There’s rum, and then there’s JimmyRum. And the difference?
One’s built in a lab. The other’s made on the Mornington Peninsula by a rum-obsessed ex-marine engineer with a copper still named Matilda and a borderline dangerous amount of enthusiasm.
This is Victoria’s first dedicated craft rum distillery, and they’re not just here to pour drinks. They’re here to fix rum’s reputation because it’s been misunderstood for way too long.
JimmyRum wants you to unlearn the sugar-loaded, pirate-labeled stuff and meet rum for what it actually is: diverse, distinctive, and damn good.
What started as a throwaway line “stuff it, I’m gonna make rum” turned into a full-blown passion project. Jimmy (aka James McPherson) left a 20-year career at sea, jumped on a plane, and went from the Caribbean to North America to Europe on a “research trip” that just so happened to involve a lot of distillery visits and rum tastings. The result? A new obsession and a one-way ticket into the world of craft distilling.
Back in Dromana, James built JimmyRum from scratch. And everything you see, taste, or sip, every barrel, every label, every pour is fuelled by his drive to show Australia what proper rum can be. His copper still, Matilda, was built in Trento, Italy, and she’s the hardest-working, most photogenic crew member in the place.
Behind the bar, the team pours it all with a grin. There’s the clean, grassy Silver, which shows up sharp in daiquiris. There’s Oaked, kissed with spice and vanilla. There’s the big, bold Navy Strength the kind of rum that comes with a warning and a second round. And there’s always something limited, spiced, or strange aging in a barrel somewhere, being “well spoken to” until it’s legally allowed to be called rum. (Yes, two years minimum in oak. That’s the rule. Don’t blame Jimmy, blame the law.)
The venue itself? More coastal tasting room than pirate-themed tiki den. It’s a distillery with an actual heart. You can take a tour, taste through the range, sip a spritz on the deck, or find Jimmy himself behind the bar telling sailing stories and casually explaining the difference between agricole and cachaça.
The whole place runs on three core values: rum, respect, and boldness. Because life’s too short for bad drinks and long explanations. At JimmyRum, the goal is simple: make incredible rum, educate a few curious minds along the way, and have a laugh while doing it.
It’s a full-blown, small-batch, copper-still, rum-first distillery doing everything the right way. And it just happens to be in one of Victoria’s most beautiful corners.
So if you’re anywhere near the Mornington Peninsula, go drink something honest. Something distilled with purpose.
Go drink JimmyRum.
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