Holmes Cay Single Cask Rum Australia Beenleigh 2012
Holmes Cay Single Cask Rum Australia Beenleigh 2012 is a 122-proof (61% ABV), 750mL single cask rum from Australia's oldest rum distillery — all-molasses, 100% pot still spirit distilled in 2012 at the Beenleigh Artisan Distillery in Queensland, aged 6 years in Australia and 4 more in the UK for a full decade in oak. Bottled at cask strength with no sugar, no coloring, and no additives, it's an uncompromising look at what Australian rum can be. Order online at Del Mesa Liquor for San Diego pickup or delivery.
- Proof / ABV: 122 proof / 61% ABV (cask strength)
- Size: 750mL
- Age: 10 years — 6 in American oak in Australia, 4 in ex-bourbon in the UK
- Origin: distilled 2012 at Beenleigh Artisan Distillery, Queensland, Australia; bottled in New York State
- Production: all-molasses, 100% pot still; 4 barrels selected; no additives of any kind
Australia's Rum, Unfiltered
Beenleigh has distilled rum in Queensland since the 19th century, but almost none of it ever left Australia in a form like this. Independent bottler Holmes Cay — founded by rum obsessive Eric Kaye — buys single casks from great distilleries worldwide and bottles them exactly as they are: full proof, nothing added, nothing taken away. The Beenleigh 2012 is a bruiser of a rum, oily and pungent at full strength, that rewards a splash of water with banana pudding, toasted marshmallow, and black-pepper molasses. For the full lineup, browse our rum collection.
Tasting Notes
Gentle vanilla and sweetness on the nose over an oily core of molasses and black pepper. The palate is fruity and punchy — fresh mint and savory notes at full proof, opening to banana pudding and toasted marshmallow with water. The finish integrates oak and minerality, dry and warming.
How to Enjoy
Neat with a healthy splash of water — at 122 proof it demands tempering, and the reward is a completely different, softer rum. Adventurous mixers can deploy it in a split-base Mai Tai or a stirred rum Old Fashioned.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Holmes Cay?
An American independent bottler specializing in single-cask rums from around the world — each release is one cask (or a few), bottled at full proof with no additives.
Why was it aged in two countries?
Six years in Australia's heat, then four in the UK's cooler warehouses — the split maturation gives both tropical intensity and slow, oxidative polish.
Is it sweetened?
No — no sugar, no coloring, no additives. What you taste is the rum.
Full-proof Australian rum doesn't come around often — get Holmes Cay Beenleigh 2012 online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.