Spirits high for trip to rum factory

IT MAY not be everyone's drop of choice, but few could argue a holiday in Bundaberg would not be complete without a tour of the Bundaberg Rum Distillery.

And as one Bundaberg family found out last week, you don't have to be a tourist to get a taste of one the region's biggest attractions.

The Nielsen family - Dad, Lee and daughters Brooke, Kayla, Amy and Renee - is on a mission to visit as many local tourist attractions in the region as part of the NewsMail's two-week Tourist in Your Town series.

The third stop for the family was the Bundaberg Rum Distillery Tour which, although appealing more to those over the legal drinking age of 18, was a learning experience for them all.

"The kids were really interested in the rum and how it was made, not that I hope they'll be drinking it anytime soon," Mr Nielsen said.

The packed tour last Friday began with an induction to the distillery.

"Then they take you through and show you the vats," he said.

The dad of four said the bottling rooms were one of the tour highlights.

"They show you the machine that puts the rum in the bottle," he said.

"It would have been a lot more interesting if it had been running."

Understanding how the alcohol is made from sugarcane by-products was one of the highlights for Mr Nielsen.

"I'm quite intrigued by the fact it's all interlinked with the industry in the area," he said.

Fast facts

In 1888, the first barrel of Bundaberg Rum rolled off the production line

On November 21, 1936 the Bundaberg Rum Distillery was struck by lightning which resulted in an inferno that nearly destroyed the distillery

In 1986 the Bundaberg Distilling Company appointed its first tour guide