FEATURE STORY

If you enjoy your rum, vodka, liqueurs, and schnapps FNQ Spirits is a must visit! Troy Read is indeed the ‘Lord of the Rums’ with his realm, well distillery, now located on Sheridan Street in North Cairns.  Not only his Troy Lord of the Rums for FNQ but internationally as he continues to win award after award for his distilled drinks.

To date they have won over a dozen awards, (not this many – perhaps 9)this year alone his vodka coffee and papaya schnapps have won silver in London, with Crocs Piss receiving the top prize in Global Masters. (Melbourne International Spirits Comp)

Troy’s hobby of ‘poking around with distilling in the shed’ for twenty years became a full-blown passion.  He took a leap of faith in himself, his years of research and his passion, quit working in mental health to take his distilling it to the next level. Opening the first ‘realm’ two and half years ago in Bungalow, followed quickly by FNQ Spirits’ first product   – Croc Piss. A signature spirit designed to bottle the heart and soul of Far North Queensland.  Quickly outgrowing the space, they moved to the Sheridan St location fourteen months ago.

Troy’s has just as much character and charisma as his drinks, being passionate about his craft and believes the secret to any distilled product is the yeast. After many years of trial and tribulations with the FNQ weather he has found the perfect temperature.  ‘Happy little yeasts are the trick for fermenting’. Said Troy ‘We have the best sugarcane in Australia right here, giving us better, richer flavours.’

Crocs Piss is in fact (Almost)a rum, for it to officially be called a rum it needs to be matured in an oak barrel for 2 years, FNQ Spirits have perfected a four – six-month maturation process so we don’t need to wait two years to have a glass of crocs piss.  Of course, the name fits perfectly with their quintessential ‘Aussie Occka’ vibe.

Using all local products also enhances the flavour and Troy’s reputation has resulted in producers now approaching FNQ Spirits with their excess fruit, wanting Troy to create new flavours like the papaya Passionfruit liqueur and limeZello.  ‘I love the challenge of working with raw products and creating new flavours.’ Troy stated.

FNQ Spirits go full circle with their locally sourced produce with recycling where he can. Their molasses comes from Tully with the waste product then sent to cattle farms on the Atherton Tablelands.

Whilst nothing beats popping into the distillery so you can meet the ‘Lord of the Rums’ and enjoy a taste test, they are also available in selected liquor stores Australia wide.  The website only allows you to order from anywhere in the world,(cant ship to many places) but you will also find a list of FNQ Spirits recipes so you can make them yourself, join the FNQ Spirit community and keep up with their journey of success.