Mater Rum, the Rum from Sicily

29 August 2024 | Interviews & Meetings
Mater Rum, the Rum from Sicily

Interview with Hugo Gallardo, co-founder of the distillery

Hi, thanks for giving us this interview. Can you tell us about the origins of your distillery?

Thank you. The distillery was founded by three partners in 2021: my wife Anna, my childhood friend Alex, and myself. The initial spark for the project took place in Sydney, where Anna and I lived between 2013 and 2016. At that time, a few craft distilleries had opened in the city, and we were amazed by the craft distillation movement. Back in Europe, we started learning about distillation as a hobby at first. Around 2019, we decided that we wanted to change our lives, and the idea of opening a small craft distillery began to take root in us. Alex was in a similar situation, and he joined the project. We wanted to produce rum and considered different locations around the globe, but ultimately we decided to settle in Sicily, where Anna was born.

What does Sicily mean to you?

Sicily is our home. It’s the place we’ve chosen to raise our daughter and our business. It’s a place full of history. For us, it represents the future.

sugar cane land

Sugarcane has been in Sicily for a very long time; it's a historic crop that fell out of favor for years. Today, you're trying to reintroduce sugarcane cultivation. What made you choose to do that?

We believe that the origin and the "terroir" have a huge impact on any artisanal production. For this reason, as soon as we decided to focus on rum and knowing the history of this culture on the island, bringing back sugarcane was a natural decision.


We knew that sugarcane had been grown in Sicily for centuries, but we had a lot of doubts about whether it would be possible today. We started in 2021 with a few tests on a small plot right behind our distillery, which allowed us to select the most promising varieties of sugarcane.


We planted our first hectare in 2022 in a field 500 meters from the Mediterranean Sea, and in 2023, we expanded our crop with two more hectares, bringing our total to 3 hectares. Our intention is to keep exploring different varieties of sugarcane in the various local soils.

The Alma distillery produces several spirits. Can you introduce them to us?

We define ourselves as a rum distillery, where our sugar cane is the main ingredient in our products. Our current lineup consists of three different rums: a blend of our two varieties of cane bottled at 54% ABV, a single-variety bottling of "yellow cane" at 52.8%, and a 54% ABV bottling made from our "purple cane." We're also launching a "botanical" rum made with Sicilian plants, no added sugar, and no artificial flavors.


The main botanical ingredients are carob and orange, probably the most iconic fruits of this island. We also produce a gin made with local plants. This gin was a challenge for us because we wanted the sugar cane to play an important role in the final recipe. After dozens of trials, we decided to use evaporated sugar cane juice (panela) from our cane. This “secret” ingredient adds incredible notes of cacao and licorice to our gin.

Moulin à canne
Moulin à canne

What are the technical specifications of Rhum Mater? What type of still do you use?

Before distillation, we pay obsessive attention to the fermentation process. We currently use a yeast that “respects” our sugarcane. In the past, we tried using yeast specifically selected for rum, but we weren’t happy with the results. Typically, our fermentation lasts between 72 to 96 hours at controlled temperatures. For distillation, we use our 600-liter hybrid still with a small column that has six plates. We can either perform a double distillation or a single distillation through the column. We've tried both techniques, and right now we believe that single distillation gives us a more balanced rum.

Who did you work with to produce this rum?

Two key figures helped us with this challenge. One is Ignazio Puglisi, who supported us throughout the agricultural work, and the second is Anna Ostrovskyj. We worked with Anna to set the production standards, from the field to the bottle. Anna's arrival in the project was crucial because she has incredible knowledge, and most importantly, she really loves rum.

What is the taste profile of Rhum Mater?

The profile is extremely bright and citrusy (like orange), then it leads to a fruity heart that's, let's say, juicy, revolving around apricot and pear, and finishes with a distinct touch of local identity expressed in notes of thyme, rosemary, and lemongrass. If you close your eyes, you can picture yourself right in that beautiful little corner of Sicily where the sugar cane takes in all these things.

Distillation apparatus
Distillation apparatus
Transport of the cane
Transport of the cane

In order to continue reading, I suggest that you...

Discover the rums from Alma distillery.

Proposal received by

Matthieu Lange
Spirits Advisor