A whisky to rock the rum world

The Gospel have launched their next limited release, Single Cask Rum, the very first cask they laid down in their first distillery over 7 years ago.

Single Cask Rum is an experimental project from The Gospel and fans of the Melbourne distillery should know that it is not made from their iconic 100 per cent unmalted rye grain mash bill. Instead it undergoes its final resting place in one of The Gospel’s freshly disgorged Straight Rye Whiskey barrels, making it a truly unique and exciting release.

“You can only ever do anything first, once. This Single Cask Rum is exactly that for us - the first barrel we filled at our first distillery in South Melbourne, Cask #001," said Andrew Fitzgerald, Co-Founder of The Gospel.

“Everything at South Melbourne was so hands on - from re-coopering the barrel and stirring the mash by hand to making all the cuts purely on taste - and the end result speaks for itself. While it is bittersweet to see Cask #001 go, I am immensely proud to share it.”

Double distilled in direct fired pot stills from Australian sugarcane, Single Cask Rum was aged for most of its life in a re-coopered Australian red wine cask that had been charred in the alleyway behind the South Melbourne distillery, and kept at ground level to ensure a slow, gentle maturation. The rum was finally transferred to a freshly disgorged Straight Rye Whiskey barrel, adding an additional layer of complexity and further emphasising its unique character.

The result is an exceptional 7-year-old single cask rum that has been finished in a rye barrel. Expect notes of dried apricot, brown sugar, toffee, crème caramel, roasted hazelnuts, orange marmalade, nutmeg, cinnamon, jasmine and leatherwood honey. It is aromatic on the nose, salty and savoury on the palate with a warming rye spice to finish.

“We laid this first barrel down when Ben and I were full of hopes and dreams. We’d quit our jobs and had no idea what the future would hold. It was a time of blissful ignorance," says Fitzgerald.

“Single Cask Rum is a barrel that predates our obsession with rye whiskey and the weird post-pandemic world we live in today - it’s a barrel from a simpler time. What should you expect of this single cask release? A deep and undeniable pot still rum funk and sweetness followed by a backbone of rye whiskey cask influence. I can’t wait to rock the rum world with this baby!”

Enjoyed on the rocks or in a Dark ‘N’ Stormy, Single Cask Rum is best shared in the company of family and friends.

The limited release will be exclusively available to purchase online at 8:30am Wednesday 28 September from The Gospel Whiskey for RRP $135. It will join the brand’s core range, Solera Rye and Straight Rye Whiskey.