The spirits that are bottled as part of this Series capture the true Spirit of The Grove – a refined elegance that can only be achieved through time and experience. A true collector’s item and a nod to the heritage of the first distillery in the Margaret River Region.
Every barrel we use at The Grove tells the story of the spirit it nurtured. From time to time something truly extraordinary is produced, worthy of our exclusive ‘Collector’s Series’.
The spirits that are bottled as part of this Series capture the true Spirit of The Grove – a refined elegance that can only be achieved through time and experience. A true collector’s item and a nod to the heritage of the first distillery in the Margaret River Region.
This rare, collectable series deserves only the best, which is why we will bottle these small-batch releases in our French cubic bottles, with hand-written labels including each bottle number, barrel number and barrel type.
Beginning as a plot of land in 1995, growing through years of hard work and good spirits, The Grove Distillery has time on its side. Steve Hughes, Founder, who has never been satisfied with ‘normal’, acquired a traditional copper still from Germany in 2008 to establish The Grove as the first Distillery in the Margaret River Region.
From there it’s been courage and refinement with James Reed, Head Distiller. Together they source the best botanicals nearby, or from around the world, and distil and mature them in barrels which once housed wines, ports or other drops from this region.
As one of the few Australian small-batch craft distilleries to make dark spirits from inception, The Grove now has an envious collection of barrels ageing away in our Still House including whiskys, rums and bourbons.
It’s from this collection that James and Steve often find something truly unique, that may have been ageing for almost a decade, or that was placed in a barrel sourced from this world-class wine region where we reside, infusing the contents with a truly different taste.
The first product worthy of this special series is a delicious spiced rum. With Easter on the horizon and the chance to once again enjoy the traditional fruit spiced hot cross buns that we love to toast and slather with butter, our Head Distiller James Reed couldn’t help but notice how well these seasonal, cinnamon-y, fruit-studded treats meld so well with the rich molasses of our dark rum. So, why not make a Hot Cross Rum?
This special release rum is made from dark rum that has been aged for over 4 years in the Grove’s own ex bourbon 100 litre barrel. James and Assistant Distiller Matt have taken the traditional flavours of a hot cross bun; spices, raisins, orange and vanilla and steeped the ingredients in our dark rum to marry together over many months.
The result is a delightful tasting rum, with a sweet spice and raisin aroma that tastes like caramelised raisins, vanilla and cinnamon on the palate with notes of clove and a hint of molasses and orange, and finally, a finish of sweet, lingering raisins and molasses.
Enjoy this rum neat, with a hot cross bun of course! For other ideas, check out our suggested cocktails in the Cocktail Recipes section.
Shop the Hot Cross Rum today.
