A significant consideration for us at Scoundrel’s Rest is addressing the history of colonialism. Rum has it’s roots deeply tied to colonialism, with sugarcane being introduced to the Caribbean by colonists looking for a high yield plant that would grow well in tropical conditions. the earliest instances of modern rum as we know it were first made by slaves working on sugar cane plantations, used as a small respite from their terrible conditions. From there, the expansion of rum into a globally recognised spirit was largely fuelled by the exploitation and subjugation of sugar plantation workers, systems that were created as a direct goal of the colonial project.

While that history still lingers in the industry, influencing the styles and methods of spirit creation that we see today, rum has come far from it’s colonial roots. Many of todays rums are predominately reflections of the places they come from and people that make them. Our approach to this dichotomy is straightforward; we seek to acknowledge the past while celebrating and promoting the present and future state of rum, paying tribute to the people and cultures that work hard to produce the exceptional spirits we love.

The parallels between this history of rum and the history of January 26th in Australia are plain to see. January 26th marks the date in 1788 that Arthur Phillip raised the union jack in Sydney cove and proclaimed British sovereignty of Australia, thus marking the beginning of colonialism in Australia. Originally celebrated locally in Sydney and NSW as “First Landing day” or “Foundation day”, the occasion would grow into a national holiday. While certainly this marks the beginning of modern Australia, British colonialism is responsible for countless injustices committed against the first nations people of Australia.

There has been a disturbing uptick in rhetoric that attempts to paint critics of the continued use of January 26th as a national holiday as being “Anti-Australian”. To make our stance clear; we love Australia. We love the bounty of incredible food we produce in this country that we get to use to create our menus. We love the awesome rums being made here which we are proud to feature in our drinks and on our backbar. We love living in a country that can claim the worlds oldest living culture. We love the beautiful Coastline and mountains of Dharawal country where we live and trade. Above all, we love the people and the communities that make up our network of professional partners and guests. But to love something is to be honest and critical, and there is plenty in the colonial history of Australia to criticise.

Our stance on both these issues are the same; we acknowledge the past, and celebrate the present and future. The use of January 26th as a national holiday speaks to the parts of Australia’s history most deserving of criticism. For that reason, we did not feel like it would be keeping with our ethos to continue trade as normal on that day. So, we’re not going to. for 2025, this means closing doors for the day. in the future, this may look a little different. We look forward to welcoming our new and returning guests when we resume trade later in the week.

Cheers,

The Scoundrels Crew