rums from Jamaica, for example, the use of
dunder and muck. They are components that we use
in fermentation to create elevated flavour profiles in
both taste and aroma.
“The rum is premium quality at an affordable price,
which we know is very significant. We are getting a
lot of interest because it’s a rum that hospitality venue
owners and publicans can easily embrace. We’ve
been very aggressive on pricing to make sure there’s
not necessarily a barrier there, so publicans won’t have
something sitting on the back bar that’s priced outside
the range of a typical drinker.
“We really focus on our rum’s quality regardless of if
they’re being mixed or not. Obviously, most rum in
Australia is consumed with a mixer such as coke or
ginger beer, but you’ll see this rum is absolutely good
enough to drink neat over ice,” he said.
Matt said one of the most wonderful things about
the rum and their business is that they are the only
distillery that can, hand on heart, tell people that
there’s no chemicals, additives or waste in their
production process.
“Other companies just simply can’t do that, so we
are very proud. We know that’s of interest to many
consumers and people wanting great quality rum in
their venues and pubs but not necessarily wanting to
go and order a Caribbean rum.
“We’re also zero-waste. After producing our rum, we
are leftover with a component called dunder, which
is directed to organic cattle farms. We’ve got this
beautiful holistic story about the liquids running off the
back end of production as a waste product and used
as a livestock food supplement in the dairy and beef
industry,” he said.
Nil Desperandum also founded the 1871 Club. In
addition to many other benefits, for $999-a-year
the club provides rum fanatics with five single barrel
releases. Matt said the club also allows members to
get a bit of an insight into their large variety of rums.
“We’ve got some very special barrels among the
several thousand we have on site currently. Obviously,
single barrel rums are often at a higher ABV than what
you’d find in a retail or bar setting, but they’re really
capturing the imagination of rum fans that, up until
now, haven’t had the same ability to support local
distillers
“Lovers of rum in Australia tend to spend their
money on exotic rums from overseas, including the
Caribbean. Of course, that’s traditionally been where
the best rums in the world have come from, but we
know that as consumers are finding out about our
brand, we are getting real interest in Australian rums,”
he said.
For anyone interested in sampling Nil Desperandum
fine spirits and witnessing the ageing of Australia’s first
Certified Organic rum, their distillery is open from 10am
daily to the public. Matt said they love showing visitors
around, and see first-hand everyday how locally made
spirits are being embraced in the industry.
“It’s probably not that long ago when publicans were
reluctant to devote taps to craft or local craft beer.
That reluctance certainly belongs in the past, but we’re
very excited that a Queensland publican can have an
independently owned artisan rum at an affordable price
and embrace what we already know is a movement in
other states,” he said.
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