Velier Beenleigh Fine Australian Rum 2015

This is a 2015 Beenleigh selected by Velier, the Genoese house that built its name on full proof, additive free Caribbean rum and applies the same eye to Australia. Beenleigh is one of the country's oldest distilleries, and this bottling follows the Velier template to the letter: bottled at cask strength, with no added sugar, colour or flavouring, so what reaches the glass is shaped only by distillation and wood.

The spirit is made from molasses and drawn off both pot and column stills, then matured in ex-bourbon casks for five years. The result leans dry and fruity rather than sweet, with pear and citrus on the nose carrying into spice, vanilla and young oak, and a finish that stays peppery and bright. At 59% it arrives with some heat, and a little time in the glass lets the orchard fruit settle and open. One for drinkers who like their rum dry, fruity and unsoftened, closer to a Calvados register than a dessert pour.