Bundaberg Rum: A Bartenders' Opinion and the Public's Choice

So here we go.. I’m diving into a big one!

This is a subject that can often divide bartender and customer. It is of course Bundeberg Rum.

Many of my former colleagues would, at reading the title, decide to skip this one and wait for my next post. Or they may read on with baited breath to see how far I will go in bagging out the old Queensland Icon. I don't intend to promote or disparage the drinking of 'Bundy'. I really just want to give you all the info about the rum itself and the reasons bartenders will try and steer you to something else.

Rum is a spirit made from fermented molasses (a bi-product of sugar production) or sugar cane juice (pressed from sugar cane). As it is most often and easily made from molasses, it makes sense that the places where most rum is made are close to sugar cane growing localities. Bundaberg, QLD is a sugar production mecca, so what else would you do with all that bi-product? Make rum of course!

The Bundaberg Distillery has been producing rum since 1888, so you figure they know their stuff. Not only this, but the large quantities of it that are drunk around the country and for so many years has secured the rum as an Australian icon. Not to mention some of the hilarious advertisements they have put together that target the Aussie larrikin (one we all see in ourselves.. even just a little).

That doesn't mean it's all good. A certain stigma is attached to the consumers. Almost all pubs around Australia would pour you a Bundy & Coke if you asked for a rum, and pub culture is often associated with.. well I don't know how else to say it.. Bogans.
I love the pub, and I am a self-proclaimed metro-bogan. A crazy hybrid of the cultured city folk that grew up in the country. I get the best of both worlds. I can drink schooners in the pub and Manhattans at my favourite speakeasy-esque joint.
I have to be honest with you. I don't mind drinking Bundaberg Rum at the pub, because I'm at the pub!
For the most part, the bad name that rum gets is mostly due to its affect on those who drink it. Aggressive and violent behaviour is a tell-tale sign of many drinking rum. This isn't a Bundaberg Rum thing. There have been cases all over the world where rum has been a factor in violent and anti-social behaviour. I couldn't find any hard scientific evidence, but the social stigma attached to rum-swilling tradesmen may be a little hard to visualise if you're not from Australia. 


Take this for example (These images were taken from the Facebook site known as Bundaberg Rum Appreciation Society):

Or this:

Or even this...

You can probably see why people have certain ideas when they hear the brand name..

Have you as a customer ever been to a bar and asked for a Bundy & Coke, and had a bartender try and steer you to a better (and often more expensive) rum?
This is most likely due to to the images (as seen above) that are conjured in a bartender's mind about how your demeanour may change after drinking a few "rumbos", and even how you may act towards other guests.
There is another very important reason: after tasting rum from other English, Spanish and French settled islands you may begin to notice that Bundaberg Rum actually tastes bad in comparison. So maybe take his/her advice next time and try something new, as long as he/she is nice about it..


This brings me to my next point..

I cannot stand a bartender that alienates the customers!


I have, in the past, been guilty of 'rum superiority complex' as I like to call it. Not only did I look like a wanker, but I lost customers who inevitably told someone about the rubbish service they received at Bar X, inciting more people to patronise somewhere else.
The amazing thing about hospitality is that you, the customer, hold the key to a bar's success and word-of-mouth is a very powerful marketing tool. 
Try not to be too hard on them though.. most of us (I still count myself in the guild) are just extremely passionate about what we do, and that can come off as rude or pushy sometimes. But we don't really mean it! Promise! The loathing most bartenders feel for Bundaberg Rum can sometimes make them more hastily rude than usual, but we only want your taste buds to be satisfied. 


In Ireland, if a person walks into a pub and asks for a Guiness and the pub only serves Kilkenny, that person would turn on their heel and walk to the next pub, just for a pint of his favoured brew. I wouldn't call them crazy. I'd say "this is someone who knows what they like, and isn't willing to settle for anything else".


I have worked in quite a few bars in Brisbane (Bundaberg Rum's home-state capital) that don't even have a bottle anywhere in the bar. This is a sign of changing attitudes towards rum and a general knowledge boost of rum's customer base. I have also had people, when told that the bar doesn't stock it, walk out to find a venue that does. I think this is an incredibly admirable trait and brand loyalty is something Bundaberg Rum have developed very well. I feel they should be commended for that. 


I urge you, if you like Bundy there is a really good chance you will like other rums too. Just because you can't taste them as heavily through the coke, dry or ginger beer doesn't mean they are less potent, just more refined. 
Or if you are a loyalist, I say good on you for sticking to your guns. Do remember that Bundaberg Rum has been moving in a more refined and dynamic direction in the last few years. So maybe try some of their rum aged in port barrels or a 5 times filtered white rum! Maybe after these you'll be more adventurous and try something new.


I haven't tried the port barrel aged "Master's Collection No. 2" yet, but I'll try and find some and let you know how it goes!


So... Do you like Bundaberg Rum? Do you avoid it? Agree or disagree with what's been said? 
Comment below if you like. This was an article that took a long time to get 'just right' and it's always nice to know what you guys think.

xx