Riverbourne has added a Rum Cask expression to their range of whisky and named it the Initiative. This is has a great Rum nose which transitions into tropical fruit and Christmas Cask. If you have not heard about the range of Rum from Riverbourne, they make theirs with a Molasses base and their own Jamaican style Dunder. This gives it a great level of depth and spice.
Tasting Notes
Colour: Burnished Gold
Nose: Rum influenced nose of Vanilla bean, stewed fruits and Coconut.
Palate: Tropical fruits with spice, which develop into Christmas cake flavours and subtle cinnamon.
Finish: Long drawn out finish which is peppery and sweet.
| Distillery | Riverbourne |
| Name | Initiative - Edition 1 |
| Distilled | Uknown |
| Cask | Ex Wine (American and French Oak); Ex Rum |
| Cask Numbers | 87, 129, Finished in 56 |
| Bottled | Nov 20 |
| Bottles | Uknown |
| ABV | 52.0% |
| Size | 500ml |
Riverbourne Distillery
Established in 2015 and located 50 minutes to the South East of Canberra. This remains the local distillery of Canberra and fondly Riverbourne's water is sourced from the same river which feeds Canberra's Lake Burley Griffin. Martin Pye founded the Distillery and leveraging from his background as a Chemist (4th Generation) he embarked on a journey to follow his passion. His craft began distilling Rum and this led to perfecting his Whisky.
At a height of 1060 metres, this makes Riverbourne one of the highest distilleries in Australia and adds to its unique maturation. Fresh spring water is used in the production and Riverbourne remains one of the few distilleries in Australia which hand mashes their Barley. When it comes to the fermentation, Martin's deep knowledge of ester profiles and fermentation really shines above the rest. He uses a single 900 Litre Traditional Pot Still which is steam driven and jacketed. This bring a softer style of spirit by allowing balanced and uniformed heat in the boiler.
A variety of imported and local barley are used, along with a noteworthy cask selection for maturation. While nestled around the Talaganda State Forrest and Deua National Park, it feeds fresh air for maturation. However the real beauty comes in the afternoon when the sea breeze is feed up the Clyde Mountain giving a much cooler climate which optimises the maturation of Riverbourne spirit.
With an annual production of 5,000 litres, it allows Riverbourne's artisan spirit, to remain crafted by hand and passion.
