Drinksbiz October November 2019 by Hurst Design Co.

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019 DRINKSBIZ.CO.NZ

Distributed by Federal Merchants & Co

FROM THE EDITOR

Victoria Wells

Editor – Drinksbiz victoria@drinksbiz.co.nz

Did someone say ‘gin’? I APPROACHED this issue of Drinksbiz with a mixture of delight and trepidation. This is the issue in which we feature our annual Gin Report, which rounds up the local and international gins available in New Zealand, and for the past three years it has grown exponentially. This year, we‘re featuring more than 150 gins, and those were just the ones we could track down. It‘s obvious that New Zealand‘s love affair with gin continues to blossom. Consumers are spoilt for choice when it comes to the incredible array of flavour profiles from distilleries here and around the world. What‘s evident from this year‘s report is that increasingly, gin makers are having to find that point of difference to separate their gin from all the others, and where better to find it than in their own backyards? In the same way that New Zealand gins take advantage of native botanicals or locally grown citrus or other fruits,

distillers from around the world are turning to ingredients closer to home. So, while you‘ll still find plenty of classic styles, you‘ll also find gins made with wild roses gathered from windswept rocks in the north of Scotland, or premium

Given the slew of Kiwi-made gins that have surfaced recently it seemed an ideal time to catch up with local industry body Distilled Spirits Aotearoa (DSA), as it chalks up 12 months sinch its launch. The independent local industry body has really had to hit the ground running, and when I spoke to DSA Chair, Sue James, there were three brand new distilleries that had just joined and even more contacting the DSA for advice on how to start up. But, as anyone in the industry willl tell you, it‘s not an easy road and so the DSA is focusing on securing some sort of government assistance for the distilling industry so it can realise its potential. And which means next year‘s report will be even bigger.

Increasingly, gin makers have to look for that point of difference to add to their products, and where better to find it than in their own backyards? teas from one of Japan‘s historical tea growers, or a tangerine-lemon hybrid fruit native to Colombia. Other interesting trends this year include colour-changing gins and a move into gins using hemp. Suffice to say, there‘s something for everyone.

Enjoy the issue, Victoria

My picks 2018 Nautilus Marlborough Albariño I fell in love with Albariño while travelling in Spain and this wine from Nautilus perfectly captures the minerality and crispness that makes these wines so delicious. Sawmill Passionfruit Sour They had me at ‘passionfruit’ and this beer from Sawmill is a combination of intense fruit and tangy sourness. Perfect for barbecue weather. The Doyenne A fresh New Zealand gin from the team at Bureaucrats Gin that is bursting with aromatic Asian flavours – lime, lemongrass and star anise all feature. It’s the perfect antidote to winter and will be on high rotate at my house as spring kicks into gear.

DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019 5

CONTENTS

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

PUBLISHER

Karen Boult karen@boult.co.nz +64 21 320 663 EDITOR

Victoria Wells victoria@drinksbiz.co.nz +64 27 575 9021 DESIGNER

Lewis Hurst lewis@hurstmedia.nz +64 21 146 6404 hurstmedia.nz

A DV E R T I S I N G

REGULARS

Roger Pierce advertising@drinksbiz.co.nz +64 9 361 2347 +64 274 335 354

BEER & CIDER

Out & About

Diary Dates

Cover story

Industry News

International News

Non-Alcoholic News

drinksbiz.co.nz

Feature: The spirit of unity 28 Beer & Cider Report WINE

Opinion: Michael Donaldson 56 Beer & Cider News

58 Associate Member (NZ)

SPIRITS

Drinksbiz is published every second month by Trade Media Limited, 300 Richmond Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland,

New Zealand,

Wine Report: Aromatics

Top Picks

Opinion: Joelle Thomson

IWSC News Wine News

40 42

phone (09) 361 2347. The contents of Drinksbiz

are copyright and may

Spirits Report: Gin

Spirits News

Opinion: Dominic Roskrow 90

not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher. Please address all editorial, subscription and advertising enquiries to Trade Media

LAST ORDERS Cover image and story imagery by Hash Brown 6 DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

Limited, P O Box 37745,

Distributors

Last Orders: Jack Cornes

Parnell, Auckland.

SOCIAL SHOTS

Out & About Negociants On Tour Premium wine distributor Negociants held its annual Fine Wine Tour in July, with events in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Attendees sampled a selection of highly regarded, awardwinning wines from some 25 wineries from New Zealand and Australia.

Jessica Hill-Smith of Yalumba

Tim Ritchie and Claudia Yanez of Nautilus

Nikki Weir and Natalie of Sid at The French Cafe

Sandy Moore of Palliser

Clive Weston and guest

Campo Viejo Global Ambassador Federico Lleonart with Jessica Bell of Pernod Ricard NZ

Colourful times with Campo Viejo Spanish wine brand Campo Viejo took over Aucklandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Longroom in September for a series of wine events, with Global Campo Viejo Ambassador, Federico Lleonart joining the festivities. Highlights included the immersive ColourLab Series guided tasting in which consumers tasted Campo Viejo wines under a range of different coloured lights, to investigate how surroundings affect the interpretation of flavour.

8 DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

THE

Whiskey TH AT G AV E W HISKE Y

A REPUTATION .

WHAT’S ON

Diary Dates OCTOBER Wednesday 16 October

Hawke’s Bay A&P Bayleys Wine Awards The oldest regional wine awards in New Zealand return for 2019, recognising the best wines made from 85% Hawke’s Bay grapes. Comedian Urzila Carlson will MC the awards dinner. showgroundshb.co.nz Thursday 17 – Sunday 19 October

BREWNZ 2019 – Wellington The theme for this year’s Brewers Guild Conference is “A Sustainable Future: caring for our people and our planet”. It will cover a range of industry topics around the path to a more sustainable future, including water disposal, recycling, and mental health. Will also include brewery tours and the Mashing In industry-only night. brewersguildorg.nz

NOVEMBER Friday 1 – Thursday 10 November

Saturday 16 November

Summer F.A.W.C. – Hawke’s Bay

NZ Wine Awards – Blenheim

Friday 25 October

A series of unique food and drink events held with leading winemakers and chefs from Hawke’s Bay and around the country. fawc.co.nz

NZ International Wine Show 2019 Awards Dinner – Auckland

Friday 8 – Saturday 9 November

A gala dinner to celebrate the winners of the New Zealand Wine of the Year – the official national wine competition of the New Zealand wine industry. It will also acknowledge other industry achievements including Young Viticulturist of the Year, Young Winemaker of the Year and the New Zealand Winegrowers Fellows for 2019. nzwine.com/events

The top awards in the country’s largest wine judging competition. The Awards, now in their 15th year, are open to wines from any country and made from any grape variety. nziws.co.nz

Dunedin Craft Beer & Food Festival

Thursday 31 Oct – Sunday 3 November

Friday 15 November

Taste of Auckland

NZ Cider Awards – Nelson

Taste of Auckland returns to Queens Wharf with chef Marco Pierre White headlining the 2019 event. New restaurant zones and features are planned for the festival. tasteofauckland.co.nz

The national awards for New Zealand cider makers. This is the only awards programme in New Zealand dedicated solely to cider and is judged to international standards. cidernz.com/awards

Thursday 31 Oct – Saturday 2 November

Saturday 16 November

Saturday 7 December

IWSC Sampling – Auckland

NZ Cider Festival – Nelson

Glengarry branches will be sampling a selection of the International Wine and Spirit Competition’s top NZ Gold and Trophy winning wines of 2019. Tastings will run 3-6pm on the weekdays and 1-4pm on the Saturday. Free of charge.

New Zealand’s cider producers will gather for the fourth year of The NZ Cider Festival at Founders Heritage Park. A family-friendly day of cider, local artisan food, music and kids’ activities. nzciderfestival.com

South Island Wine and Food Festival - Christchurch

10 DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

Craft beer, local food and live music at Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium over two days (Friday is R18 and Saturday is family-friendly). dunedinbeerfest.co.nz

Sunday 17 November

Toast Martinborough One of New Zealand’s most famous wine and food festivals, Toast Martinborough marks its 28th year in 2019. The one day multi-site event takes place in the boutique wine village of Martinborough, with 10 vineyard sites participating. toastmartinborough.co.nz

DECEMBER

Wineries from Marlborough, North Canterbury, Canterbury and Central Otago will sample their wines at the North Hagley Park Events Triangle. winefestival.co.nz

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COVER STORY: GORDON'S PINK GIN

Set for summer with

Gordon’s Pink Gin Building on its hugely successful launch in New Zealand, Gordon’s Pink Gin is adding a new pre-mix can to its range for summer…. GORDON’S PINK Gin has fast become a favourite with New Zealand consumers, ranking as the #1 pink gin in the country1 just 12 months after launch. Now, distributor Lion is building on that momentum for Summer 2019/20 with the addition of a new pre-mix 250ml can 12-pack to its Gordon’s Pink Gin portfolio. The new Gordon’s Pink Gin & Soda 250ml cans will launch on October 21 and join the 700ml full strength spirit and 330ml pre-mix bottle format. Gordon’s Brand Manager, Sophie McLeay, says the new 250ml cans are an 12 DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

exciting addition to the Gordon’s Pink range and give consumers an even more convenient way to enjoy the popular premix this summer, being lightweight and easily recyclable. “The new Gordon’s Pink Gin & Soda cans are perfect for festival season, picnics, and enjoying at home with friends,” she says. The 12-packs are locally produced and Sophie says the pack size is designed in line with consumer preference for larger pack formats of pre-mixes, as research shows the top six pre-mix SKUs are 12-packs or larger2.

The Gordon’s Pink Gin & Soda pre-mix also caters to the trend of consumers looking for drinks that are lower in sugar, thanks to its combination with soda. Gordon’s in the pink The launch of Gordon’s Pink was Lion’s single biggest Full Strength innovation in 20 years, and the pre-mix version also proved incredibly popular. Following its release in October 2018, there were 1.6 million serves of Gordon’s Pink across the country over summer, with many New Zealanders enjoying it over that time. The Gordon’s pre-mix offering has proved itself to be a category leader – up +63% MAT compared with the wider Gin Pre-mix category, which is up +47% MAT3. The success of Gordon’s Pink in New Zealand reflects the boom in the wider gin category locally and internationally,

COVER STORY: GORDON'S PINK GIN

There were 1.6 million serves of Gordon’s Pink across New Zealand over summer 2018/2019.

NEW! 250ml Gordon’s Premium Pink & Soda cans Launching October 21, 2019 250ml 12-packs 4% ABV

• T he new Gordon’s Premium Pink Gin & Soda cans are the perfect solution for summer occasions – a music festival, girls’ night in, barbecue with friends, garden party, wedding, New Year’s Eve and many more. • Lightweight, easily recyclable can format • Available in popular 12-pack size Gordon’s Pink range: Gordon’s Pink 700ml RRP $41.99 Gordon’s Premium Pink Gin & Soda 330ml bottle 4-pack RRP$14.99 Gordon’s Premium Pink Gin & Soda 250ml can 12-pack RRP $25.99

The success of Gordon’s Pink in New Zealand reflects the boom in the wider gin category

1 NIELSEN MAT W/E 11/08/2019 2 NIELSEN MAT W/E 24/02/19 3 NIELSEN MAT W/E 11/08/2019 4 NIELSEN MAT W/E 11/08/2019 5 NIELSEN MAT W/E 11/08/2019

a trend that shows no sign of slowing. The gin market in New Zealand has a value of NZ$36 million and is growing fast at 24% MAT4 with Gordon’s growing ahead of the market at +33% in value MAT5. “The Gordon’s Pink launch last year was absolutely huge for us and we saw the halo effect of pink gin on the Gordon’s London Dry gin, making the

brand more relevant than ever. Many people are shifting from categories such as wine and vodka into gin,” says Sophie. The new Gordon’s Premium Pink & Soda 250ml cans will launch to market on October 21. Lion @gordonsgin.nz

Gordon’s Pink Inspired by an original Gordon’s recipe from the 1880s, Gordon’s Pink is perfectly crafted to balance the refreshing taste of Gordon’s with the natural sweetness of raspberries and strawberries, and the tang of redcurrant served up in a unique blushing tone. Made using only natural fruit flavours to guarantee the highest quality real berry taste. Try the Signature Serve: Gordon’s Pink Gin and tonic, served with strawberries or raspberries.

DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019 13

INDUSTRY NEWS

International demand for NZ wine at all-time high INTERNATIONAL DEMAND for New Zealand wine shows no sign of slowing, with total export value reaching a record $1.83 billion according to the 2019 Annual Report of New Zealand Winegrowers. Export value has risen by 6% in June year end 2019, and at a retail level this translates to over $7 billion of New Zealand wine sold around the world annually. The UK and USA led the growth, with the USA continuing to be New Zealand wine’s largest market with over $550 million in exports. The premium reputation of New Zealand wine has translated to real value in its major markets where the country remains either the highest or second highest priced wine category in the USA, UK, Canada, and China. The report also highlights the completion of the 2018 PwC Strategic Review, the first within the industry since 2011, which provided insights into the state of the New Zealand wine sector, challenges and opportunities. “The Strategic Review report noted the

continued steady growth of the industry, and identified a range of challenges and risks that need to be addressed to maintain that trajectory and ensure all members have the opportunity to benefit,” said John Clarke, Chair of New Zealand Winegrowers. Clarke noted that the Strategic Review underscored how important all aspects of sustainability were in order to maintain the New Zealand wine industry’s social licence to operate. “As an industry we need to ensure our key focus is on enhancing sustainability initiatives. Sustainability is a cornerstone of the reputation of New Zealand wine, and is vital to the ongoing success of our industry.” Highlights over the last year include the completion of the first phase of the Bragato Research Institute’s climate change programme, the commencement of a new research winery facility, and the International Sauvignon Blanc Celebration.

Kiwi brands score in Best Design Awards Two New Zealand drinks brands have been awarded Silver medals in the prestigious Designers Institute (DINZ) Best Awards, announced early October. Wine brand Alpha Domus and All Good Switchel were both awarded Silver for their packaging design. The Best Awards is the largest design event in the Southern Hemisphere, recognising world class design produced in New Zealand across a range of categories. This year’s medal winners were selected from over 1200 entries. Find full results at bestawards.co.nz

Find the full report at nzwine.com/en/media/statistics/ annual-report/

SHOWCASE

Black Dog Furniture for quality settings For years of faithful service BLACK DOG Furniture creates unique iconic designer solid wood furniture that’s ideal for bars, restaurants, and all hospitality situations. Based in Cambridge, the family-owned and operated business has been making solid modern rustic pieces for over 18 years and every piece gets the stamp of approval from its CEO (Canine Executive Officer), retired Guide Dog Huxley 106579 (aka ‘Bean’). Choose from Black Dog’s core range of tables, bars and leaners or take advantage of the design, build and make to order service. Fully collapsible tables, forms, Woolpress leaners and bars are also available. These pieces

14 DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

are easily popped up for events, festivals or when extra seating is required. Black Dog Furniture uses sustainable New Zealand grown and recycled timbers in its furniture, which is made by a team of passionate and experienced cabinetmakers and craftspeople. Its unique pieces have a truly rustic charm to complement your hospitality situation. Black Dog won’t bark, fetch, or rollover but it will SIT and impress your friends and customers. Phone Andy on 021 543 258 or Sandy on 027 460 3419 Find out more at blackdogfurniture.co.nz

INTRODUCING OUR NEW SMOKY AND SPICED ORANGE GINGER ALES TO THE FEVER-TREE GINGER RANGE

PREMIUM GINGER BEER

PREMIUM GINGER ALE

SMOKY GINGER ALE

SPICED ORANGE GINGER ALE

A blend of three gingers from Nigeria, Cochin and the Ivory. Perfect in a Dark & Stormy, Moscow Mule or simply as a soft drink on its own.

Made by blending three natural and unique ginger oils, that have been sourced from around the world, with soft spring water.

A unique blend of our signature gingers, combined with smoked applewood and subtle citrus. Crafted to enhance dark spirits, we have created a delicious refreshing and unique mixer to compliment the complex flavour notes of the finest whiskies and bourbons.

A unique signature blend of our 3 signature gingers, combined with sweet clementine’s and spicy cinnamon. The combination of ginger, citrus and spice has been crafted to complement the rich full bodied flavours found in the world’s finest cognacs.

INDUSTRY NEWS

S.Pellegrino marks 120 years S.PELLEGRINO IS celebrating 120 years with a new Anniversary Edition bottle created to honour and celebrate the special moments when people dine together. Founded in 1899, S.Pellegrino is the world’s leading sparkling mineral water and has become synonymous with the Italian passion for fine living and good taste. The bottle features a redesigned label with a background of diamonds, and S.Pellegrino says this is dedicated to the world of restaurants and a reference to the precious moments people enjoy when dining together. “For this heartfelt Anniversary Edition, we have been inspired by a very special natural element, which is pure and coming from earth after many years just like S.Pellegrino water,” says Ilenia Ruggeri, Sanpellegrino International Marketing Director. “Diamonds, like the best memories, last forever. For S.Pellegrino, the best moments are those that bring people together around a table, and we are honoured to have been part of many of these moments for 120 years”. Federal Merchants

Sawmill first brewery with B Corp status Matakana-based Sawmill Brewery has become the first New Zealand brewery to achieve coveted B Corp status, an international certification recognising their commitment to social and environmental responsibility and transparency. B Corp movement was launched in 2006 by notfor-profit, B Lab, with the aim of accelerating a global shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy. Sawmill joins over 2500 businesses around the globe including leading household names like All Birds, Patagonia and New Belgium Brewery. “Getting B-Corp certified isn’t a marketing objective,” says Sawmill Brewery co-owner Kirsty McKay. “We worked for it because it’s the way we

want to do business. From an operational perspective sustainability requires a huge focus on efficiency, which makes us a much stronger business. It also makes us a better employer and ultimately of more value to our community. We want Sawmill to be around and relevant in 10 years, so we need to be thinking about what business will look like then.” To achieve B Corp status, businesses are assessed on policies and practices across governance, workforce, customers, community, and environment. B Corp’s New Zealand ambassador, Tim Jones, says the global movement is experiencing exponential growth as consumers and employees become more conscious of how businesses operate.

Coca-Cola moves on recycled plastic COCA-COLA OCEANIA and Coca-Cola Amatil NZ have announced a major increase in the use of recycled plastic as part of a global commitment to help solve the growing packaging problem. The companies jointly announced in late July that all plastic bottles smaller than 1 litre and all water bottles will be made from entirely recycled plastic by the end of 2019. This includes all packaging smaller than 1 litre for brands like Coca-Cola, Sprite, POWERADE, Fanta and L&P, as well as Kiwi Blue and Pump water across all pack sizes. The announcement makes New Zealand one of the first countries in the world to achieve and exceed Coca-Cola’s global sustainable packaging goal to increase its use of recycled plastic. The commitment goes beyond the Ministry for the Environment’s Plastic Packaging Declaration as all of CocaCola Amatil and Coca-Cola Oceania’s cans, glass and plastic bottles are already recyclable. Managing Director of Coca-Cola Amatil New Zealand, Chris Litchfield, said the increase in the use of recycled plastic in its bottles would dramatically reduce the amount of new plastic it uses in New Zealand. “Our move to substantially increase the use of recycled plastic means we will avoid using around 2900 tonnes of new plastic and that’s incredibly positive for our environment. Already all the bottles and cans we make can be recycled, and this takes us a step further towards creating a truly circular economy.”

INDUSTRY NEWS

SHOWCASE

Add frozen cocktails to your summer menu As the warm weather approaches make sure your business is ready to offer the crowds delicious frozen cocktails with help from Kiwi company Zexx, which offers cost-effective, efficient frozen drink-making solutions. When things got hot courtside at the ASB Classic in Auckland over January, it was Zexx’s machines creating Mojitos, Strawberry Daiquiris and Pina Coladas to keep the tennis fans happy. Zexx provides locally made beverage products and Italian dispensing machinery to more than 250 sites around New Zealand, as well as overseas, across retail hospitality, party and event catering. Its machines and slushy mixes make it easy to create an array of frozen cocktails quickly and easily, with endless options for summer menus. “Our machines can slush any sort of alcohol, which opens up a world of possibilities for bar staff to get

creative with value added products,” says Zexx Managing Director, Derek Sampson. The Triple 3 machine is ideal for easily creating slushies and other frozen drinks, including the trend for Frosé and other pink-inspired drinks. The Zexx granita (slushy) machines pour product to a standard consistency every time, and Zexx even takes care of maintenance. Zexx has two core ranges – Triple 3 is a full-fruit, no preservative, 7% ABV slushy mix, while Fruzo Supreme is 99% fruit juice with no added sugar. Both are supplied in concentrate form as an all-inclusive liquid to reduce onsite preparation time. Zexx is a trusted partner for many of New Zealand’s food and beverage innovators. Find out how to add Zexx’s quality frozen drinks range to your line-up. Contact Zexx on 0800 556 022 or visit zexxnz.co.nz

slushies

0800 556 022 zexxnz.co.nz

INDUSTRY NEWS

AONZ appoints Negociants AOTEAROA NEW Zealand Fine Wine Estates (AONZ) has appointed Negociants New Zealand as exclusive national distributor to the licensed trade for its Smith & Sheth CRU and Pyramid Valley wine brands. The appointment took effect from 1 October. CEO of AONZ, Michael Henley, says he’s excited by the new partnership as it will allow broad access to many fantastic trade outlets. “We are very keen to utilise NNZ’s relationships with the great restaurants and retail stores spread throughout the country. In addition, it is fantastic to be able to sit alongside some of the other premium producers found in this portfolio.” National Sales Manager for AONZ, Nigel Kelly, will work with the team at NNZ to represent the brands in the market.

Nick Hunter joins Te Kano Estate Viticulturist Nick Hunter has been appointed to the role of Estate Manager at Te Kano Estate wine company in Central Otago. For the past 14 years, Hunter has held senior viticultural management roles in Marlborough at Cloudy Bay and Giesen. Joining Te Kano sees him return to Cromwell, where he helped establish the Quest Farm vineyard 17 years ago. “Nick has a unique skillset in the field of viticulture and his previous experience growing high quality wine grapes is complemented by a keen understanding of operating over large geographical areas,” says Te Kano winemaker and GM, Dave Sutton. “This combination makes him the ideal person to manage not just the three premium vineyard sites we currently farm, but to also lead the native regeneration and conservation programme that lies at the centre of the Te Kano philosophy.”

New GMs at NZ Winegrowers New Zealand Winegrowers has appointed two new General Manager positions – Charlotte Read as GM Marketing and Ed Massey as GM Sustainability. Charlotte Read takes up her position in October. Previously, she spent 10 years as the Export Market Manager for Villa Maria Estate, based in Europe and China. Read’s latest role was Customer Manager at NZTE, where she managed a portfolio of high calibre companies exporting globally.

Ed Massey was previously New Zealand Winegrowers Biosecurity Manager and took up the newly created role of GM Sustainability in September. It has a key focus of ensuring sustainability is embedded throughout all NZ Winegrowers’ activities. Other key objectives will include working with the Environment Committee, and enhancing New Zealand Winegrowers relationship with regional wine associations.

SHOWCASE

Your training and recruitment problems solved The answer to all your training and recruitment problems? You’ll find it at www.hospo.co.nz Hospitality has the highest staff turnover of any industry in New Zealand. Every time a café, bar or restaurant recruits a new staff member there is a hidden cost of an estimated $5,500 per staff member. This cost involves advertising, interviews, sorting CVs, trialling, training and the lost productivity of bringing the new staff member up to speed. If your busy café turns over between five to ten staff a year that cost can be as high as $50,000. Other hidden costs within your hospo business include compliance costs. Training of staff to meet legal requirements involves training them in food safety, health and safety, safe service of alcohol, and fire and evacuation, as well as making sure you have employment contracts, health and safety plans and the correct signage. It can be expensive, daunting and puts more pressure on you in an already high-pressure environment.

