A brand that every Australian will be familiar with, Bundaberg rum, or “Bundy”, is produced in the small town of the same name in Queensland. Originally founded in 1888 by a group of sugar cane farmers as a way to utilise the molasses byproduct from the processing of their cane, Bundaberg has grown into a titan of the Australian drinks industry. 74% of Australia's rum market comprises Bundaberg rum, with approximately 10% of all Australians drinking the spirit. More than half of all Bundaberg produced is consumed just within the state of Queensland, and roughly 340 million standard drinks of the rum are consumed each year. The rum itself comes in many forms, with both lower Abv underproof rums and high Abv overproof rums available, as well as a classic white rum that has been charcoal filtered.
The brand introduced the now iconic polar bear mascot in 1961, named “Bundy R. Bear”, supposedly as a way to show how the rum can stave off cold southern chills.
The brand has seen a tumultuous history, with multiple fires shutting down production throughout the last century. Bundaberg spent much of its existence as an agent bottled product, meaning that much of their output was sold to merchants/grocers for export or blending. It wasn’t until 1970 that bottling operations were brought in house to the distillery’s namesake town. The entire company was sold in 2000 to drinks conglomerate Diageo, one of the world’s biggest spirit companies, and in 2014 bottling operations were moved from Bundaberg to Sydney. A Queensland icon, the distillery has seen huge investment with an $8.5 million visitor centre opening in 2016, and a small expansion to the site allowing for almost 8 million litres of alcohol to be produced annually.