That’s the Kiwi spirit
Move over craft beer – artisan spirits are the new big thing to tempt drinkers' palates, writes Janan Jay.
The worldwide craft beer phenomenon has paved the way for craft spirits. With a boom in premium products overseas, from Japanese whiskies to British gins, trailblazing Kiwi distillers are taking inspiration from the land, forging alcohol with ingredients such as manuka and homegrown malted barley - creating a taste that is uniquely New Zealand.
We look at some of the country’s best multi awardwinning producers to discover an industry full of passion, innovation and desire to bring locally forged artisan spirits to the global stage.
Cardrona Distillery, Wanaka
‘‘It all started when I was a 21-year-old managing a gastro-pub in Chelsea, London,’’ recalls Desiree Whitaker, owner of Cardrona Distillery in Wanaka.
‘‘Mum came over... and took me to Scotland where we visited a small distillery. From then I was hooked – ‘the spirit’ was in my blood.’’
Set against the picturesque landscape of rolling green fields, a single malt whisky is slowly maturing onsite at Cardrona’s stone-clad HQ. The single-malt is expected to be ready in another eight and half years.
The Source, a barrel-aged gin, won a gold medal at the 2016 New York World Wine & Spirits Competition, and the distillery also produces fruit liqueurs that incorporate Gisborne orange peel and Otago’s famous cherries. After her stint in the UK, Whitaker returned to New Zealand where she earned a firstclass honours degree in business, then bought a farm. However, she soon grew restless and, in 2011, began travelling extensively to explore the art of distillation.
‘‘I quickly came to learn that truly crafted spirits made all from scratch are actually a rarity... One of the first courses I did was learning to make vodka in the USA. I thought I would learn to take a raw ingredient, mash, ferment, distil, proof and bottle. Instead, we learnt how to source bulk alcohol, add water, and call it our own ‘craft’ vodka.’’
Whitaker wanted to rebel against this trend and, after further research, she sold her farm in 2013, moved to Wanaka and set up her own distillery.
Considering herself extremely fortuitous on her journey, she met mentors, architects, supportive husband Ash and, by pure chance, the Forsyths, internationally renowned fourthgeneration coppersmiths from Scotland. Looking to the future, Whitaker believes it’s bright.
‘‘Whisky and quality spirits are only as good as the ingredients that make the spirit. A spirit is built in layers. New Zealanders care about how their spirits are made, and are becoming more and more interested in supporting artisan producers.’’
Dancing Sands Distillery, Takaka
Trans-Atlantic romance brought Bostonian Ben and Briton Sarah Bonoma to New Zealand. After a year of New York-London commutes took their toll, the couple relocated to New Zealand and officially founded the Dancing Sands Distillery in Takaka in Golden Bay, late in 2016.
Producing vodka alongside award-winning gin and white rum, the Bonomas are motivated by the creative nature of the industry and the land itself.
‘‘All we have to do is open our front door for inspiration,’’ says Ben.
‘‘Golden Bay is stunning, surrounded by beautiful beaches, mountains, and the clearest spring in the world [Te Waikoropupu]. I am always looking at what [the craft beer movement] is doing and has accomplished, and bringing those lessons over to spirits: challenge the norm, be weird and creative, care and quality above profit, and love what you do.’’
Mixing tradition with bold modern-day innovation, boundary-breaking recipes – such as gin without any citrus – are
generated in beautiful handmade German copper stills imported in 1981.
As for predicting how the trend towards artisan spirits will play out, Ben says there are already two front-runners.
‘‘Whisky is showing no signs of slowing down and gin is seeing explosive growth... we always get asked when we’re going to start doing whisky.
‘‘I can’t really predict what will be en vogue in five to 10 years, but New Zealand producers will begin to fill up the shelves... the New Zealand consumer is going to be spoilt for choice.’’
Thomson Whisky, Riverhead, North West Auckland
Husband-and-wife team Rachael and Mathew Thomson are dedicated to showcasing the nation’s indigenous flavours, using 100 per cent homegrown malted barley, water and yeast.
‘‘Using uniquely New Zealand ingredients is a hallmark of our style,’’ says Mathew, who has been dabbling with flavour profiles as far back as 2005, with his own handmade still in the laundry room.
‘‘We are so rich in natural resources here in New Zealand, and the environment is favourable to whisky production and maturation.
‘‘If you’re a true craft distillery you’ll be developing new flavours, as opposed to replicating other people’s styles… breaking new ground, and emphasising the creative part of our work.’’
With the business up and running in 2009, Mathew then trained under Bill Lark of Lark Distillery in Tasmania.
Lark is credited for starting the craft whisky movement in Australia, in 2013.
Understandably, their efforts have won a string of gold medals from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in recent years.
While it is undoubtedly an exciting time, the Thomsons are clear about the realities of the business. ‘‘The whisky distillery model is such a hard business, and any returns are so far in the future that it’s not a very attractive prospect for many people,’’ says Mathew.
‘‘We’d like to see more craft distilleries start up in New Zealand but the truth is, it’s not for the faint-hearted. For this reason, I think we’ll see some more distilleries here in NZ but not heaps.’’
‘‘As general knowledge of spirit-making becomes more available, and more players bring products to market... in turn, drinkers become more discerning,’’ adds Rachael. ‘‘However there are still certain barriers to market entry with spirits,’’ particularly if they are aged. ‘‘The craft spirits industry would do well to borrow the creative approach that craft beer has taken.’’
‘[Mum] took me to Scotland where we visited a small distillery. From then I was hooked – ‘the spirit’ was in my blood.’ Desiree Whitaker