Soltera Blanco Lightly Spiced Cane Spirit

Smell: Freshly cut grass, sugarcane, asparagus, artichoke, and green beans. Hints of caramel, mixed spices, and a salty sea quality are barely perceptible. Taste: Smooth, sweet, with fruit and grass notes. A touch of pepper emerges with subtle spices like cardamom, a little clove, and citrus zest. The texture is quite pleasing, having a creamy, silken feel. Aftertaste: Brief. Grassy. This spirit is ester-driven and funky, though not as intensely as a pot-still Jamaican rum. Its character is much more like unaged rhum agricole compared to English or Spanish style white rum. A facet of the aroma also brings clairin and even mezcal to mind, likely due to the strong grassy scents. Soltera Blanco is produced by Cabarita Spirits, a small, female-owned distillery situated at Cabarita Beach in northern NSW. The owner and distiller launched the distillery in 2020, and this product was the first released. She manages all aspects of production, from fermentation to bottling and marketing, with the exception of growing and crushing the cane. While many countries would label this as "white rum," Australian regulations mandate a minimum of 2 years of aging in wooden barrels for a spirit to be called rum. To comply, local distillers refer to their young spirits as "cane spirit." This specific cane spirit is crafted from molasses supplied by the Condong Sugar Mill in Murwillumbah. Most of the sugar milled there is grown locally in the Tweed River area. Each batch undergoes double distillation, typically yielding 100 to 140 bottles. It's a wonderfully light, easy-drinking rum (yes, let's call it that) that is excellent served neat at room temperature or on ice. One of the distiller's preferred ways to enjoy it is in a daiquiri, and I concur it makes a delicious foundation for that cocktail. She also shares fantastic cocktail ideas on her website https://cabaritaspirits.com/. However, after sampling it in various preparations over the past few weeks, my favorite is in my own version of a ti’ punch. Recipe: 45ml Soltera Blanco 10 ml light agave syrup 1 slice of lime 1 ice ball Combine the cane spirit and syrup in a tumbler (I prefer a Duralex cafe glass). Squeeze the lime juice into the glass by hand and add the slice. Stir and then add the ice. For a longer drink, top with soda water. Since discovering this spirit, I've been using it exclusively in place of my usual rhums agricoles blancs (Rhum J.M. or St James). Highly recommended. Rating: "Good": 84/100 (3.75 stars)