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Welcome to Hospo. The brainchild of the clever people who created GETLCQ – the online LCQ solution – Hospo is an online recruitment and training platform that solves an array of hospitality business problems for a yearly membership fee of only $250. Choose from hundreds of hospo people across New Zealand who have signed up looking for work. Most have industry experience. Using the Hospo website, you can train as many staff as many times as you like in food safety, health and safety, safe service of alcohol, and fire and

evacuation procedures using the online modules. The modules are all available in English, Hindi, Korean and Mandarin. Hospo also has a range of templates for employment contracts, bar signage, job descriptions and health and safety information. This helps to keep you compliant and saves you lots of time and money. You can access all of this training and information for a set fee of just $250 per year, allowing you to train and recruit as many people as you like. Hospo – for hospo people. Find out more at www.hospo.co.nz

INDUSTRY NEWS

The Kvas Company spreads its wings THE KVAS Company has launched its Brod Kvas range of fermented probiotic drinks into Australia, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong, with plans to expand to further international markets in the near future. Christchurch-based couple Jack and Sabina Bristow are New Zealand’s first and only brewers of the traditional Russian beverage and launched their company in 2016. “Our vision has always been to bring kvas to the world and we are delighted to be taking our first steps beyond New Zealand,” says Jack Bristow. Kvas is an ancient lacto-fermented drink made using traditional Russian

coriander-flavoured rye bread as a base. It is hugely popular in Eastern Europe but not well known elsewhere. “We aim to change that,” says Sabina Sabirova-Bristow. “We’ve taken authentic, traditional brewing methods and combined them with innovative flavours to create a drink that combines the best of ancient and modern. Like all Russians,

Future bright with Family of Twelve New Zealand’s Family of Twelve has held its second annual Wine Tutorial, hosting 12 wine professionals in Auckland for the event which is designed to nurture those who can contribute meaningfully to the New Zealand wine industry. This year’s attendees were selected from a long list of applicants from Australia, New Zealand and Asia. Australian sommelier, Melissa Moore of Sydney, won ‘The Family of Twelve Award’, with organisers recognising her passion for wine and “confidence to share it in an articulate yet very contemporary way. Melissa will make a terrific ambassador, taking fine New Zealand wine into the future with great optimism and flair.” Moore works in the head sommelier team for the Merivale Group and her background features wine-show judging and sitting on industry publication tasting panels. Josh Pointon, co-owner of Wellington’s iconic Noble Rot wine bar, won the ‘Institute of Masters of Wine Prize’. As the participant showing most promise for the Institute’s MW education programme, Josh will travel to Adelaide in November to attend the Institute’s annual educational seminar. The Wine Tutorial event was held over two and a half days, in which participants took part in a series of blindtasting workshops tutored by Family members and external Master of Wine, Stephen Wong. The tutorial showcased the Family’s best amongst line-ups of fine wines from many of the world’s greatest estates, to provide a global context for fine New Zealand wine. The 2020 event will be held in Marlborough, with dates to be advised. For more information or to register interest, email info@familyoftwelve.co.nz

I love kvas, and I’d love to see people drinking it around the world.” Alongside the classic Russian homemade style Original Rye, the Brod Kvas range features Brod Brown (coldbrew coffee, cinnamon and cloves), Brod Rose (rosebuds and cardamom) and the latest release of Brod Green (hemp and manuka).

“Hospitality is at the heart of what we do”

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Emily Gaspard-Clark named Mercurey NZ Young Winemaker of the Year 2019

EMILY GASPARD-CLARK from Spy Valley Wines in Marlborough has won the National Final of the Tonnellerie de Mercurey NZ Young Winemaker of the Year 2019. Gaspard-Clark competed at NMIT in September against Kate Franklin from Sacred Hill representing Hawke’s Bay and Jordan Moores from Felton Road representing Central Otago. The trio had been selected following regional finals held around the country in August. The three national finalists were tested on their winemaking knowledge and skills at a very high level across general wine knowledge, wine judging, interviews and running fining trials in the laboratory. Earlier they had been given a week to prepare a presentation entitled: ‘Is New Zealand wine export growth sustainable?’ “It seems our future is in good hands,” says Nicky Grandorge of New Zealand Winegrowers, and National Co-Ordinator of the competition. “They had

all undertaken some serious research and really thought about the future of our industry, offering very well thought out plans and ideas so we can remain sustainable for many years to come.” Their final challenge was to deliver a speech to the large crowd at the Awards dinner held at Wither Hills. As well as the prestigious title of Tonnellerie de Mercurey NZ Young Winemaker of the Year 2019, Emily GaspardClark also won an educational trip to Burgundy, a $2000 Programmed Property Services Education Scholarship, a Riedel decanter, a mixed case of wine from Winejobsonline and cash. She will also be an Associate Judge at the NZ Wine of the Year competition, receive a personal tasting experience with a Villa Maria senior winemaker and attend the NZ Wine Awards in November. The National Final rotates around the regions each year, so next year will move to either Hawke’s Bay or Central Otago.

20 DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

Simon Gourley named Bayer Young Viticulturist of the Year 2019 SIMON GOURLEY has been awarded the title of Bayer Young Viticulturist of the Year 2019. He was representing Central Otago in the finals and is viticulturist at Domaine Thomson. Ben Richards from Indevin in Marlborough placed a close second, with George Bunnett from Craggy Range in Wairarapa, third. The remaining three finalists were Jacob Dromgool from The Landing in Northland, Zoe Marychurch from Pegasus Bay in North Canterbury and Nick Putt from Villa Maria in Hawke’s Bay. “The calibre of the six finalists was incredibly high this year,” says Nicky Grandorge, Leadership & Communities Manager at New Zealand Winegrowers and National Co-Ordinator of the competition. “We threw a lot of different things at them, which they all tackled with great professionalism.” The finalists had three weeks prior to the competition to complete their AGMARDT project which was to research and write a biosecurity plan for their vineyard. Dr Ed Massey, Biosecurity Manager at NZ Winegrowers, said the reports were of an extremely high standard, containing valuable information which he plans to share with the industry. All six finalists also impressed the wine industry audience at the national Bragato conference with their speeches addressing the topic: “The year is 2050 – what does the wine region look like in your region and what does your average day at work look like?” The practical assessment was held in August at Te Awa in Hawke’s Bay and Simon Gourley was later announced as the winner at the Bragato dinner in Napier. As well as the title of Bayer Young Viticulturist of the Year 2019, Gourley also won a Hyundai Kona for a year, a $5000 Ecotrellis Travel Grant, Bahco golden secateurs, a leadership week and cash. He will also go on to represent the wine industry in the Young Horticulturist of the Year Competition in November.

INDUSTRY NEWS

SHOWCASE

Wanted – by Saverglass The quest to stand out from the crowd on shelves filled with similar bottles leads trend setters and those with a pioneering spirit to look to the unusual, the visually challenging and the road less travelled when seeking packaging for their artisan spirits. Designed with bold rebels in mind, the brazenly independent and those irrepressible personalities whose adventurous spirits leads them into uncharted waters, who seek new experiences and push limits, the Wanted Bandit Craft Line from Saverglass provides solutions to suit their personalities and yearning for THE packaging for their cherished products. The perfect foil for unique and authentic spirits that distill the spirit of the essence of the moment, the Wanted Bandit Craft Line is infused with the same spirit of independence, strength of character and sense of adventure as those who seek that perfect bottle to convey the quality, purity and distinctiveness of the contents. Saverglass’ strong design ethic, focus on exceptional quality and clarity, and history of partnering with the best of the best make it a leader in the supply of exceptional packaging to the wine and spirit industries.

WANTED

THE BANDIT CRAFT LINE

With Captain Hook, Pirate, Dynamite and Pearl, Saverglass borrows inspiration from these characters who refused to live by the rules and lived life to the fullest at every moment.

LIPS – INDUSTRY ANALYSIS

GIN IS enjoying a boom period with advertising and sales growth riding high, according to Liquor Information Pricing Services (LIPS). For the past 12 months, the total volume of Gin products advertised by price has increased 53%, while the average advertised price has climbed 17% to $45.48 per litre. This is in line with recent Nielsen data, which shows total Gin sales grew 31% in the past year to $50 million in New Zealand. The average selling price was $44.03 per litre, up 8% over last year*. So, what is driving this growth? “There seems to be a big resurgence in the popularity and styles of Gin being sold, advertised and marketed here,” says LIPS director, Sean Jowers. “A host of new, premium, local and imported gin brands have been launched in the past couple of years, and these are resonating with consumers and trade customers alike. Driven by the ‘craft’ movement, there’s been growing demand for artisanal and boutique products. Consumers are craving high quality, unique styles of gin that incorporate different, locally sourced botanicals and natural ingredients.” “Brands such as Roku (Japanese botanicals), Rogue Society (now Scapegrace), Sacred Spring and The Botanist have seen strong advertising growth, and higher average advertised prices than more mainstream brands like Gordon’s, Beefeater, Seagers and Bombay Sapphire.” However, Gin is not the only spirit currently experiencing strong advertising growth. Scotch / Whisky (+42%), Bourbon (+30%), and Vodka (+22%) have all been advertised over 20% more frequently in the past year by New Zealand retailers, but it is Gin that has seen the biggest advertised price increase by far (+17%). “Gin is unique because no two products are the same,” says Jowers. “Consumers are clearly enjoying the discovery of trying new products with assorted botanicals, base spirit and 22 DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

250

No of Advertised Products

Boom time for gin and aromatic wines

Gin Price Advertising Volume

300

200

150

100

0 Sep-18

Oct-18

Nov-18

Dec-18

Jan-19

Feb-19

Mar-19

Apr-19

May-19

Jun-19

Jul-19

Aug-19

Spirits – Average Advertised Price Per Litre $74.30 $74.30

Scotch/Whisky (0%) $60.11

Other Spirits (-22%)

$77.13 $49.23 $47.18

Bourbon (4%)

$49.11 $50.01

Tequila (-2%)

$46.04 $43.51

Rum (6%)

$45.48

Gin (17%)

$38.89 $44.05 $42.14

Liqueur (5%)

$41.22 $38.93

Brandy/Cognac (6%)

$38.74 $37.58

Vodka (3%) Light Spirits (0%) $0

$9.99 $10.00 $10

$20

$30

$40

$50

$60

$70

$80

$90

Ave Advertised Price MAT to 31-Aug-19

MAT to 31-Aug-18

“Consumers are now spoilt for choice when it comes to finding the specific flavour profile they’re looking for in a gin. That’s a huge point of difference from most other spirits.” different distilling methods imparting new and interesting flavours. Experimenting with different ‘craft’ tonics, mixers and cocktails is also proving extremely popular. Consumers are now spoilt for choice when it comes to finding the specific flavour profile they’re looking for in a gin. That’s a huge point of difference from most other spirits.” Aromatic wines are also seeing strong

advertising growth in the latest data from LIPS, with sales also ahead of last year. Rosé is the star performer, driving both advertising and sales growth for the category. LIPS classifies aromatic wines as those varietals with notable floral, perfumed aromas. They are predominantly, but not exclusively, white wines. In the 12 months to 31 August, Rosé

LIPS – INDUSTRY ANALYSIS

Spirits – Price Advertising Volume 4101

Scotch/Whisky (42%)

2885 1906

Bourbon (30%)

1470 1633

Gin (53%)

1070 1446 1238

Liqueur (17%)

1275 1070

Rum (19%)

1188

Vodka (22%)

970 486 413

Brandy/Cognac (18%)

272 244

Tequila (11%) 12 6

Other Spirits (100%)

6 4

Light Spirits (50%) 0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

No of Products Advertised MAT to 31-Aug-19

MAT to 31-Aug-18

Aromatics – Average Advertised Price Per Litre $25.16

Gewurztraminer (-7%)

$27.14 $23.79

Rose (13%) $21.14

$22.14

Riesling (-12%)

$25.23 $21.17

Pinot Gris (-3%)

$21.83 $0

$10

$15

$20

$30

$25

Ave Advertised Price MAT to 31-Aug-19

MAT to 31-Aug-18

Aromatics – Price Advertising Volume 1729

Pinot Gris (3%)

1681 1120

Rose (7%)

1045 435

Riesling (-15%)

511

Gewurztraminer (19%)

121 150

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

No. of Advertised products MAT to 31-Aug-19

advertising volumes grew 7%, and Pinot Gris 3%, while Riesling declined -15%, and Gewürztraminer decreased -19%. This follows recent scan data trends which show Rosé sales climbed 23% over last year, Pinot Gris sales were static (-0.1%), and Riesling sales slumped -5.7. However, Gewürztraminer bucked the trend with sales up +1.2%, despite the large drop in advertising volumes**.

