Fortune Flavours the Brave

Image source: IN Noosa Magazine

The region’s first distillery is as adventurous as it is brave. Tony Cox discovers an adventurous revolution in our own backyard where Fortune really does FLAVOUR the brave! 

Take a little drive to the light industrial streets of Noosaville and a craft beer-led micro industry is emerging. Whilst we can leave the beer for another day, I will say that the team at Land & Sea were very smart in putting everything in cans, given our resorts have a no-glass policy, so you can still have your favourite amber liquid by the pool. 

Showing even savvier business instincts, the team have decided to vertically integrate in a sustainable way to deliver Noosa’s first distillery. Using the brewery and brewing skills to make freshly-brewed wash for the sole purpose of the distillery with fantastic results. 

The recently-launched Noosa Heads Distillery’s line of Fortune spirits see the team at Land & Sea venture into new areas with the clever positioning of “Fortune Flavours the Brave”. 

I will kick off with vodka. Distilled only once using Australian wheat, sourced from a single farm to create a sense-of-place, water is filtered using a carbon ceramic filter to avoid any underlying elements in the water impacting upon the flavour of the vodka. It is finished by filtering through coconut charcoal. 

The vodka is incredibly clean, light-bodied, with a very slight coconut aroma from the charcoal and crisp pear aromatics. It is the perfect conduit for any mixer or long drink. 

Gin is where it is currently at though. Starting with the goal of wanting to ‘put Noosa in a glass’ the result is a product that sits in the middle of a classic London Dry gin and the new wave style. 

Aromatics that include juniper, lemongrass, honeydew, lavender, cassia, lemon peel, coriander seeds and green tea creates a nose where underlying lemon and lavender notes are evident with a subtle hint of pinenuts. The palate is rounded and textural, gentle with slow-building spirit warmth. Again, great in a long drink, served with Tonic Water and a wedge of honeydew melon. 

The latest addition to the range is a white malt. That is, it is clear with no oak age or caramel added to provide an amber colour. Made using a specially-sourced barley which has a higher sugar content and a uniform grain size to provide greater consistency, the malt is actually quite sweet and is used to produce higher alcohol beers. The spirit has a sweetness and viscosity brought about by the higher sugar malt with a pleasant alcohol warmth to close. It is well-suited as a base for cocktails as a substitute for other white spirits or can be enjoyed in a long drink or neat. Given the newness of the operation it is worth trying the young malt as it takes time in barrel for the typical flavours and colour of whiskey to eventuate. There are other spirits, including a white cane, which is definitely worth tasting. 

Their spirits are sensibly packaged in 200ml bottles, as well as the ubiquitous 700ml bottle, which makes it the perfect size for a short stay in Noosa. Better still grab an Uber and check out the entire range on site with the kitchen open to provide complementing flavours and textures and hear the story direct from those putting in the effort to make it happen. 

We are sure Fortune will indeed FLAVOUR the brave! 

To find out more about Noosa’s newest distillery, visit www.noosaheadsdistillery.com.

About the Author /

tony@innoosamagazine.com.au

After 25 years of sniffing, swirling, spitting and slurping various vinous temptations our wine writer has decided that his future lies firmly planted on the consumption and storytelling side. Tony not only still enjoys consulting about wine and other beverages but is now part of the successful Kate Cox Real Estate Team at Reed & Co. Estate Agents.

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