On Friday I got a delivery, not unusual given we’re in lockdown but this was different. This was a hand-crafted bottle of first release rum from a local distiller, Winding Road Distilling Co, delivered to my door by the distiller and owner himself Mark Awad.
Think about it. Just a single bottle of rum, delivered at 5.30pm on a Friday night to my door. Mark and I had a great chat about the rum, the history of the distillery, how he developed his passion living in San Diego and when he fell in love with an Aussie girl, which brought the dream to Northern Rivers.
It’s a great rum, actually it’s a fantastic rum, and while I was sipping it made me think how fortunate I am to live where I live.
Since COVID broke, and we have suffered through various lockdowns, we have been really focused to eat local, to grab take away from all our favourite places, and try new ones. To buy from the farmers markets and avoid the big Woolies and Coles for all but those items you just can’t get anywhere else. I won’t lie to you, it’s been brilliant.
I’ve met cheese makers, oyster farmers, brewers, distillers, orchardist, bakers and more. Better yet I know them by name to say hello in the street or at the market. COVID sucks for sure, but being locked down in a region I love, well you have to look for the silver linings to every cloud.
#windingroaddistillery #lovewhereyoulive #northernriversfood #bangalow #covidsucks #silverlinings