MAT to 31-Aug-18

While these are the most popular aromatic wines, when you add other varieties (e.g. Grüner Veltliner, Arneis, Viognier, Moscato), total aromatic category sales are worth $172M in all supermarkets, up 4.8% on last year. With an average selling price of $13.12 per bottle, Aromatic wines are outperforming all wine, where sales are flat (0.2%), and the average selling price is only $12.77 per unit**.

In terms of advertised pricing, Rosé has seen the strongest growth with the average price promoted now $23.79 per litre, up 13% over last year. Gewürztraminer still has the highest average advertised price of all aromatic wines at $25.16 per litre, but this has reduced by -7% in the past year. Riesling ($22.14/litre) and Pinot Gris ($21.17/litre) have also both experienced advertised price deflation. “Rosé is riding the crest of a wave like Gin at the moment,” says Jowers. “There are increasingly more Rosé wines filling our shelves, at more premium prices, because consumers are seeking different styles and better quality. “Dry, off-dry and lighter alcohol Rosé wines, made from various red grape varieties, and even predominantly white grapes, are becoming increasingly popular,” he adds. “Different winemaking techniques, wild yeasts and blending is also coming into play, adding unique flavours and greater choice for discerning consumers. Plus, consumers are drinking Rosé all year round now, and not just over summer. It’s the preferred wine of choice for many now, which is why it is now ranked the 3rd biggest selling red wine behind Pinot Noir and Shiraz, with a total annual sales value of $4.68 million**.” Interestingly, while the majority of Rosé, Pinot Gris, and other aromatic wines are traditionally advertised as part of a broad range at the same price (eg. “Stoneleigh Wine Range $12.99”), there are a growing number of ‘craft’ brands that specialise and are renowned for producing only 1-2 wines of exceptional quality, at very premium prices. Brands such as Rabbit Ranch, Fickle Mistress, Madam Sass, Soho and Jules Taylor OTQ have all established a cult-like following for their outstanding aromatic white wines and Rosé, as well as their reds. These brands are chiefly responsible for driving the advertised price inflation of aromatic wines. LIPS monitors alcohol prices and promotion activity advertised in print and online throughout New Zealand. Pricing data and insights can be obtained by subscription at lipsdata.co.nz. For further information contact Sean Jowers on 0275 547 583. Sources: *Nielsen Total Defined Liquor – MAT to 25 Aug 2019 **IRI NZ Grocery – MAT to 30 Jun 2019

DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019 23

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

World’s best wine lists revealed

Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient's Sommelier Moses Magwaza

THE World of Fine Wine announced the 2019 World’s Best Wine Lists Award winners in London in September, with South Africa’s Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient earning Wine List of the Year, Best Hotel Wine List in the World, and Champions’ League World’s Best By-the-Glass Wine List 2019. The World’s Best Wine Lists is regarded as the most prestigious and rigorous wine list awards, judging over 1,000 restaurants’ lists worldwide. The criteria includes breadth, depth, interest, quality, value, clarity and accuracy. Situated in the Crocodile River Valley in the Francolin Conservancy, Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient is one of South Africa’s finest luxury hotels and its modern wine list contains over 5,000 selections. The judging panel described it as: “a phenomenal list that is a joy to explore”. worldoffinewine.com

Winner highlights Best Long Wine List in the World 2019 Geranium, Copenhagen Best Micro Wine List in the World 2019 Wine Bar George, Lake Buena Vista Best Champagne & Sparkling Wine List in the World 2019 - Pix Pâtisserie, Portland Best Dessert & Fortified Wine List in the World 2019 - Antica Bottega del Vino, Verona Best Spirits List in the World 2019 - Hide, London Best Wine Bar List in the World 2019 Nº5 Wine Bar, Toulouse Best Hotel Wine List in the World 2019 Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient, Pretoria Most Original Wine List in the World 2019 - Terroir, New York Best Airline Wine List in the World 2019 Air France

Wine List of the Year 2019 - Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient, Pretoria Best Sake List in the World 2019 - Saké, The Rocks, Sydney Champions’ League World’s Best Wine List 2019 - Eleven Madison Park, New York Champions’ League Best Champagne & Sparkling Wine List 2019 - Eleven Madison Park, New York Champions’ League Best By-the-Glass Wine List 2019 - Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient, Pretoria Champions’ League Best Dessert & Fortified Wine List 2019 - Robuchon au Dôme at Grand Hotel Lisboa, Macau Champions’ League Best Spirits List 2019 - The Barn at Blackberry Farm, Tennessee

Top honour for Jim Barry Wines Jim Barry Wines in Australia’s Clare Valley has been awarded the 2020 Halliday Companion Winery of the Year – chosen out of more than 1,200 wineries from around Australia for one of the country’s most revered wine accolades. Established by patriarch Jim Barry in 1959, the Clare Valley winery has become synonymous with crafting quality Riesling, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, while also pioneering the variety Assyrtiko outside of Greece. Jim Barry was the first qualified winemaker to work in the Clare Valley, graduating from Roseworthy Agricultural College in 1947. James Halliday said of the win, “This year, Jim Barry’s performance at the Clare Valley Wine Show was six gold medals for Riesling and that has never happened before, and it probably won’t happen again. They are really, really good communicators and they focus on what the Clare Valley does best - Riesling.” Second-generation winemaker Peter Barry, who oversees dayto-day operations alongside sons Sam and Tom said, “The entire industry watches in anticipation for the announcement of these awards. James Halliday is the king of the Australian wine industry, and I feel that we have just received a knighthood.” Negociants

24 DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

NON-ALCOHOLIC NEWS

Schweppes releases 1783

Lyre’s lands in NZ Hancock’s is now distributing non-alcoholic spirits brand Lyre’s from the UK. The alcohol-free spirits take their name from the Lyrebird (which can mimic sounds around it) and are designed to look and taste like their alcoholic counterparts. The Lyre’s range features 12 non-alcoholic products, including Dry London Spirit, American Malt, Absinthe, Dark Cane Spirit, and Dry Vermouth. Hancocks

Hemp protein smoothie from Chia Sisters

SCHWEPPES HAS launched a new range of four premium mixers. The 1783 range includes Crisp Tonic Water, Golden Ginger Ale, and tonic flavours Salty Lemon and Quenching Cucumber. “Schweppes has worked with UK mixologists and drinks experts to create this distinguished range of premium mixers, designed for discerning drinkers who enjoy discovering new flavour combinations,” says Schweppes New Zealand Brand Manager Gina Beck. Schweppes 1783 features a new bottle design and branding, paying homage to the brand’s heritage.

CHIA SISTERS has created a new range of plant protein smoothies made with hemp. The Nelson-based company says the ready-to-drink hemp smoothie, bottled by solar power, is one of the most sustainable products on the market. The smoothies use all natural and plant-based ingredients, crafted from Canterbury hemp protein, fruits, greens and ground chia seeds. They are low in sugar without any artificial ingredients. The flavours include Berry (blueberry, strawberry, boysenberry, blackcurrant and ground chia) and Cacao and Banana (with strawberry and ground chia). Chia Sisters Hemp Protein Superfood Smoothie range is RRP $5.90.

Coca-Cola

Pete’s Natural launches new hemp beverage Motueka business Pete’s Natural has launched a hemp seed-infused functional beverage – Hemp Manuka Sparkling. The new drink was launched alongside its new Lemon Manuka Switchel. The family-owned company says it has taken the opportunity to expand its range of boutique drinks after legislation changed in November 2018, allowing hemp seeds to be incorporated into foods. “Our hemp is supplied by The Brothers Green who grow nature’s most nutrient-rich seed right here in the South Island,” says Pete’s Natural co-owner Pete Suy. Pete’s Natural Hemp Manuka Sparkling is made from lightly sparkling water, fresh lemon juice, manuka honey, hemp seed infusion, monk fruit extract, and spinach juice. Pete’s Natural

Chia Sisters

New from Fever-Tree British premium mixer brand Fever-Tree is releasing three new products in New Zealand through distributor EuroVintage. These include Fever-Tree Smoky Ginger Ale (200ml 4-pack RRP $9.99), Fever-Tree Spiced Orange Ginger Ale (200ml 4-pack RRP $9.99) and Fever-Tree Cucumber (500ml RRP $4.99). These new SKUs join the existing Fever-Tree Ginger Ale and Fever-Tree Ginger Beer. Available now. EuroVintage DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019 25

DRINKSBIZ WITH INDIGINOUS GIN

The fresh flavour of Indiginous Gin Buoyed by the feedback, they refined their processes and ingredients and the result was Indiginous Reikorangi Triple Distilled Dry Gin – a fresh, dry gin with intense juniper, citrus and a warm spicy character that is designed to be enjoyed neat, or to hold its own in a G&T. Early demand for the gin meant they could finally reassemble their original 440L commercial still, and it’s now housed at Indiginous HQ in the original Tuatara Brewery site on Tuatara founder Carl Vasta’s Reikorangi property on the Kapiti Coast.

Indiginous intent

Chris Charteris and Simon Wilson of Indiginous.

WHILE IT was a happy mistake that led to Indiginous Gin’s first product, the philosophy guiding the New Zealand gin brand is very deliberate: “The idea behind Indiginous is to create spirits that are original – we ferment our own alcohol and use the best quality botanicals from around the world, while showcasing local ingredients too,” says co-founder Chris Charteris. Chris and friend Simon Wilson launched Indiginous in March this year and its three gins are already stocked in a range of independent bottle stores, as well as Moore Wilson’s and selected bars and restaurants. The pair (an accountant and a dentist by trade) taught themselves how to distill spirits after striking up a friendship over a shared love of hunting and fishing. Initial plans to make whisky were soon abandoned after they realised it would take at least three years, and despite having already bought a commercial still. “We didn’t realise it would be 3.9m high when we assembled it!” recalls Chris. “We had nowhere to put it, so it sat in its box for about two and half years.” 26 DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

Deciding to make gin instead, they set about learning how to ferment their own alcohol and spent time perfecting the base spirit in a 50L still. Their first attempt at gin, however, seemed destined for failure after Chris misread the recipe they’d sourced from a home brewer and it ended up with intense citrus and spice characters. “We were so embarrassed we’d done it wrong,” he says. “But we’d made 50 litres of it so we just took it to friends’ barbecues and it went off – people loved it!”

Indiginous Reikorangi Triple Distilled Dry Gin RRP $79.99 (700ml) Indiginous Rhubarb & Raspberry Gin RRP $79.99 (700ml) Indiginous Damson Plum & Blackberry Gin Liqueur RRP $74.99 (700ml) Indiginous Strawberry Gin – to be released November 2019

The Indiginous range includes the Reikorangi Triple Distilled Dry Gin, Rhubarb & Raspberry Gin, and a Damson Plum & Blackberry Gin Liqueur. They all contain botanicals sourced from growers close to the Kapiti distillery and each one features label artwork created by a different tattoo artist, also profiled on the label. Long-time ad industry creative director Gavin Bradley helped Chris and Simon develop the Indiginous branding and came on board as a shareholder after seeing the potential for what they had created. Gavin says the goal is to define a clear space in the busy category. “It wasn’t necessarily just about being a New Zealand distillery, but about doing something we could tell really authentic stories about. With the tattoo artists we’re doing something on a creative level that is fun and engaging and another layer to the story.”

