In a collaboration that bridges beer and spirits, Three Tails Brewery has teamed up with Red Mill Rum to release a limited-edition stout cask-aged rum.
Aged in the same cask used to brew Three Tails’ Mudgee Mochaccino, Red Mill x Three Tails Stout Rum | Special Cask #2 is the latest release in the two producers’ collaborative ‘rolling thunder’ program – a process which involves aging spirit and beer in the same cask to add new layers of flavour and complexity.
Mick Ash, Owner of Three Tails Brewery, told Beer & Brewer it’s a project he’s wanted to undertake for a long time.
“We’d seen a similar initiative in the US at Rogue Brewery in Oregon – it’s one of our favourite international breweries (we also stock their whiskies and gins), so we thought the idea would work in Australia.”
Initially, the team at Sydney harbourside distillery Red Mill Rum selected a rum cask for the Three Tails stout which had previously been filled with rum. Last year, that cask was decanted and the rum set aside, before Three Tails Head Brewer Jono Beazley filled it with what became the Mudgee Mochaccino.
Once they’d finished with the cask, Three Tails returned it to Red Mill Rum to be re-filled with the decanted rum and matured until April this year, when the rum was hand-poured into 175 bottles for release. The result is a rum layered with a rich mocha bitterness and the depth of its stout predecessor.
“The rum is a beautiful combination of flavours,” Ash explains. “It’s rich, complex and haunting, with an unmistakable coffee and chocolate aroma, thanks to our Mudgee Mochaccino beer, which was brewed in the rum cask.
“Beer drinkers will love its incredibly smooth profile – the flavours all shine through, without dominating; it works beautifully together.”
Red Mill and Three Tails’ craft crossover
Available direct from both the brewery and distillery, this release marks an innovative crossover for Australia’s craft beverage scene and is just the beginning of the partnership.
The two producers plan to continue swapping the shared cask between brewery and distillery, alternating beer and rum in a rolling series of limited releases that showcase evolving complexity.
Ash says the brewery is also exploring several other partnership projects, including a rum-based ginger beer.
“We will be joining forces with Red Mill for another Sydney Beer Week event, to be held at the distillery, and for the official Mudgee launch of the collaboration rum later this month.
“For us, it’s all about partnerships – it’s really the only way to compete against the corporate giants! It brings a sense of fun and creativity back into an industry that has faced more than its fair share of recent challenges. This is really what being a small producer is all about – working together to create something that’s truly unique.
“This kind of collaboration really fits into what we love doing – working with other like-minded brewers and distillers. It’s really one of the perks of being a small, independent brewery – we can work on projects that are interesting, fun and promote our passion for boutique beer,” Ash explains.
Red Mill Rum Founder, David Fesq, added: “Mick and Johnny from Three Tails were some of our earliest supporters – we’ve been enjoying their beers, just as they’ve been enjoying our rum! We’d been chatting for a while about the great history of barrel-aged beers, as well as the classic marriage of rum and beer.
“Three Tails are a wonderful partner for Red Mill; they share so much of the same philosophy – hand-crafted, authentic and real.”
The Red Mill X Three Tails Stout Rum is available exclusively at Three Tails Brewery, or online from Red Mill Rum, throughout June, with wider distribution expected from 1 July.