By Sacha Delfosse
Tamborine Mountain Distillery (TMD) has just launched a new premium ‘cachaÒ«a-style’ Sugar Cane Spirit, which was developed as the result of a collective collaboration between local cane juice producer Resis Australia and Sunshine Coast sugar cane farmers.
The project began when Resis Australia founder and managing director, Sonya Maley, contacted TMD’s Michael Ward to offer the distillery the use of a unique cane juice that Resis Australia produces through an innovative process it has developed with some assistance from both the Queensland and Federal Governments.
TMD took up the offer and after several pot distillations, working out the right yeasts and some tweaking, TMD distiller Alla Ward, produced an eau de vie with distinctive grassy notes and very pleasant aromas. [continues below]
Sonya Maley, Troy Apps and Michael Ward
"[It’s] too good to use as a mixer. A very nice straight tipple is how I would drink it," Alla Ward said.
"We are looking to develop this ‘cachaÒ«a style’ spirit further by ageing in oak for the ‘ultra-premium’ market."
Most of the bartenders that have sampled the new TMD Sugar Cane Spirit agree with Ward, praising the exceptional taste, aroma and finish of the product, with many bars placing orders for bottles before the product was officially released.
Resis Australia’s cane juice is created from sugar cane grown by Troy Apps, a 6th generation sugar cane farmer, whose father, Rodney Apps, decided to diversify his crop through new technologies developed by Resis Australia in 2006.
Unfortunately Apps senior passed away on the day that the pilot plant was commissioned, leaving his son to take over the reigns, with the asistance of another pioneering family, the Petersens, to supply the pilot plant.
Although Resis Australia is now planning large scale juice production facilities, the company it is very happy to supply TMD for its niche high quality product.
Maley said the arrangement is a wonderful example of co-operation between Australian rural businesses.