Coming soon… The Indiginous team is now working on a Christmas release gin, to be made in collaboration with a Kapiti Coast strawberry grower and then Chris has plans for what he calls “market” gins, using fruit, flowers or other botanicals sourced from farmers’ markets around the Kapiti Coast. He first wants to make a floral dry gin as an alternative to the more spice-driven Reikorangi expression. “We’ll try anything that’s grown naturally or foraged in New Zealand,” he says. “We just want to use as much flavour as we can from what’s around us.” indiginous.nz indiginousgin chris@indiginous.nz

FEATURE – DISTILLED SPIRITS AOTEAROA

The spirit of unity A year on from the launch of Distilled Spirits Aotearoa, Victoria Wells looks at how it is moving things forward for the burgeoning local spirits industry… CAST YOUR eye along any back bar shelf around New Zealand these days, and it’s a surprise if you don’t see at least a couple of New Zealand spirits jostling for space alongside the more famous brands. While gins dominate (and continue to grow rapidly), there are also increasing numbers of locally made whiskies, vodkas, rums and even vermouth turning up on drinks lists. Back in 2000, there were just 12 companies distilling commercially in New Zealand, and then ten years later that had grown to 271. Nearly a decade on, it’s believed the figure is closer to 70, with still more in the wings. The momentum and excitement around New Zealand spirits at the moment has been compared to the feeling that surrounded the New Zealand wine industry in the early 70s: a feeling that the potential for something huge is on the horizon. And the early signs are more than encouraging with New Zealand distillers regularly awarded on the world stage – a

DSA Chair Sue James

28 DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

particular highlight being Rogue Society’s Scapegrace Gold beating more than 600 other gins from around the world to be named Best London Dry Gin at IWSC 2018. But until a year ago, a united and local voice for New Zealand distillers had been lacking. That changed in October 2018 with the launch of Distilled Spirits Aotearoa (DSA) – a society created to represent the joint interests of local makers of distilled spirits products, as well as associated groups and individuals. Interest came thick and fast, and after a year the DSA numbers 42 member distillers, from New Zealand’s longest established companies through to those just installing their stills, and it’s in touch with those yet to join. There are also 16 associate members who are suppliers of raw materials, packaging or equipment. “It’s been a great response from industry,” says DSA Chair Sue James. “We desperately needed it. We’re now mature enough to know that we needed someone to represent the joint interests.” Sue is the current Technical Director at Taranaki’s Juno Gin (founded by her brother Dave and sister-in-law Jo). Based in Dunedin, she is a Chartered Scientist whose background includes 19 years in brewing operations at DB in Auckland, including as National Operations Manager, and then seven years in the Netherlands and UK in senior global Research & Development roles in the three largest brewing companies in the world. A member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors, she contributes to education programmes and scientific writing for the Institute of Brewing and Distilling. Sue heads the DSA with six other committee members, all of whom have their own distilling companies.

“The global experience consistently is that if you invest in spirits you can make a lot of money for a country. So we’re ready – we’re here with a united face to try and get some support.” – DSA Chair Sue James The pressing issues After early feedback from members, the DSA was quick to prioritise securing government assistance to help grow the distilling industry in a sustainable way, with cash flow a major issue for those starting out. “It’s very labour intensive, it’s got low or almost no economies of scale, is cash flow negative for two to three years, and if you’re making whisky or brandy it’s even up to four to ten years before there’s cash flow due to the maturation times and storage,” says Sue. For this reason, around 80% of DSA members have either additional part-time

FEATURE – DISTILLED SPIRITS AOTEAROA

overseas entries got a shock – there were some standout winners from New Zealand against some of those very well-known overseas brands.”

or full-time jobs; they’re likely not drawing salaries and may not pay dividends to shareholders for the first three to four years, with any profits going back into the business. The DSA wants the government to follow the lead of other countries where the economic benefits of a thriving spirits industry are recognised. “It’s been proven that distilled spirits generates jobs and economic growth and tax revenue,” says Sue. “It’s a hugely beneficial industry for a country, so most countries have some sort of relief or way to grow the industry, and New Zealand doesn’t. We want to enter into a discussion to look at the barriers to growth, and some of the things we can work with.” The DSA is preparing a White Paper on the subject and hopes that by the end of the year it will have a strategy for putting its case to government. Sue says the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has previously identified alcoholic spirits as an emerging growth opportunity for New Zealand. “They knew there was huge potential and the global experience consistently is that if you invest in spirits you can make a lot of money for a country. So we’re ready – we’re here with a united face to try and get some support.”

Setting the standard The DSA is also working towards establishing industry standards to help speed up consent and compliance approvals. Sue says resource consents can vary widely between regions, taking anywhere from three months to 20 months for approval, and costing up to $50,000 for a distillery. The official DSA guidelines will be designed for use in the approvals process to help with consistency in areas such as management plans and safe work instructions for hazardous material handling, food handling and fire safety. Professional development for distillers is in the pipeline too, with the Asia Pacific Institute of Brewing and Distilling keen on increasing its training in New Zealand for local distillers to raise their skill levels or to earn professional qualifications. An early success for the DSA was the inaugural NZ Spirits Awards held in mid-2019 and which were a joint effort between it and industry body NZ Spirits, which represents the nine major global liquor companies in New Zealand. The Awards received 254 entries, with 41% of those from New Zealand. Sue says the response was fantastic and plans for 2020 are underway. “We do expect far more entries and I think a few of the

The road ahead For now, the priority is on helping local distillers to establish themselves. Sue describes the first two to four years of a distilling business as “make or break” and says government relief, in whatever form, will help to build a far more successful industry. “It [government relief] is a kick-start – 80% of our members say they want to be exporting within two years and so that is just a green flag for the government to make money. And we’re bringing along all of the associated companion industries like glass and labelling, raw materials and botanicals.” She believes New Zealand botanicals could enjoy the same success as the local hops industry. “Massey University has done a lot of work on some of the botanicals available and it shows that they’re so vibrant – it’s a terroir sort of effect as the flavour is so particular to where they’re grown. We can show we’re using unique New Zealand botanicals like kawakawa, manuka and horopito… we have this advantage of showing off 100% pure New Zealand natives. There’s such a lot of history and potential marketing for New Zealand spirits.” Many distilleries already have tasting rooms or cellar doors too, paving the way to joining regional tourism efforts. While still a relatively fledgling industry, Sue says those who have embraced it have a sense of realism about what is involved and what it will take to stay in the game. “I think it helps a lot that most of our members who have opened a distillery have been in a profession before this,” she says. “They’re mid-life, they know the business, they’ve got the funding and they’re savvy in that area. Most invest in technical expertise so they’re ready and willing and eager to make a success of it. “It’s a very grown-up group of people who have that enthusiasm and are genuinely willing to help others when the newcomers come in. It’s a nice time to be in the industry, we’re helping each other, we enjoy each other’s product. There’s a lot of space to fill and a lot of excitement coming.” distilledspiritsaotearoa.org.nz 1 Investment opportunities in the New Zealand Alcoholic Spirits industry Part of the Food & Beverage Information Project May 2012 - Coriolis

DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019 29

scents & sensibility

WINE REPORT - AROMATICS

Spring has sprung and so have a bunch of beautiful new light white wine releases, which are pouring out of wineries in time for the longer sunnier days, writes Joelle Thomson

30 DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

WINE REPORT - AROMATICS

Under $20 2018 Giesen Estate Riesling RRP $14.99 Giesen

Giesen Estate Riesling is the biggestselling Riesling in New Zealand. This wine is fermented in a combination of granite tanks (1000 litre), stainless steel and oak barrels, which is one of the many reasons it is such a complex white. It’s fresh with high acidity, a medium body and medium sweet style. This vintage was made from a single vineyard in Marlborough’s Awatere Valley, but the grape source changes each year, due to the growing popularity of this consistently high quality wine. It punches well above its weight, with pronounced fruit flavours, intense zesty appeal and long, refreshing finish. 18.5/20 2018 Giesen Riesling Blush RRP $14.99 Giesen

This brand new light pink Riesling is a fresh and refreshing blend of Riesling and Merlot grapes. It’s bright and clean with a medium sweet (20 grams residual sugar per litre) style and flavours of green ginger, limes and white peach. 17/20

2019 Mud House South Island Pinot Gris RRP $14.99 Hancocks

2018 Leefield Station Marlborough Station Pinot Gris RRP $19.99 Marisco Vineyards

Pinot Gris has come a long way in a short time in the youthful New Zealand wine industry as this dry white shows. It’s a refreshing white with appealing fruit flavours; 3.4 grams per litre of residual sugar and a medium style with 13.5% ABV. 17.5/20

Hot days and cool nights preserve freshness in white grapes in New Zealand and that gives this Pinot Gris its white fruit flavours. Think nashi pears, white peach, a light body and refreshing qualities. 17.5/20

2019 Seifried Nelson Gewürztraminer RRP $18 Seifried Wines

Seifried Estate is one of Nelson’s longest established wineries and remains in family hands, thanks to Hermann and Agnes Seifried’s children, who are the second generation in charge of the great aromatics produced there. This Gewürztraminer is made from a blend of grapes from Redwood Valley and Brightwater Vineyards, all harvested in March 2019. It’s a medium dry style with a full body, strong fruity flavours and rose petal aromas. 18.5/20 2019 Seifried Nelson Grüner Veltliner RRP $18 Seifried Wines

This wine puts Grüner’s best foot forward with its freshness, balanced acidity and body. It’s bone dry, medium-bodied and spicy and was made with grapes grown on the Eden’s Road Vineyard in Nelson, an extremely stony area where water and nutrient levels are low due to its coastal proximity. Grüner (pronounced ‘GROOner’) is the most popular white grape variety in Austria, which is winery founder Hermann Seifried’s homeland. 17.5/20

2018 te Pā Marlborough Pinot Gris RRP $19.99 Beverage Brothers

te Pā Pinot Gris is made from grapes grown on the vast Wairau Plains, the heart of Marlborough’s wine industry. This wine is all about fresh, bright, clean, fruity flavours and is made in a light-bodied style with a medium finish. It drinks well now and will hold for another two to three years. 17/20 2019 Montford Estate Marlborough Pinot Gris RRP $19.99 Beverage Brothers

Montford Estate is a new range from te Pā that launched this year with a trio of wines, including this fresh Marlborough Pinot Gris. All Montford wines are vegan friendly and the flavours in this Pinot Gris are of light, white fruit such as soft pear and apple. 17/20

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WINE REPORT - AROMATICS

RRP $20-$29.99 2013 Crater Rim Waipara Riesling RRP $21.99 The Crater Rim

If there’s one thing that makes Riesling great it’s the ‘A’ word: age. And this wine has it in spades. It’s six years old now and has just kept getting better, thanks to its ripe mandarin, rich peach and refreshing lime zest flavours. This is an outstanding wine with great balance, a medium body, long finish and sensationally delicious spectrum of complex flavours. 18.5/20 2016 Whitehaven Marlborough Riesling RRP $21.99 Whitehaven

This Riesling is made in relatively small volumes by a large winery in Marlborough. It’s dry, fresh and lightbodied with a deliciously zesty core of citrus and green fruit flavours: limes, lemons, Granny Smith apples and white peach all combine in this complex white. 18.5/20

2017 The Boneline White Label Riesling RRP $21.99 The Boneline

2018 Mud House Single Vineyard ‘The Mound’ Riesling RRP $24.99 Hancocks

North Canterbury Riesling is one of this country’s most unsung white wine heroes. This stellar dry white was made from grapes grown on river terraces on The Boneline vineyard. Its flavours are intense and complex with layers of lime zest, tangelo juice and ripe mandarin. Every sip lingers. 18.5/20

The Mound Vineyard was planted in 2002 in the Waipara Valley, in the heart of North Canterbury. The region’s hot days and cool nights coupled with stony soils all reduce fertility and provide ideal conditions for developing pronounced aromatic flavours of lime and lemon. This wine has a low pH of 2.9 (meaning it can age well) and high acidity with low alcohol of 8.5% ABV, which makes it taste light and super fresh. 18.5/20

2019 Mud House Sub Region Series Pinot Gris RRP $21.99 Hancocks

This wine was made from a blend of grapes grown in Marlborough and the Waipara Valley in North Canterbury. It’s full-bodied, dry and fresh with tasty spicy flavours and white fruit aromas. Good drinking now. 17/20 2018 Mount Edward Central Otago Riesling RRP $24.99 Mineral

This light-bodied Otago Riesling is one of the many excellent dry whites made by Duncan Forsyth and Anna Riederer in the world’s southernmost wine region, Central Otago. Flavours of concentrated limes and freshly picked apples shine in this youthful wine, which has at least a decade’s worth of positive ageing time up its super tasty sleeve. 18.5/20

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2018 Pewsey Vale Riesling RRP $25 Negociants

