Is rum the unsung national spirit of Australia?
by Maxim Donni · Australian Financial ReviewMaxim DonniProduction editor, Life & Leisure
Oct 30, 2026 – 12.00am
With the excise on spirits in Australia sitting at just over $110 a litre of pure alcohol, making cheap rum has become a game solely for mass-production giants.
Boutique distillers are aiming to corner the opposite end of the market – wooing what David Fesq of Red Mill Rum describes as “a grown-up and potentially more affluent client in rum country”.
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Maxim DonniProduction editor, Life & LeisureMaxim Donni is the production editor of Life & Leisure at the Financial Review, based in Melbourne. He writes about dining, hospitality and culture, and was previously editor of Time Out and Concrete Playground. Email Maxim at maxim.donni@afr.com
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