Rum and Milk: The Perfect Combination? Let’s Find Out!

Article by: Hari Yellina

Thanks to a by-product from one of Australia’s greatest rum manufacturers, a dairy farmer in the Sunshine Coast hinterland is optimizing his herd’s milk production. Ray DeVere of River Ridge Dairies in Kureelpa, Queensland, claims that feeding his herd dunder, a by-product of domestically sourced Nil Desperandum rum, has increased milk production by up to 250 litres per day. Mr Devere said that the cows have a say in what they consume. Mr DeVere explained, “The paddocks are densely forested, but all 250 head of cattle sprint to drink the 1000 gallons of dunder we put out each day.”

The dunder was made using Australia’s first-ever organically certified molasses, according to Michael Conrad of Nil Desperandum. Mr Conrad explained, “At Nil Desperandum, we’re not manufacturing a typical Queensland rum; we’re developing the single malt of rums.” “We used excellent ingredients to create something remarkable, including the best unprocessed, pure, natural, and only certified organic molasses in Australia.” High-quality molasses gives rum its rich, deep, warm flavour, and now it seems that it causes cattle to be more productive. Nil Desperandum (Latin for ‘nothing to despair about’ or ‘no concerns about’ in venacular) donates about 5000 gallons of dunder to local farmers each week. Mr Conrad remarked, “We never expected that in our attempt to manufacture liquid gold for everyone’s bar, we’d also make liquid gold for an animal feeder.”

Jeremy Atkins, a Wagyu grower, is blending the dunder with brewers grain. Mr. Atkins stated, “My livestock has never been healthier.” “The best days of the week are Nil Desperandum dunder delivery days. The thick, sticky, yeast-rich slurry is a hit with the cattle, and I’m pleased with the results on the scales.” Moreover, it all comes together to form a sweet and delectable protein-rich porridge that rapidly and healthily conditions a beast. However, because what goes in must come out, it also takes a positive posture toward holistic land management. “We’ve discovered that animal waste is far more mineral-rich than dunder, so we’re seeing indicators of the additional benefits of reintroducing those nutrients to our soil and pastures.”

The first batch of Nil Desperandum was released this month, and the great demand for this new-styled Queensland rum guarantees that the second batch will be released soon. “We have more dunder accessible as we sell more rum. It’s a win-win situation, and we intend to expand the dunder contribution programme based on the success we’ve had with Ray and Jeremy’s animals “Mr. Conrad explained. The limited-edition rum ‘FIRST’ from Nil Desperandum is available online or at the distillery door in Woombye. Blended rums and further limited editions will be released in the future.