Its dry style, single vineyard origin and old vines are the three keys to greatness when it comes to this vegan-friendly Riesling from Eden Valley in South Australia. It’s made from vines planted in 1961, with progressive plantings through to 2010. Soils on this elevated site (440 to 490 metres above sea level) are light and stony, making the vines struggle. Ripening is therefore long and slow, allowing Riesling to develop its zesty aromas gradually. 18.5/20

WINE REPORT - AROMATICS

2019 Seifried Nelson Würzer RRP $25 Seifried Wines

Seifried’s Redwood Valley Vineyard is home to the grapes that went into this spicy, vegan-friendly wine. It is off dry with flavours of fresh white fruit, thanks to its cool fermentation temperatures, which preserve freshness and a light style. 17.5/20 2019 Zephyr Marlborough Riesling RRP $25.99 Hancocks

Brothers Ben and Jack Glover make this consistent dry, super-refreshing Riesling from the country’s biggest wine region, Marlborough, which has more than one string to its great white bow as this wine shows. With concentrated lime and juicy flavours it drinks well now, and also ages exceptionally well, as a line-up of all Zephyr Rieslings revealed. A great drink now and a collectable dry white for the wine cellar. 18.5/20 2016 Black Peak Riesling RRP $26 Black Peak

Wanaka may have the fewest vineyards and brands in the glowing Central Otago wine crown, but they all punch above their weight. Case in point, this luscious sweet wine that is long on flavour with its 48 grams of residual sugar, low pH (2.8) and low alcohol of 9% ABV. 18.5/20

2017 Yalumba Samuel’s Collection Eden Valley Viognier RRP $26 Negociants

Viognier is a naturally voluptuous style of wine. The warm days and cool nights of Barossa’s Eden Valley in South Australia allow the retention of fresh acidity in the grapes, which gives this Viognier its vibrancy. It’s made from a blend of six different vineyards and was wild fermented and bottled without fining. It is vegan-friendly, as are all Yalumba wines. 17.5/20 2017 Misha’s Vineyard Limelight Riesling RRP $28 Negociants

Misha’s Vineyard is on the slopes of Lake Dunstan in Bendigo, Central Otago. Its cool continental climate is ideal for preserving the acidity and pronounced aromatic green fruit characters that typify the Riesling grape, especially lime zest and Granny Smith apple, as this gorgeous Riesling and its sibling ‘Lyric’ (see next wine) show. Winemaker Ollie Masters gives this wine a modest five to six years of suggested ageing potential; a humble prediction for such a great white that shines when it’s young and with time. It is medium-bodied, sweet in style and well balanced with high acidity, providing a long finish. 17.5/20

2017 Misha’s Vineyard Lyric Riesling RRP $28 Negociants

Lyric Riesling was first made in 2009 at Misha’s Vineyard and is the dry wine of the pair. It is mostly exported to Australia, Hong Kong and China but has a growing customer base in New Zealand, thanks to visitors at the Cromwell cellar door. The 2017 is from a cool vintage and is restrained in fruit expression. Its vibrant acidity is nicely balanced by a medium body and it drinks well now as an aperitif style – try it with Thai lemongrass and basil dishes. It will develop in the bottle well for at least a decade. 18.5/20 2018 Terrace Edge Pinot Gris RRP $28 Wine2Trade

Small quantities and high quality winemaking is the story of Terrace Edge in North Canterbury. White wines shine there, thanks to the region’s long, warm summers, which provide ideal ripening conditions for the slow and steady development of flavour in grapes, while retaining freshness. This is a stunner. 18.5/20

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WINE REPORT - AROMATICS

2019 Blackenbrook Nelson Pinot Blanc RRP $28 Blackenbrook Vineyard

Blackenbrook is a small volume, high quality winery in Nelson, which made its first ever Pinot Blanc this year. It’s a delicious newcomer to the stable for winery owners Daniel and Ursula Schwarzenbach, who first fell for Pinot Blanc’s charms when Daniel was judging at the Mondial des Pinots wine competition in Switzerland. This wine is dry, medium-bodied and fresh, with floral aromas and flavours of citrus. It’s a tasty newcomer in a niche category: there are only 11 hectares of Pinot Blanc grown in New Zealand currently. 17.5/20 2018 Tohu Single Vineyard Albariño RRP $29.99 Tohu

Albariño (pronounced al-bah-REE-nyo) is an interesting new grape to New Zealand, hailing originally from Spain’s maritime north west region of Andalucia. This makes Albariño a natural fit for New Zealand’s maritime climate and this one was made from grapes grown on a hilly vineyard called the Kuiti block in Nelson’s Upper Moutere. The vines were planted in 2011 on 1.36 hectares of predominantly clay soils. The grapes were hand-harvested and the wine was cool fermented to retain its lemon and ripe apple flavours. The alcohol is modest at 12.5% ABV and this wine is dry with 3.2 grams per litre of residual sugar. 18.5/20

Pegasus Bay winery has gone where few in New Zealand have ventured: into high volume, top quality Riesling production.

34 DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

2018 Tohu Single Vineyard Riesling RRP $29.99 Tohu

2018 Nautilus Marlborough Albariño RRP $31 Negociants

Dry, intensely fruity and light-bodied, this Riesling balances lightness and freshness with pronounced flavours and great length. It contains a relatively modest 12% ABV, providing the wine with a medium body and allowing Riesling’s fruity intensity to express itself. The wine was made from hand-harvested grapes from a warmer than average vintage with an earlier harvest than usual in the Awatere Valley. 18.5/20

This is one of New Zealand’s top Albariños and made in small quantities by winemaker Clive Jones at Marlborough winery Nautilus. It’s bone dry, full-bodied and crisp with the high acidity that gives Albariño its long finish. 18.5/20

RRP $30 and above 2013 Greywacke Marlborough Riesling RRP $31 Negociants

Winemaker Kevin Judd is still best known as the founding winemaker at Cloudy Bay Wines, but his outstanding Greywacke wines are now eclipsing those early days in New Zealand’s biggest wine region, especially with aromatics such as this gorgeous dry Riesling. A library release, this wine is dry, crisp and full-bodied with concentrated citrus flavours and a long finish. 18.5/20

2019 Mondillo Riesling RRP $31 Wine2Trade

Mondillo Riesling is another jewel in Central Otago’s white wine crown. Its fresh acidity reveals its southern origins and the flavour intensity is impressive, as are the ripe lime and lemon flavours midpalate and the long finish. 17.5/20 2015 Pegasus Bay Riesling RRP $31.99 EuroVintage

Pegasus Bay winery has gone where few in New Zealand have ventured: into high volume, top quality Riesling production. It’s brave territory in a country where Riesling is often misunderstood, but this wine is a game-changer, thanks to the great North Canterbury climate where grapes can take their time ripening. This allows intense flavour development with the balance of refreshing acidity to provide length, depth and delicious succulence in every citrusy sip. 19/20

WINE REPORT - AROMATICS

2016 Misha’s Vineyard ‘The Gallery’ Gewürztraminer RRP $33 Negociants

It’s refreshing to taste a Gewürztraminer with dry vibrant freshness, a character due to Central Otago’s cool climate. Tropical fruit flavours are present and counted in this lively Otago Gewürz’, along with Turkish delight and rose petal aromas, which are beautifully balanced by refreshing acidity and a full body at 14% ABV. 18.5/20 2018 Felton Road Dry Riesling RRP $37.99 Felton Road

Central Otago is home to very little Riesling, but the quality that trickles out of this region is stellar and Felton Road’s Dry Riesling is consistently among my favourite high quality dry whites from Otago. It drinks superbly as a youthful refreshing dry white, but is intensely lime zesty in taste with rich peachy flavours after five years plus in the bottle. 19/20 For distributor details see Distributor Index on page 92.

Australian winemaker Peter Lehmann may be gone, but his legacy lives on in great wines Aged Peter Lehmann Riesling shines Famed Australian winemaker Peter Lehmann may be gone but his legacy lives on in the great whites and impressive Shiraz produced at the Barossa Valley winery that carries his name. I was invited to join a retrospective tasting at the winery HQ in September and the aged Rieslings were incredibly impressive. (Peter Lehmann Rieslings have been sealed with screwcaps since 2002.) Here are the notes on my top three picks from this outstanding tasting. 2014 Peter Lehmann Wigan Eden Valley Riesling (11% ABV, 5.8 grams RS) Current vintage. Released with five years of bottle age.

Pale lemon. Vibrant pronounced aromas of florals, terpenes, lime cordial and lemon, with medium plus acidity, medium body, medium plus finish. Lower acidity than I expected but nicely balanced. Sourced from Ben Zander’s Wroxton vineyard in Eden Valley, 500 metres above sea level, west facing, planted in 2002 in shallow grey sands over flint rock. 18.5/20 2006 Peter Lehmann Wigan Eden Valley Riesling (11.5% ABV, 5.3 grams RS)

Essence of lime cordial and extremely vibrant with high acidity of 7 grams TA per litre, nicely balanced by clean, green, lime flavours and freshness. The RS is just off dry and suits the style beautifully. Long finish. 18.5/20 2005 Peter Lehmann Wigan Eden Valley Riesling (11.5% ABV, 5.85 grams RS)

The biggest vintage in history and a very dry season of high quality. Extremely long finish; great balance of acidity, intensity of lemon zest flavour and ripeness as well as medium body and super fresh style. 19/20 Giesen

DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019 35

NEW RELEASES

Top Picks Some of the best new wines for the new season, as recommended by wine writer Joelle Thomson

2014 Giesen Ridge Block Marlborough Pinot Noir RRP $55.99 Giesen

2018 Esk Valley Winemakers Reserve Chardonnay RRP $56.99 Villa Maria

Ridge Block is home to one of Giesen Estate’s top tier Pinot Noirs, albeit in a slightly lighter style than Clayvin (see wine below). By contrast, Ridge Block Pinot Noir is medium-bodied with refreshing high acidity and incredibly concentrated ripe fruit flavours. The essence of Pinot Noir. 18.5/20

This new release from Esk Valley ticks the ‘vegan friendly’ box because it was unfiltered and unfined prior to bottling, so no animal by-products were used in its production. It’s dry and fresh with a medium body (and a modest 12.7% ABV) and medium acidity to balance the creamy notes. Youthful, it drinks well now thanks to great balance and a long succulent finish. 18.5/20

Martinborough is home to many top Pinot Noirs, including those of Palliser Estate. This wine is made with grapes grown on four vineyards from four different clonal variations of Pinot, and from vines that average 18 years of age. Indigenous yeasts were used with cautious amounts of new oak (27%) and whole clusters (13.5%), which add aromatics and provide structure while allowing Pinot’s hallmark elegant acidity to shine, giving this wine a lingering finish. 18.5/20

2014 Giesen Clayvin Marlborough Pinot Noir RRP $55.99 Giesen

2017 Misha’s Vineyard The High Note RRP $45 Negociants

Giesen has 13 vineyards in Marlborough spread over 284 hectares. Of those, 11% are certified organic, including the pinnacle of its vineyard area: Clayvin. This was the first significant hillside vineyard in Marlborough when planted in 1991. The vines are low yielding, high density and focused entirely on quality: each vine produces approximately one bunch of grapes to go into a bottle of Clayvin wine. Quality sings in this Pinot Noir. It’s full-bodied with pale colour, high acidity and pronounced aromas of smoked mushrooms, spice and red fruit. This is an incredibly impressive Pinot from the country’s biggest wine region. 19/20

This wine more than lives up to its name, thanks to winemaker Ollie Masters. He cold soaks the grapes for up to seven days to gently extract colour from the skins prior to fermentation. The wine’s vibrant fruit character is preserved with a cool ferment and it is then aged in 300 litre French oak hogshead barrels, 28% new. It’s a modest amount of new oak, which adds structure and showcases the fruit flavours in this youthful, silky southern Pinot. 19/20

What is vegan wine? It’s a question being asked more frequently of winemakers, retailers and wine writers. It can perplex some consumers, as wine is made from fruit, so the raw material is entirely vegan friendly. However, it’s sometimes necessary to remove miniscule particles from wine after fermentation (grape or yeast fragments) which can create issues of instability if left in a wine. Modern winemaking generally includes such careful hygienic practice that this is not always an issue, but when required, the most effective way of eliminating these particles is with animal-based fining agents that bind with them and are then removed from the wine. The wine therefore doesn’t actually contain animal products, unless microscopic traces remain. These protein-based fining agents include isinglass (from fish bladders), casein (from cow milk) and egg whites, all of which are protein-rich. The most commonly used non-animal fining agent is a type of clay called bentonite.

