By Amy Looker in Bundaberg
Bundaberg Rum has opened the doors to its Barrel House, a state-of-the-art facility at the distillery's home in Bundaberg, Queensland.
The new Barrel House, which is the official home of Bundaberg's Master Distillers' Collective (MDC), is set to become a major tourist attraction that gives visitors the chance to view up close the craftsmanship that goes into each bottle of Bundy.
The MDC was launched in 2009 by three master craftsmen from the Bundaberg Distilling Co. (BDC), in a bid to produce unique handcrafted liquids to rival the best boutique rums in the world.
Since its establishment, the MDC has released three unique rums, the 10 Years Old, Port Barrel and Golden Reserve, with a new addition to the collection set to be released in coming months. [continues below]
"We are thrilled to open the Barrel House and give a new home to the Bundaberg MDC. Only the ideas which are genius become rums in the MDC, and we look forward to seeing what future inventions our exceptional team of distillers, bondsmen and expert blenders come up with next," said Matt Bruhn, director of the Bundaberg Distilling Co.
The Barrel House is equipped to give Bundaberg's three master distillers the chance to experiment with different styles of rums and barrels, allowing them to create unique, top-shelf examples of Bundaberg Rum, while also sharing the experience with the thousands of visitors that come to the distillery each year.
"For over 100 years we've been making the same product, but with this barrel hall we've given our master distillers the chance to play around and experiment with different styles", Bundaberg brand manager, Duncan Littler, told TheShout.
"The Master Distillers' Collective isn't just three guys – it's the whole distillery and everyone involved has embraced the concept. This is a whole new ball game for Bundaberg."