From blue vodka to wine-flavoured malts, these small-batch spirits evoke the regions they were made in and the people who created them.
Terroir-driven spirits – liquors that taste like their places of origin, either through single-estate production or utilising native botanicals – have been gaining ground in recent years thanks to the rise of artisanal distillers. Driven by a love for where they live and an emphasis innovation and craft, artisanal distillers are increasingly using only local and native ingredients to tell a story of their region. In Aotearoa New Zealand, native botanicals like kawakawa, horopito, and manuka are popular – favoured for their rich aromatic and flavour profiles and importance in Māori culture.
The Cardrona Distillery crafts a range of award-winning single malt spirits, including whisky, vodka, gin, and liqueurs. Situated at the foot of the Southern Alps, the distillery believes the region’s unique geography and climate profoundly shapes their spirits – from the pinot noir notes left by the wine casks used to age their whisky to the alpine water and wild botanicals foraged on the Otago’s plains. Take a tasing tour to immerse yourself in the flavours of the region and gain exclusive behind-the-scenes access to this picturesque distillery.
Brothers Stew and Chris Reid founded Reid + Reid(opens in new window), a boutique gin distillery north of Wellington, because they believe in small-batch distilling. For them, great gin is not just about botanicals or distilling processes, but the people behind it. This is why they are involved in every step of the process, from selecting botanicals to popping labels on bottles. Their flagship Native Gin, perfected after hundreds of iterations, features three native New Zealand botanicals: peppery kawakawa, aromatic mānuka leaf, and gingery horopito. At the onsite Reid + Reid G&T Bar, you can try their range of gins in the place where they were made. Open every Saturday.
The New Zealand Whisky Collection(opens in new window) began as a rescue mission. At the turn of the 20th century, New Zealand’s legacy of distilling the “water of life,” dating back to the 1830s, abruptly ended. The country’s last whisky distillery, the Willowbank Distillery, shut its doors, leaving behind four hundred barrels of cask-strength whisky in an old airplane hangar. To preserve this slice of whisky history, The New Zealand Whisky Collection was formed, selling the whisky under their own label. Since then, the company has expanded, establishing a state-of-the-art distillery and earning numerous accolades. Visit their cellar door in Ōamaru’s heritage precinct to taste their exceptional whiskies while learning about the rich history of whisky distilling in New Zealand.
For an authentic boutique experience, look no further than Puhoi Organic Distillery(opens in new window). While the atmosphere at the cellar door might be casual, behind the scenes it is anything but. According to the distillery’s owner, Alex Kirichuk, a former Ukrainian nuclear engineer, their distilling processes are second to none. His methods include small Ukrainian oak barrels for whisky – so the alcohol has maximum contact with the wood – and a three-stage cleaning process for gin – so the alcohol is free of impurities. Look out for their DoubleWood Whisky made with grape and plum extract and their Blueblood Vodka, a dark blue vodka coloured with butterfly pea flower, a healing plant that is popular in ayurvedic medicine. As part of the cellar door experience, you can also book a caviar tasting and attend a masterclass – options include learning about caviar and making your own herbal remedies.
