TBRC Black Gate Distillery

TBRC Black Gate Distillery is a single cask from the small New South Wales distillery Black Gate, chosen by the UK's That Boutique-y Rum Company, an outfit known for honest, no-additive bottlings curated by Peter Holland. Distilled on a pot still from molasses and aged three years in ex-bourbon oak, it is bottled at a hefty cask strength of 57.2%.

Despite the high proof, the character here is on the lighter, more restrained side. The nose offers dried fruit, the palate runs light with vanilla and a touch of sawdust-like oak, and the finish stays woody. The three young years and the active barrel give it a clean, oak-led profile rather than a heavy pot still funk, so it reads as straightforward and one-note rather than complex. A splash of water tames the strength. It is best approached as a young, honest cask-strength curiosity from a niche Australian distillery, of interest to those exploring the country's emerging rum scene.