Husk Spiced Bam Bam summer Release: POSTPONED

The summer release of Husk Spiced Bam Bam has unfortunately been pushed back until next year. See enclosed a note from our Founder Paul explaining in more detail the history & future of this sought after rum.

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“There’s no denying that Husk’s Spiced Bam Bam has had a short and demanding history, with constant supply shortages and out of stock notices that have forced us to make difficult decisions and carefully manage allocations.

As we enter a new era for this much loved liquid I thought it timely to reflect on where it came from and where we are going with it.

The spice bill for Spiced Bam Bam was developed during 2017 and the first batch of 493 cases was released in December that year.

Over the next 3 years, a total of six batches were released, based on liquid drawn from 36 barrels filled between 2013 and 2016 in our original green shed.

That shed was our pilot plant distillery where we commenced our journey into the art of juice fermentation and distillation.

In 2018 we moved into our beautiful new distillery and commissioned our Forsyth still, and after 67 batches of Ink Gin, 55 Barrels of Fresh Cane Juice rum, two barrels of Condong Molasses rum and one barrel of Whisky, it was with a heavy heart that our original 1000 litre pot still was retired to take pride of place at the entrance of our new distillery and cellar door.

Over the course of the 2018 harvest we got to know our new still. At first she was a bit stand offish, as we were, for she was different in so many ways, but as winter blurred into spring and the hot steamy nights of summer approached we fell in love. Our relationship was forged in fire and, no doubt, will last a lifetime or more.

Our 6000L Forsyth still: “At first she was a bit stand offish, as we were, for she was different in so many ways”

2018 was a watershed year for us as we found ourselves in an exciting world of colour, aroma, flavour and new experiences that we hadn't been able to explore before. The days of hand cutting cane were over and despite a record cane crush of 296 tonnes, we realised the need to reserve all of the juice rum, hard won, for our finest unaged Pure Cane and the premium aged rums that would take years to fully mature. 

There was an obvious need to create a fine base rum spirit in sufficient volume, to be aged and turned around after two years ensuring year-round supplies of our famous Spiced Bam Bam. To that end, we began trialling fermentations and distillations of cane honey from the Condong mill, six kilometres upstream from Husk. Cane syrup is evaporated cane juice, prior to the sugar crystallisation and separation process – it’s different to juice. 

That year we also started exploring new barrel options, filling mostly ex-Bourbon barrels from Lynchburg Tennessee and ex-wine from Penfolds in the Barossa. We were now exploring more avenues after focusing mostly on virgin oak over the previous 6 years.

It was inevitable that the day would come, which it did earlier this year, when we would empty the last barrels set aside from that old green shed for Spiced Bam Bam Batch 6. The remaining 10 barrels from those early years, some now holding 7 year-old rum, will be slowly released as premium aged sipping rums over the next few years.

And this brings me to our challenge: selecting from the barrels of cane honey rum from the 2018 harvest, when so many things were so new, to create a blend worthy of our original spice bill that many have come to love.

This challenge has kept our boys busy for the last few months as they methodically worked their way through 80 barrels, sampling, testing, tasting and meticulously recording their findings.

Well, I am pleased to say that what Quentin and Adam presented to us today, samples of their select liquid with preliminary infusion of whole botanical spices, has got everyone here super pumped.

Connoisseurs out there, of which you are many, may well discern the subtle differences arising from the divergent paths taken in this new direction, but I have no doubt that all will be comforted by the first aroma - that reassuring foundation of a rested and well oaked sugar cane spirit that Spiced Bam Bam lovers have come to expect.

There’s no doubt that this spiced rum is, at its heart, a true rum - a fine rum, honestly crafted. And although the finished product remains some months away (expect a release in late February or March 2021), the original spice bill is already showing positive signs. The orange peel, roasted wattle seeds, ginger, vanilla, cinnamon and golden berries are very much still there and promise a balanced marriage of real rum and real spices that will delight all whose lips it passes.

Native ginger from Husk Farm, ready to be infused into Spiced Bam Bam.

However it wouldn’t be right to simply let this nuanced, subtly different base rum go quietly into the old Spiced Bam Bam bottle unannounced, so we will mark its entrance with a name change. From the next batch we will drop the word Spiced to mark this new direction and it will become known simply as BAM BAM.

I do hope you enjoy the end result when finally released and appreciate our commitment to always get the best possible liquid in a bottle bearing the name Husk.”

- Paul Messenger

Founder & CEO | Husk Distillers | December, 2020