36 DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

2018 Palliser Pinot Noir RRP $55.99 Negociants

For distributor details see Distributor Index on page 92.

HOOKMVNR1019DB PHOTOGRAPHY: CHRISTOPHER DAVID THOMPSON

2019 MAR LBOROUGH ROSÃ&#x2030;

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

OPINION – WINE

Joelle Thomson

Journalist, wine writer and author www.joellethomson.com

Is this seat taken? Joelle Thomson reviews documentary A Seat at the Table, which asks some probing questions about New Zealand wine’s position on the international stage… HOW HAS New Zealand wine gone from zero to hero in less than 50 years? A new film, A Seat at the Table, uncovers some of the answers. It was launched at the New Zealand International Film Festival in late July and is the brainchild of David Nash and Simon Mark-Brown. The pair made it their labour of love for five years, travelling between New Zealand and France to interview key people (mainly winemakers, along with a couple of well-known commentators) about the main question posed by the film: Does New Zealand wine deserve a seat at the international wine table? The film is measured, but also narrow in some ways. Its premise is that France and white burgundy in particular (aka Chardonnay), are the absolute pinnacle to which wine lovers flock, and which white winemakers desire to get right. New Zealand wine is based almost entirely around a relatively narrow range of grapes, mostly French, so in some ways this idea makes sense. There are times in the film where the French thing got to me a bit, however, because I can’t help but wonder where Germany, Italy and Spain feature in the thinking of the winemakers in this film. Not to mention Australia, Argentina, Portugal and all the other countries that make great wine today. That niggle aside (and it’s not a minor one), I loved the film. I first reviewed A Seat at the Table prior to its launch, so was sent a link to watch it in my home office before seeing it at the Wellington premiere at the Embassy. This is a film worthy of the big screen – the bigger, the better. The cinematography is outstanding and commands the viewer’s attention. 38 DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

The Marlborough cellar door of Clos Henri

The editing supports the intensely beautiful landscapes and interviews are strung together well without pushing points, but rather displaying many views from both the French (who frequently come across as narrow-minded) and the Kiwis (who mostly do aspire to make great Chardonnay the apex of their white winemaking). It was also refreshing to hear commentators such as Jancis Robinson talk about New Zealand with an open mind, even if she was somewhat reserved. As far as sitting at the global wine table goes, it could be argued that New Zealand is already there. Our country’s wines command an extremely high average price per litre in one of the biggest export markets, the United Kingdom, and Marlborough is now the world’s HQ of fresh ‘n fruity Sauvignon Blanc. Despite criticisms and concerns that New Zealand has too many eggs in the Sauvignon basket, it has also been pointed out that champagne, Tuscany’s Chianti or Prosecco are all from regions

heavily reliant on a narrow range of styles. But these well-known wines continue to rise in popularity. If it’s not broken, why fix it? It could also be argued, as Master of Wine and Kumeu River winemaker Michael Brajkovich does, that we are not quite there yet. Whatever conclusion viewers come to after watching A Seat at the Table, one thing is clear: New Zealand winemakers are extremely open-minded. Their modern outlook, willingness to embrace pragmatic technology (screwcaps now account for 97% of New Zealand wine) and openness to new ideas has undoubtedly given them an edge. Compared with French comments in the film along the lines of: “Screwcaps might be better but French tradition keeps our wine fresh,” the New Zealanders came across as humble, lacking in pretension and keen to do whatever it takes to create an outstanding product. nzwinestory.co.nz

A brand new look for an old favourite OLD COACH ROAD 2019 NELSON SAUVIGNON BLANC

90 Points

Cameron Douglas MS, The Shout Magazine, September 2019 camdouglasms.com

92 Points

Bob Campbell MW, Â©The Real Review, July 2019 therealreview.com

WWW.SEIF R IED.CO. N Z @seifriedestate

WINE – IWSC 2019

10 Golds for NZ wines at IWSC 2019 New Zealand wines have once again made a strong showing at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London IN 1969, humans first set foot on the moon, Sauvignon Blanc was planted in New Zealand, and a small wine competition, Club Oenologique, was founded in the UK. Fifty years later and we’ve only just reached the far side of the moon. However, in the same period, New Zealand wines have rocketed to international acclaim and have put in another stellar performance at the 2019 International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC), the prestigious international competition that Club Oenologique went on to become, and which is currently celebrating its half century. While there was no New Zealand category in that first Club Oenologique contest, our country’s wines soon started to get serious and this was reflected in increasingly high-profile wins at the competition. Back in the mid-1990s, before Kiwi Pinot Noir was regarded as world class, Ata Rangi was awarded the IWSC’s Pinot Noir Trophy two years in a row, helping put New Zealand examples on the global wine map. New Zealand has also regularly scooped the Sauvignon Blanc Trophy. This year, the medals for the 2019 Competition had just been announced as Drinksbiz went to print, with New Zealand again scoring an impressive run, winning ten Gold Medals. New Zealand further came of age at the IWSC this year with the appointment of its first ever President from New Zealand, Sir George Fistonich. He joined

the ranks of the role’s past luminaires, who include Bordeaux’s Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, Italy’s Marchese Piero Antinori, and California’s Robert Mondavi. At the IWSC, plenty has changed since the wine chemist Anton Massel established Club Oenologique. Massel’s aim to recognise quality has endured, along with his unique two-stage judging process where wines are not only tasted

industry landscape. Through this our core values have remained constant: to reward excellence, to recognise quality, and to provide the consumer and trade with authoritative recommendations. As change and evolution are essential, after conducting extensive research among the industry, we have introduced a wideranging development programme.” This includes the appointment of a high-level Wine Judging Committee to

blind, but undergo chemical analysis to guarantee their soundness and identity. However, in recent years new ownership and a complete overhaul of the competition has ushered in exciting new developments. “2019 is a momentous time for the IWSC as we celebrate our 50th anniversary,” explains IWSC Wine Director, Christelle Guibert. “Over the last 50 years the IWSC has refined its judging processes to reflect the changing

oversee the integrity of the competition, as well as new wine judges, recognised as current leaders in their fields. In a nod to its history, the IWSC has also launched their luxury Club Oenologique consumer wine magazine, edited by Adam Lechmere. With the release of these latest results, New Zealand can be truly proud of its success at the IWSC in a historic year for this rigorous and ever-evolving international competition.

Dirceu Vianna Junior is the Wine Committee Member who oversaw this year’s New Zealand judging at IWSC. He is a Master of Wine with over two decades of experience spanning every winemaking country. “The overall quality was very high,” he commented. “I saw some really exciting wines: Chardonnays with layers of complexity; ambitious and wonderful Sauvignon; an amazing Pinot Gris and some good reds and stickies.”

40 DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

NZ Gold Medal winners at the 2019 IWSC • • • • • • • • • •

Babich Black Label Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2019 Brancott Estate Letter Series O Marlborough Chardonnay 2018 Bristol Farm Central Otago Pinot Noir 2013 Church Road Grand Reserve Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018 Crown Range Cellar Moon Rock Waitaki Valley Pinot Gris 2018 Jackson Estate Vintage Widow Marlborough Pinot Noir 2015 Peregrine Central Otago Pinot Noir 2016 Saint Clair Barrique Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2016 Stoneleigh Latitude Marlborough Chardonnay 2018 Two Sisters Central Otago Riesling 2011

Full results can be found at iwsc.net and in-depth coverage of the NZ IWSC Trophy winners (to be announced in the coming months) will appear in the next issue of Drinksbiz.

The Family Tree The Rose Family have pioneered and nurtured their vineyards for over 40 years and produce an outstanding family of award-winning wines. The very best that Marlborough has to offer.

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WINE NEWS

Sacred Hill releases single vineyard trio

SACRED HILL has created three single vineyard wines from its Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough vineyards. The new range includes a Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay and Syrah and a Marlborough Pinot Noir.

Kiwiana for Montana’s New Zealand Collection Montana has released a new collection of wines that highlight the brand’s history in New Zealand, with quirky Kiwiana iconography on the labels. The Montana New Zealand Collection includes a Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Rosé from Marlborough, and a Chardonnay from Gisborne. Montana Winemaker, Laura-Kate Morgan, says the New Zealand Collection brings to life key symbols of Kiwiana that make Montana proud to have been enjoyed by New Zealanders since the 1940s. “We’re proud to release a collection that captures the spirit of what it means to be a Kiwi, and celebrates Montana’s place within New Zealand culture,” she says. The illustrations highlight each wine’s flavour cues, such as a farmer leaning on a lime for the ‘Crisp and Zingy Sauvignon Blanc’, and a sportsman shot-putting a giant cherry for the ‘Smooth and Velvety Pinot Noir’. Montana New Zealand Collection is available now. RRP $19.99. Pernod Ricard

2018 Sacred Hill Single Vineyard Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay

Styled to capture the essence of Sacred Hill’s Riflemans vineyard. A rich and textural wine with lifted aromas of grapefruit, spiced brioche, and toasted hazelnut, and subtle but complex layers of gunflint and toasty vanilla oak. Winemaker note – Jack Cornes: “The dry heat and excellent growing conditions of the season meant that the grapes were showing their perfect flavour profile at harvest. We know the quirky sub-climates of our vineyard well, and were able to pick our grapes at their absolute best. You can really taste the quality of the fruit in this exceptional Chardonnay.” 2018 Sacred Hill Single Vineyard Hawke’s Bay Syrah

Using fruit from the Deerstalkers vineyard in the Gimblett Gravels. Complex aromas of white pepper, salted chocolate and Black Doris plums, leading to undertones of smoky tobacco leaf and dark floral notes. Flavours of fresh, dark wild berries, sweet forest fruit compote and baking spices. Succulent tannins and a long, elegant finish. Winemaker note – Jack Cornes: “The 2018 season had the best possible start, with a hot and dry growing period and even less rain than last vintage. Our Syrah grapes lapped up the dry heat and the excellent growing conditions resulting in a lush Syrah with incredible flavour.” 2018 Sacred Hill Single Vineyard Marlborough Pinot Noir

A rich Marlborough Pinot Noir with aromas of black cherries, vanilla, and strawberry conserve with complex undertones of wild herbs and forest floor. Vibrant and concentrated, this wine showcases the classic style of Marlborough Pinot Noir with immediate richness and supple, velvety tannins. Winemaker note – Kel Dixon: “Fortunately, the 2018 vintage delivered impeccable fruit which we harvested at their absolute best. This enabled us to create an exceptional Pinot Noir that is a true reflection of the vineyard. This is a beautiful example of a Marlborough Pinot Noir.” Quench Collective 42 DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

Invivo launches with SJP Kiwi winery Invivo & Co. launched its latest celebrity collaboration in September with Invivo X, Sarah Jessica Parker (SJP) Sauvignon Blanc. The wine will be available in New Zealand, Australia, USA, UK, Ireland and Japan. Invivo founders Rob Cameron and Tim Lightbourne travelled to New York to blend the wine with Parker, taking samples of the 2019 vintage, harvested in April from five estates in Marlborough, spanning both the Wairau and Awatere Valleys. Invivo winemaker Rob Cameron describes the wine as: “A seriously drinkable Sauvignon Blanc that will continue to develop for up to seven years. Think flavours of grapefruit, honey-suckle flower, passionfruit and citrus zest balanced with an acidic spine – it’s not a typical Marlborough Sauvignon.” The X and the comma after it in the wine’s name references Parker’s signature email and Instagram post signoff: “X, SJ.” She also hand-painted the X on the original label and found the teal paint to match the exact shade of one of her favourite satin shoe colorways, “Hamilton”, from her SJP Collection label. Invivo X, SJP Sauvignon Blanc is now available on allocation due to demand. RRP $21.99. Invivo

WINE NEWS

Rosé reigns at New World Wine Awards

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Cle i gh te n Co r n e l i us

vineyard’s gold rush past, the wine inside is equally impressive with gorgeous flavour and aromas. It has been quick to become a favourite since its first vintage and Champion win just last year.” Judges also noted the number of newer varieties in the Top 50. “We were very excited to see an Albariño, Tempranillo and Grenache Tempranillo among the Champion wines, as well as a Carménère in the Top 50,” says Harré. “These are grape varieties that have long been popular in traditional wine regions but are relatively new to New Zealand shores and palates.”

