A rum and coke is the milk and honey of North Queensland and one local town appears to be the ideal developing ground to provide the spirit.
Key points:
- The Mackay area has all the essential parts for rum production
- Sarina Sugar Shed’s rum distillery has actually put in the exact same position as independently owned distilleries in the Australian Rum Awards
- Head distiller Sarah Parrott states the secret remains in the sugar syrup fermentation procedure
Mackay is Australia’s most significant cane-growing area and has actually currently declared the reward for the very best water, which, integrated with regional sugar and an enthusiastic distiller, is leading to a unique-tasting rum that is being acknowledged all over Australia.
Sarina Sugar Shed is a tourist location owned by Mackay Regional Council and it has actually outplayed personal rum organizations around the nation, winning a silver award at the first-ever Australian Rum Awards.
The state’s most identified rum from Bundaberg connected with the sugar capital’s entry.
Sarina Sugar Shed distiller Sarah Parrott states that the trick remains in the active ingredients.
An area made to make rum
The Sarina Sugar Shed is a mini reproduction sugar mill that provides visitors a taste of sugar production and includes its own distillery that produces cane-derived rum and liqueurs.
Ms Parrott stated the distillery’s special procedure of fermenting sugar syrup directly after extraction from the walking stick was essential to its success.
” Most other distilleries utilize either a sugar wash, which is made from sugar or molasses, which is the spin-off of making sugar,” Ms Parrott stated.
” Our syrup’s still got all the good caramels and toffees and the sweet taste all through it so that’s what makes our rum special.”
The area is likewise house to the nation’s best-tasting water, another important part in rum.
Rum is 60 percent water and Australian Rum Awards creator Vish Uttam concurs that great water is required to make a yummy rum.
” The quality of water is critical in making certain that the flavour comes through naturally,” Mr Uttam stated.
An enthusiastic maker
A knowledgeable distiller, Ms Parrott found her love for rum-making when she began operating at the Sugar Shed.
She hung around taking a trip and gaining from the very best in Australia prior to she ended up being head distiller in 2020.
” It’s been a genuine enthusiasm that I’ve grown over the last 10 years,” Ms Parrott stated.
” It’s truly rather a great market to be in too since they’re rather sharing.
” So you can collect other details and they can provide you tips.”
Mr Uttam stated Ms Parrott was among just a couple of female rum distillers in Australia which the market has actually been proliferating.
” It’s most likely just about 5 or 10 distilleries making rum 5 years back and now it’s gone to 50,” Mr Uttam stated.
A sluggish procedure
The shed is still little and just distils throughout the cane-crushing off-season, however Ms Parrott states this indicates they can concentrate on quality over amount.
” I ‘d rather put out an actually top quality item than produce an item that we can bottle every day however is not as high quality,” she stated.
Sugar, yeast and water are the only components required to make rum.
” The yeast consumes the sugar and as he’s consuming the sugar he’s in fact turning that into alcohol,” Ms Parrot stated.
After the mix is gone through stills and fermented, a procedure that takes about 12 weeks to fill a barrel, it then sits for a minimum of 2 years prior to it can be rum.
Sarina takes pride in its special destination and the tourist market concurs, honouring the Sugar Shed with various awards throughout the years.