Still Spirits Aussie Gold Rum essence, what it does

Where a gold rum sits

A white rum is clean and gets out of the way, and a dark rum is all molasses and oak and wants to be noticed. A gold sits between the two, which is why it's the most useful bottle on the shelf for most people, because it has enough character to taste like something on its own and it still plays nicely in a mixed drink.

Still Spirits Aussie Gold Rum is that middle profile, put into a neutral base you already have rather than made from scratch.

What you are actually doing

You're flavouring a bought spirit, which is legal and needs nothing from anybody. Distilling is the other thing, and distilling spirits at home needs an excise manufacturer licence from the ATO, which is a federal requirement rather than a state one. Owning a still is fine. Running one without that licence isn't.

How to use it

The rate is on the bottle. Mix it right through the base, then leave it a week or two, because a rum essence keeps developing after you add it and the glass you pour on the first night isn't representative of anything.

If you want to nudge it towards the dark end, a little oak gets you most of the way there. Add the rum profile first, let it settle, and only then decide whether it needs wood, because doing both at once leaves you guessing about which one you overdid.

What to drink it with

It suits anything with cola or ginger beer, it's decent over ice, and it takes lime better than a dark does. In cooking it behaves like a lighter version of the dark, so a caramel sauce or a marinade will take it.

Shop related products

• Still Spirits Aussie Gold Rum Spirit Flavouring 50ml. This is the bottle the post is about.
• Still Spirits Top Shelf Classic Queensland Gold Rum. This is another gold profile and it is worth tasting against the Aussie Gold.
• Still Spirits Top Shelf Jamaican Dark Rum Essence 50ml. Go here for the dark end of the same idea when you want more molasses.
• Still Spirits Mellow Oak Spirit Flavouring 50ml. Add a gentle oak note to push a gold rum darker.

Did you know we also hold the oak soakers in bourbon and in whiskey, plus a rum one and the barrel chips, in the shop, and none of it is online. Give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check what's on the shelf.

Where to go next

The homebrew range has the rest of them, and Brewhilder will talk you through what suits the spirit you are making.

Worth reading next: How to flavour a spirit at home with essences and How to infuse a bought spirit at home.

A gold rum is the one I keep meaning to leave alone for a fortnight and keep opening after 4 days.