Pechey Distilling Co reveals Condamine bell Rum
A family-run boutique micro distillery is taking their business to the next level, revealing a new distillery at their Pechey location, celebrating the occasion with the first craft-distilled Darling Downs rum.
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Inspired by the history of the Darling Downs do-it-yourself bootlegging moonshine distillers, the O’Brien family has released their very own boutique rum, which is sure to put Pechey spirits on the map.
A little over a year ago, father and son duo John and Ben O’Brien put their dreams of a distiller into a proposal to the council, and now they are merrily celebrating the occasion of the newly built distiller by releasing Darling Downs’ very own rum – Condamine bell Bootleg Rum.
More than 50 people braved the cold on Saturday to attend the opening of the distillery at Pechey Distilling Co, a property about 2km off the New England Highway set alongside the picturesque Pechey State Forest.
Condamine bell Bootleg Rum was a small-batch rum fermented from Bundaberg molasses which had been resting in a port barrel for almost three years, chief distiller Ben O’Brien said.
The family was very excited to share the rum with their friends and family as they released it to the wider public.
“Rum was probably the very first thing that was ever distilled in this region,” Ben said.
Reportedly back in the 1840s and 50s there was a family who lived where Grand Central is now who would distil rum, he said.
“People don’t realise distilling is part of the region’s history, but because of the prohibition, it pretty much died out,” he said.
The past 10 years had seen a resurgence in boutique small-batch distilling which had followed on from craft beer, he said.
“We’re bringing it back, and we’re pretty excited about that,” he said.
Ben said he could trace distilling back to his grandfather and was inspired by his bootleg ventures of making brandy from the grapes on the property.
“He was pretty famous for taking it down to the council meetings in Crow’s Nest,” he said.
“Apparently council was a lot more fun in those days.”
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