Words by Mark Knowles Images by Blueclick Photography
They say necessity is the mother of invention, and for Cairns couple Doug Thorpe and Bec Zammit, it was the devastating impact of the pandemic on the travel industry that proved the catalyst for their venture into the world of craft distilling. Doug and Bec have always had a passion for travel and exploring different cultures, and their jobs – as an aircraft engineer and travel agent respectively – gave them ample opportunity to indulge that passion.
“Our jobs enabled us to do a lot of travelling around the world, see a lot of stuff, eat a lot of food, drink a lot of drink,” Doug says. “We were inspired by all of the different places we visited, and we always had a little bit of a dream to do something ourselves one day.”
So, when the pandemic hit and work dried up, they found themselves with ample time on their hands and decided to put their dream of owning their own distillery into action. After doing their research, writing a business plan, and securing a lease on a shed in October 2020, Narrow Tracks Distillery opened to the public in July 2021.
Their initial focus was on gin, and they currently have a range of three small-batch gins which offer something for everyone. Their Dry Gin is a classic juniper-forward gin for the traditionalists. Their Pink Gin is a lovely subtle London dry-style gin which uses local Shaylee strawberries to impart a subtle fruity flavour. Last, but not least, is their Dog Days Gin – a reference to the hottest, most humid days of the year, familiar to all Far North Queenslanders.
“The Dog Days is a real summery bright gin, it's a citrus-forward gin with orange, lime, finger lime and Lemon aspen. That won us a double gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition,” says Doug.
Their Dry Gin also netted a silver award at the competition, putting them in the same league as some long-established craft distilleries from around the world. Not bad for a company just two years young.
“It's one of the largest spirit competitions in the world so it’s a bit of a benchmark for us,” Doug says. “It just made us realise we were on the right track, if you’ll pardon the pun, with Narrow Tracks.”
The name Narrow Tracks was inspired by the narrow-gauge train tracks that criss-cross the lush green sugarcane fields all over Far North Queensland. During harvest time, visitors to the region will see the unique sight of the cane trains weaving across fields as the farmers move their cane to the mills for processing. It is this very cane that serves as the basis for Narrow Tracks’ gin and the raw ingredients come from Mossman mill.
In addition to their range of gins, Narrow Tracks is also breaking new ground with their craft moonshine. The idea of distilling moonshine came when the couple visited a bar in Nashville called Bootleggers Inn, which featured 40 different flavours of moonshine. This rustic and old-school approach to alcohol production left a lasting impression on them.
Thinking of prohibition-era moonshine might evoke images of high-proof clear spirits that could double as a paint stripper, but it turns out that the idea had undergone an evolution in the United States and now denotes a lower-alcohol liqueur that comes in a huge variety of flavours. The idea is fairly new in Australia and Narrow Tracks currently has two flavours available – Apple Pie and Old-fashioned Lemonade, both bursting with flavour.
“I let it talk for itself. When I give them a taste of our Apple Pie moonshine people just smile, so that's the best thing,” says Doug.
“Everybody likes to drink it differently, so we just kind of let people taste it and think about it and use it how they want. It’s great over ice, or as a shot, but it's still got enough punch there to mix it,” he adds.
So, whether you just love a classic gin and tonic, or want to try something new and exciting like flavoured moonshine, Narrow Tracks Distillery is a unique addition to the local distillery scene in Far North Queensland.
