Winding Road Coastal Cane Pinot Cask

Introduction

We are taking a look at the burgeoning Australian craft rum scene today with a interesting expression from Winding Road Distilling Co. with their Winding Road Coastal Cane Pinot Cask rum.

Historically, in the past when mentioning Australian rum the mind immediately jumped to a massive Industrial molasses factory churning out generic spirit designed solely to be drowned in Cola. In many ways Bundaberg had become as ubiquitous to rum in Australia as Bacardi had come to White Rum in the rest of the world. Even operations such as Beenleigh failed to make any kind of traction outside Australia. Aussie rum was Bundy, bogans drank it and that was that!

It was a bleak landscape for any serious rum enthusiast looking for genuine character or transparency. Thankfully the tide has turned dramatically in recent years. A wave of smaller independent distilleries has emerged completely rejecting the mass market approach and opting instead for traditional methods Pot stills and genuine innovation.

Winding Road Distilling Co based near the small village of Tintenbar in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales is a perfect example of this shift. The area is famous for its lush landscapes and incredibly fertile volcanic soil which creates an absolute paradise for growing sugar cane. Run by Mark and Camille Awad the distillery operates with a refreshing level of transparency.

The couple actually started throwing the idea of a distillery around on a warm summer evening back in 2015 fueled by a shared love of unique spirits. What began as a casual conversation quickly snowballed into a genuine obsession. They spent the next few years educating themselves sourcing equipment and navigating the labyrinth of local licensing laws before finally opening their doors to the public. There are no fabricated pirate legends on their bottles and absolutely zero marketing bullshit designed to distract you from the liquid itself. Instead they focus entirely on the quality of their raw materials and their actual production methods which is exactly how it should be.

This specific release is their Coastal Cane Pure Single Rum Pinot Cask Expression which has been matured for four full years. What makes this particularly fascinating is their choice of raw material. Rather than using molasses they have opted for fresh first press sugar cane juice sourced directly from the local area – which may play a part in them calling it Coastal Cane I guess.

Working with fresh cane juice is incredibly difficult because it degrades so rapidly after harvest. If you do not get the fermentation process started almost immediately, wild bacteria will take hold and completely ruin the entire batch turning it to absolute shite.

Winding Road embrace this risk by allowing wild yeast to initiate the fermentation naturally before they pitch specific commercial strains to control the final ester profile. The resulting wash is then run through a traditional copper pot still ensuring a heavy flavourful distillate that retains the agricultural essence of the raw material.

As if working with cane juice was not challenging enough they have chosen to mature this rum entirely in a former Pinot Noir wine cask. They sourced a single red wine barrel which was recoopered and freshly charred before they let their fresh cane spirit rest in the coastal sub tropical climate of New South Wales.

Ageing an agricultural style cane spirit in heavy red wine wood is always a massive gamble. The delicate grassy notes of the cane can very easily be completely suffocated by the aggressive tannins and heavy fruit notes of the wine. It takes serious skill to strike the right balance and avoid creating something that tastes more like a fortified wine than a proper rum. Bottled at a hefty 54.5% ABV without any additives, chill filtration or artificial colouring this promises to be a remarkably pure and robust experience. We have a lot of variables at play here so let us pour a glass and see…..

Tasting

As is standard practice here the very first thing I did was run this liquid through the hydrometer. I am very pleased to report that the reading came back completely clean. What you get is pure unadulterated rum exactly as it left the cask which is exactly what you expect when handing over this sort of cash.

Pouring the rum into the tasting glass reveals a golden amber colour. You can clearly see a distinct reddish tint catching the light as well.

Bringing the glass up to the nose you are instantly greeted by that unmistakable grassy freshness of the cane juice. It is vibrant and clean. Sitting right behind that grassy backbone is a wave of rich Dark Red fruits. Plums, Black cherries and a touch of tart Cranberry mingle together nicely.

There is a lovely underlying warmth to the aroma featuring vanilla pods and gentle baking spices alongside a slightly savoury oak char. It is a wonderfully complex nose and the high alcohol content does not aggressively burn your nostrils at all. Its very nicely integrated.

Taking the first sip leaves you in no doubt that this is quite a heavy hitting rum. The 54.5% ABV delivers a powerful slightly menacing entry. The texture is brilliant coating the entire mouth with a heavy oily mouthfeel. The red wine cask influence hits you straight away bringing a wave of tart Berries and Dark Jammy, Plummy fruit.. However, the sweetness is entirely natural deriving purely from the concentrated cane juice and the interaction with the oak barrel over four years. This is not sweet as in Dos Maderas or Ron Zacapa…..this is the real deal. Sweet but not sweetened.

Moving into the mid palate the rum really begins to showcase its balance. Just as you think the heavy Red Wine notes might become a bit too dominant the fresh grassy agricultural character fights its way back to the surface. This interplay keeps the entire profile feeling remarkably fresh. There is a fantastic development of Dry Spicy Oa, Black pepper and a touch of Cinnamon (not always my favourite personal tasting note but it works well enough here). It is on the dry side but it avoids becoming overly tannic or bitter.

The finish is a decent length, warming and highly enjoyable. The heavy fruit notes slowly fade away leaving behind a dry Peppery warmth that lingers in the throat for a very long time. A final hint of that fresh grassy cane juice and a touch of Sea Salt provide a clean end to the experience.

Verdict

Winding Road have produced a great rum here. The decision to age a fresh cane juice spirit in a Pinot Noir cask could have resulted in a disjointed mess but they have executed it very well. The heavy wine influence provides a wonderful depth of dark fruit and structure while the underlying agricultural spirit ensures the rum remains bright vibrant at its core.

It is massively encouraging to see independent distilleries producing spirits of this calibre with complete transparency. There is no need to hide behind added dosage or misleading age statements when the base liquid is this good. This is a massive powerful rum that demands your full attention but rewards you with a balanced and complex tasting experience.

This is a great example of exactly why the craft rum scene in Australia is currently demanding global attention. It is a fantastic piece of work and a thoroughly enjoyable rum from start to finish.

The only downside to this is that it is a limited release only 121 were originally made available. Priced at $145 Australian dollars. It would likely cost as much again to import to the UK! You can check it out here if you are interested.

I was lucky once again to be very kindly gifted a sample for review by one of my long term readers who goes by the name of Salvador Limones on Facebook. Thank you for giving me the change to review this bottling much appreciated!

Final Thoughts A daring experimental bottling which show Australia has far more to offer than Bundy!