The Rum Consortium's 2026 Limited Edition Blend

Queensland Rum Day is being celebrated on 17th October 2026.

The day has grown in popularity and 2026 will be the fourth time the uniquely Queensland celebration of Queensland's most loved spirit will take place.

QLD Rum Day's vision is to become Australia's most celebrated spirit day, with a mission to highlight and support the richness and diversity of distilleries and rums produced across QLD.

The inaugural QLD Rum Day was held on 28th October 2023.

When the hard-working makers of Queensland's very best rums got chatting over a rum or two, they asked themselves the obvious question: "Mate, how good would a blend of each of our rums taste?"

A limited-edition blend created in celebration of Queensland Rum Day. Rum made from sugar cane nourished by Queensland sunshine and rain. It's the Australian Spirit.

Please raise your glass to Queensland Rum and drink it your favourite way. We love it over ice topped with ginger beer and freshly cut lime.

This year the Founders of The Rum Consortium, Beenleigh Rum, Bundaberg Rum, Kalki Moon and Nil Desperandum Rum, are joined for the second time by guest distillery Burdekin Rum and for the very first time by guest distillery FNQ Rum Co.

The six distilleries combine to craft a brand new rum in a world-first collaboration that aims to delight fans of each of the distilleries and attract new ones.

FNQ Rum Co. is located in Walkamin on the Atherton Tablelands, about 80 kilometres west of Cairns.

Lovers of Queensland Rum will be able to share that love with friends and family, with Beenleigh Rum, Bundaberg Rum, Burdekin Rum, FNQ Rum Co., Kalki Moon and Nil Desperandum Rum holding events and activations at their respective distilleries.

Queensland producers of rum and Queensland bars, pubs and clubs are all encouraged to get in on the act and raise their glasses to Queensland Rum.

Please get in touch with Beenleigh Rum, Bundaberg Rum, Burdekin Rum, FNQ Rum Co., Kalki Moon and Nil Desperandum Rum directly for more information about what is happening at their distillery for QLD Rum Day.

Yes. There is no restriction on the number of bottles purchased.

All bottles will be number 1 of 5,280 bottles.

$119.00 is the RRP for a bottle of The Rum Consortium limited release. Pricing is unchanged from 2025.

We can only set a recommended retail price. Retailers are then able to set the price they would like to sell the product for.

A small number of 200ml bottles have been made for promotional purposes by Beenleigh Rum, Bundaberg Rum, Burdekin Rum, FNQ Rum Co., Kalki Moon and Nil Desperandum Rum. However, they will not be for sale.

Online sales of the limited-edition The Rum Consortium release for 2026 will commence at 10.00am on Tuesday 13th October from the Beenleigh Rum, Bundaberg Rum, Burdekin Rum, FNQ Rum Co., Kalki Moon and Nil Desperandum Rum websites until allocations have sold out.

The 2026 Rum Consortium will also be available for purchase at the Beenleigh Rum, Bundaberg Rum, FNQ Rum Co., Kalki Moon and Nil Desperandum Rum distilleries from 10.00am on Saturday 17th October (QLD Rum Day) until allocations have sold out.

If applicable, online Click & Collect orders will not be available for collection until 10.00am on Saturday 17th October (QLD Rum Day).

Website orders requiring shipping will not be dispatched until Monday 19th October.

To find out more about the sales process for these bottles, please visit the respective websites of the distilleries involved.

This batch of The Rum Consortium will not be available from other retailers.

Born from the spirit of collaboration, this small-batch Queensland rum is the coming together of six distilleries united by creativity and craftsmanship. And a love of Queensland Rum.

Using molasses, sugarcane syrup and fresh-pressed sugarcane juice, it captures the rich agricultural heritage of the Sunshine State.

Fermented with both wild and cultured yeasts, and distilled and matured across Queensland before being artfully and skilfully blended, the result is a truly unique expression: this is a rum of place, diversity and depth.

Bottled at 40% ABV with no added sugar, it is a limited-edition release that speaks to Queensland's terroir and passion for exceptional rum.

The limited-edition The Rum Consortium release for 2026 is a blend of rums from Beenleigh Rum, Bundaberg Rum, Burdekin Rum, FNQ Rum Co., Kalki Moon and Nil Desperandum Rum of varying ages between 2 and 12 years.

Since 1906, "Queensland Rum" is defined by Australian law as a spirit of at least 37% ABV obtained by the distillation in Queensland and maturation in Queensland by storage in wood for at least 2 years of a fermented liquor derived from the products of sugar cane, being distillation carried out in such a manner that the spirit possesses the taste, aroma and other characteristics generally attributed to rum. Queensland Rum is most commonly made from molasses but can also be made from sugar cane juice, sugar cane syrup and sugar.

Yes. The Rum Consortium release for 2026 will only be available for a limited time until sold out.

5,280 700ml bottles of The Rum Consortium release for 2026 have been produced.

Without Chris and Duncan, QLD Rum Day and The Rum Consortium would not be the incredible successes they are.

The cheeky reference on this year's back label is our way of sharing our gratitude and celebrating Chris' recent appointment as Managing Director of Maggie Beer Holdings and Duncan's recent appointment as Chief Executive Officer of Bundaberg Tourism.

For 20 years Chris Illman was a key figure in Beenleigh Rum's Sales, Marketing and Hospitality team and the wider beverages business of Bickford's Group of Companies.

For 16 years Duncan Littler was at the forefront of promoting Bundaberg Rum, both as a brand and as an iconic tourist destination.

Burdekin is a great QLD Rum producer and was a Guest Distiller in The Rum Consortium 2025 Limited Edition Blend. For this collaboration they have taken their multi-award-winning Vintage Cane Spirit and held it in their signature PX casks for another 12 months to craft a rich and bold cane rum. This adds a heady scent of mixed spice and toffee to the nose of the 2026 Rum Consortium Blend, combined with traditional bright and grassy cane notes. The Burdekin cane rum adds another Queensland layer to an already unique spirit.

FNQ Rum Co. is another great QLD Rum producer. For this collaboration they have taken their multi-award-winning Iridium, made with North Queensland sugarcane syrup, fermented on site and matured for five years in ex-red wine hogsheads. This adds a heady scent of treacle, warm spice, caramel and vanilla to the nose of the 2026 Rum Consortium Blend, combined with fresh cane character and a long, rounded finish. The FNQ Rum Co. sugarcane syrup rum adds another Queensland layer to an already unique spirit.

A great question. Please watch this space.

A great question. Please watch this space.

Appearance: A glowing medium gold, shimmering with warmth and promise.

Nose: Rich and layered with cooked brown sugars, toffee, and molasses, lifted by notes of maple syrup and caramelised crème brûlée. Beneath, ripe banana and roasted
pineapple mingle with the darker fruit tones of fig and dates, all dusted with a hint of
baking spice.

Palate: Beautifully dry yet full of flavour, the rum opens with classic Queensland molasses character, evolving into waves of banana bread, toffee apple, and dried orange peel. Juicy tropical notes of ripe pawpaw, dried mango, and soft stone fruit weave through the mid-palate influenced by Queensland cane juice, rounded out by an earthy complexity of hazelnut and walnut.

Finish: The elegant mouthfeel is smooth and textural with a long and lingering finish.