LAST LIGHT

Tucked away in West Auckland's Te Atatu Peninsula, a hidden distillery blends innovation with tradition inside a modest, weathered shed, birthing Last Light Rum. Here, Jon Price, evolving from a home distiller hobbyist to an award-winning creator, is revolutionizing New Zealand's rum landscape. His story unfolds from the solitude of his shed, where he handcrafted the stills for his exceptional rum, a testament to Kiwi ingenuity and determination. It wasn't until Last Light triumphed over international giants at The New Zealand Spirits Awards in 2022 that Jon's craftsmanship gained widespread acclaim, marking a significant milestone. This fusion of creativity and passion under the unassuming roof of a tin shed has captivated the hearts and palates of rum enthusiasts nationwide, heralding a new era for the country's rum industry.

Jon Price's artisanal approach has birthed a trio of rums, each distinct in its creation process and flavour profile, yet unified by their local roots and global appeal.

Solera Aged Rum distinguishes itself through its unique aging process—a solera system traditionally used for aging sherry, port, and Madeira. This method allows for continuous blending and maturation of different rum batches, ensuring a consistent flavour profile. Matured in a combination of American and French oak barrels previously used for New Zealand wines. The Solera Aged Rum captivates with a bright nose of apple and pear drop, intertwined with honey and a medley of hot toddy spices, all rounded off with maple syrup sweetness. On the palate, it unfolds in layers of sweet candied sugar, soft liquorice, cinnamon, and nutmeg, gradually revealing a soft oak backdrop that lends a gentle vanilla touch, culminating in a spicy finish that lingers.

Cask Strength Solera Aged Rum takes the complexity and depth of the Solera Aged Rum and elevates it by bottling the rum at the natural strength it reaches in the last nursery of the solera. This process preserves the rum's robust character and intensity of flavours. It boasts an autumnal fruit lead on the nose, with a palate that bursts with candied sweetness, transitioning into caramelised brown sugar. The oak emerges distinctly, offering a dry counterpoint to the sweetness, with a hint of vanilla that fades into a spicy, dry finish. This variant celebrates the purity and full-bodied experience of rum, unadulterated by dilution.

Cask Strength 100% Pot Still Rum showcases the raw craftsmanship of distillation, distilled exclusively in a pot still, allowing for a fuller flavour profile by retaining heavier alcohols that column distillation would remove. This rum is redolent of home baking, with a nose rich in carrot cake, maple syrup, and orange spice, complemented by walnut and pecan. The palate is thick and viscous, where sweet brown sugar contends with pencil shavings, eventually giving way to an explosion of oak that settles into lingering notes of ginger, raisin, and Christmas spices. It represents the distillery’s homage to traditional distillation techniques, offering a rum that is both rich in flavour and history.