Soltera Blanco Lightly Spiced Cane Spirit

Nose: Green vegetal notes (cut grass, sugarcane), asparagus, artichoke, green beans. Some very faint traces of caramel, mixed spices and a briny maritime quality. Palate: Soft, sweet, fruity and grassy. A light pepper note in the development with subtle spices (cardamom, a little clove, citrus peel). The texture is very pleasant and has a creamy, silken quality. Finish: Short. Grassy. Estery and funky, but not to the extent of a pot-still Jamaican rum. This has a character that is much more akin to unaged rhum agricole than English or Spanish style white rum. There is also a facet of the nose that is reminiscent of clairin and even mezcal, and I think this is coming from the intensity of the grassy aromas. Soltera Blanco is made by Cabarita Spirits, a one-woman micro distillery located at Cabarita Beach on the far north NSW coast. The owner and distiller, Keri Algar, founded the distillery in 2020 and this product was the first she brought to market. Keri handles every part of the production process from fermentation through to bottling and marketing – the only thing she does not do is grow and crush the cane. In many parts of the world this would be called “white rum” but Australian regulations require that to be called rum the distillate must be aged for a minimum of 2 years in wood casks. To get around this our local distillers call their young product “cane spirit”. This particular cane spirit is made from molasses sourced from the Condong Sugar Mill in Murwillumbah and the majority of the sugar crushed there is grown locally in the Tweed River region. Each batch is double distilled and a typical batch run produces 100 to 140 bottles. It’s a delightfully light, easy-drinking rum (heck, that's what it is so let's use the word) that is good neat at room temperature or with ice. One of Keri’s own favourite ways to use it is in a daiquiri (and I agree it makes a delicious base for that cocktail). She also has some great cocktail suggestions on her website https://cabaritaspirits.com/ however after trying it in many forms over the last few weeks my favourite use for this is in my own version of a ti’ punch. 45ml Soltera Blanco 10 ml light agave syrup 1 slice of lime 1 ice ball Pour the cane spirit and syrup into a tumbler (I like to use a Duralex cafe glass). Squeeze the lime by hand into the glass and drop it in. Stir and add the ice. For a longer drink, top up with soda water. Since discovering this spirit I have been using it exclusively instead of my usual rhums agricole blanc (Rhum J.M. or St James). Highly recommended. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)