Twenty-seven residents enjoyed a tour of the Beenleigh Rum Distillery and enjoyed even more a tasting of the many liqueur rums on offer. Beenleigh is Australia’s original rum and 130 years later still making rum the traditional way. Following the rum tour, we had lunch at the famous Yatala Pie Shop. A pleasant few hours was had by all.
There were 2 different bus trips down to the distillery. Rumour has it that one of the groups was far more adventurous in checking out the products. The Beenleigh product proved to be a delightful surprise, so the odd purchase was made for future indulgence.
It was an informative tour, learning of the history of the area that led to the building of the rum distillery. The site has been severely affected by flood on a number of occasions, but the original building was strong enough to withstand the metres of water. Markings on the building show the height of the different floods.
Did you know? Beenleigh the town took its name from the distillery. The name came from the name of the British farm of some of the original settlers.
It was the Albert River and the sugar cane grown on its banks that gave rise to the original rum distilling in the early days. SS Walrus wandered up and down the river with its still, before legal operations began in 1884.
Many people, including would-be mayors of our city, are still not aware that the Beenleigh Rum Distillery is well and truly back in business. According to the staff at Beenleigh, and some reviews, the distillery, though much smaller, looks like giving Bundy “a rum for its money”, as they say in Good food article.
Join Elements Newsletter