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It was a record-breaking year for Rosé at the 2019 New World Wine Awards with the most entries of the style ever and nine Rosé wines in the Top 50. “This was a phenomenal year for Rosé,” says Chair of Judges Jim Harré. “Not only did we receive more Rosé entries than ever before – with 110 wines from all over the world – the quality was exceptional, earning the most medals for Rosé in the awards’ history.” The nine wines in the Top 50 included seven still and two sparkling, while more than 70 Rosé wines won a medal in the competition overall. More than 1000 wines entered the 2019 New World Wine Awards and entries were judged by 17 independent experts over three days to award Gold, Silver and Bronze medals as well as Champion trophies and the Top 50 rankings. The Top 50 winning wines (all under RRP $25) were on shelves in liquor-selling New World stores nationwide from Monday 7 October. Organisers say that the standout in the class was repeat Champion Rosé winner Madam Sass Central Otago Pinot Noir Rosé 2019. “Known for its striking bottle artwork, which pays homage to the

Madam S

Champion Wines in the New World Wine Awards 2019 Champion Sauvignon Blanc Wairau River Sauvignon Blanc 2019 Champion Pinot Gris Villa Maria Private Bin East Coast Pinot Gris 2019 Champion Aromatic Coopers Creek Select Vineyards ‘Bell-Ringer’ Albariño 2019 Champion Chardonnay Stoneleigh Rapaura Marlborough Chardonnay 2018 Champion Sparkling Wine Te Hana Rosé Champion Rosé Madam Sass Central Otago Pinot Noir Rosé 2019 Champion Pinot Noir Wild Grace Pinot Noir 2017 Champion Single Varietal Red Yalumba Y Series Tempranillo 2018 Champion Red Blend Chalk Hill Grenache Tempranillo 2018 Champion Shiraz & Syrah Yalumba Y Series Shiraz Viognier 2018 Full results at newworld.co.nz/wineawards

SHOWCASE

A new look for Old Coach Road One of New Zealand’s most well-known wine brands, Old Coach Road, has a new look that highlights its connection to the pioneering Seifried family of winemakers and gives the value-for-money range a fresh sophistication. Now known as ‘Old Coach Road by the Seifried Family’, the new branding brings greater shelf appeal to the range of bright, fruitdriven wines that reflect the terroir and sunshine of Nelson, while making the connection to the Seifried family clearer to consumers looking for great quality in the RRP $10-$14 price range. Old Coach Road was first launched in the early 1990s as an everyday wine for sale in supermarkets and to complement the family’s premium brand Seifried Estate. Today, Old Coach Road offers 11 wines, with the latest addition the Old Coach Road Nelson Rosé. Anna Seifried says visitors to the Seifried Cellar Door in Nelson would often comment on how much they loved Old Coach Road but had never known it was part of Seifried Estate. “It really made us wonder why our two main brands were so disassociated. Our customers have always shown great loyalty, but it turns out that most didn’t actually know where the wine was coming from!” The new labels make this connection clear and also highlight the Seifried family’s commitment to sustainable winegrowing. Now available in 17 international markets, Old Coach Road is becoming a familiar brand around the world. It takes its name from the historic route used in the 1850s for the first mail run through the Moutere Hills in Nelson, close to where the Seifried winemaking story began. Hermann and Agnes Seifried planted their first vineyard in 1973, and their children Heidi, Chris and Anna are now the second generation Seifried winemakers. seifried.co.nz

DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019 43

WINE NEWS

New TOMs for 2019 Church Road has released a trio of its famed TOM wines for 2019, comprising a Church Road TOM Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2015, Church Road TOM Syrah 2015 and Church Road TOM Chardonnay 2016. TOM is Church Road’s pinnacle wine range and is made only in exceptional vintages. It is named after the late Tom McDonald (1907– 1987), a pioneer of New Zealand’s fine winemaking and winemaker at Church Road Winery for over 50 years. TOM Chardonnay RRP $150; TOM Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot and TOM Syrah RRP $220. Pernod Ricard

Immersive events with Campo Viejo SPANISH WINE brand Campo Viejo took over Auckland’s Longroom in September with a celebration of modern Spanish culture. Distributor Pernod Ricard organised the ‘Live Uncorked’ event series, which included special wine-matched menus, live art installations and New Zealand’s first Campo Viejo ColourLab series – an immersive wine tasting experience. Global Campo Viejo Ambassador, Federico Lleonart, was also in Auckland for some of the events. International street artist 3TTTman

kicked off the series by painting a bespoke artwork live at Longroom, which stayed as an art installation for the rest of the month. ColourLab, Campo Viejo’s own interactive wine tasting offering ran on the last three nights. The guided sessions included a 360-degree colour experience, in which consumers tasted Campo Viejo wines under a range of different coloured lights, to investigate how surroundings affect the interpretation of flavour. Pernod Ricard

Dion Wai wins NZ Somm of the Year Sommelier Dion Wai has won the title of New Zealand Sommelier of the Year in the annual competition held at the New Zealand School of Food & Wine in Auckland. It’s the second time Wai has won the title, winning in 2016 as a 26-year-old, and having gone on to build his knowledge and skills competing in 2018 in Hong Kong at the Castel Cup. He is currently a sommelier at Auckland’s Baduzzi Restaurant, and was at Huka Lodge prior to that. Raised in Auckland, Dion is a graduate of AUT and the New Zealand School of Food and 44 DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

Wine’s Professional Wine Programme. He holds the Wine and Spirit Education Trust Level 3 and is certified by the Court of Master Sommeliers. He will now go on to compete at the Australian National Sommelier Competition in 2020. The competition also included Young Sommelier of the Year and Young Wine Professional, a competition for people working in sales and marketing roles. Nikki Weir, from Sid at The French Café, won the Young Sommelier of the Year 2019, while Victoria (Tori) Haysom was named

the New Zealand Young Wine Professional. Tori works as a sales rep for Dhall and Nash Wines and holds the Wine and Spirit Level 3. Guest judge was Master Sommelier John Szabo, who travelled from Canada to be part of the event. “This award recognises the vital role played by the hospitality professional as part of the dining experience and serves to inspire others to look beyond the traditional roles of chef and server,” says Celia Hay, Chair of the New Zealand Sommeliers and Wine Professionals.

DRINKSBIZ WITH THE PREMIUM LIQUOR CO.

Sky’s the limit at The Premium Liquor Co. AFTER LAUNCHING just 18 months ago, The Premium Liquor Co. has emerged as an exciting and innovative player on the New Zealand drinks scene, making a mark with its own range of in-house developed products and distributing boutique local and international brands nationwide. The New Zealand-owned business is the creator of brands such as Sundown Gin, Hint Vodka, and newly released Happy Booch (a collaboration with Good Buzz Kombucha) – all of which it developed from scratch and produces, packages and distributes. The company says its goal is to make drinks for the modern world – an ethos reflected in its range of low calorie, low and no sugar products that use 100% natural ingredients to appeal to discerning consumers. The Premium Liquor Co also represents a growing portfolio of premium local and international brands such as Batch 10, Curiosity Gin and Canada’s Empress 1908 Indigo Gin, providing nationwide distribution through its own full sales team. Its agility in the market is partly thanks to sister company Pure Bottling, in Tauranga, whose focus is contract manufacturing spirits, liqueurs, carbonated beverages, kombucha, and health drinks. It has capability through its glass, plastics, canning and spirits lines. Brand Director at The Premium Liquor Co, Jason Anderson, says their internal design, marketing and distribution capabilities and access to bottling means they are agile and can be quick to market with products tailored to consumer trends. “Our model is really different from everybody else’s. As a liquor business I know that I can go from a blank sheet of paper to a drink in a bottle ready to sell 6-8 weeks later.” The Premium Liquor Co’s first product was ready to drink gin cocktail Sundown, 46 DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

which launched in early 2018. It now has five variants, including a hugely popular Pink Gin. “Over summer the Pink Gin just blew up,” says Anderson. “It went crazy and outsold every other SKU. That’s the ability we have – we see a big trend hitting and we can either jump on board with it or front foot it. We have that ability and we’re really ambitious to do more.” Zero sugar premix cocktail Hint Vodka soon followed: a super low calorie, carb and sweetener free alternative, and the latest release is Happy Booch, New Zealand’s first vodka-based alcoholic kombucha in collaboration with Good Buzz Kombucha. The Premium Liquor Co. decided early on to put its own nationwide sales

The Premium Liquor Co’s internal design, marketing, distribution capabilities and access to bottling means they are agile and can be quick to market with products tailored to consumer trends.

DRINKSBIZ WITH THE PREMIUM LIQUOR CO.

L-R: Jason Anderson – Brand Director, Matt Bruce – General Manager, Hamish Gordon – Founder.

team into the market and soon started distributing for other brands too, also appointing Import and Export Managers. “Throughout the journey we ended up meeting a whole bunch of awesome Kiwi innovators who have the most amazing products, but without distribution you’ve got nothing,” says Founder Hamish Gordon. “All these brands were knocking on the same doors as us, so we introduced a distribution model into the business.” With its own brands and those it represents, The Premium Liquor Co now has around 80 SKUs on its books, but is selective about who it partners with – aiming for key players across a range of categories to create a wellbalanced portfolio.

As it approaches the end of its second year, The Premium Liquor Co is hitting its stride and excited about the potential for what lies ahead with its own products and those it can develop in collaboration with others, such as bespoke beverages for an event or hotel chain. “We think about liquor differently and have the tools and resources to offer a real point of difference,” explains General Manager Matt Bruce. “We develop our own brands but can also partner with others for collaborations. That’s the flexibility we have – we make all the decisions here because we’re New Zealand-based and New Zealand-owned and operated.” premiumliquor.co.nz DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019 47

L IQU OR FOR THE MODERN WORLD

www.premiumliquor.co.nz

1 0 0 % NEW ZEA LA ND OWNED

BEER & CIDER REPORT

l l i h c t Jus The country is gearing up for barbecue season so fill your fridges and shelves with the latest beer and cider releasesâ&#x20AC;¦

50 DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

BEER & CIDER REPORT

Note: Beers and ciders are listed by % ABV

BEER ParrotDog Hawkeye Session IPA 4% ABV, 330ml 6-pack RRP $20.99 ParrotDog

A highly drinkable IPA that lets you stay sharp at just 4% ABV. A well-rounded malt base balances the bright, fruity hop character. Deep Creek Miss Tiki 4.5% ABV, 440ml RRP $7.99 Hancocks

This limited release beer has been created for spring/early summer – just as the barbecue season gets back into full force. It has an intense grapefruit zestiness balanced by subtle lychee sweetness. Its tart, fruity crisp flavour profile makes it ideal to serve with spicy Asian cuisines, fried foods, fish or salads. Monteith’s Great Divide 4.5% ABV, 330ml 6-pack RRP $15.99 DB

A flavoursome beer using Galaxy, Mosaic, Citra and Amarillo hops. The beer has tropical notes, along with ripe orange, tangelo, and deep citrus zest. Balanced sweetness and full-bodied. Monteith's named the beer in reference to the pioneers of the West Coast who made it through to the Southern Alps.

ParrotDog Rifleman XPA 4.5% ABV, 330ml 6-pack RRP $20.99 ParrotDog

Garage Project Proper Crisp Beer 5% ABV, 330ml RRP $4.50 – also in 50L keg Garage Project

A lean XPA that follows the lead of its namesake bird – packing a lot of personality into a small (in terms of ABV) package. Crisp and refreshing with tropical and stone fruit hop notes.

What goes better with a nice lager than a nice bag of chips? The crew at Garage Project have teamed up with Proper Hand Cooked Crisps to create a crisp beer to go with a beer crisp. Both arrive in an attractive white can (or bag) with a bright, colourful graphic treatment. The beer is a classic crisp Pilsner-style lager with Proper potatoes used in the mash. A match made in heaven.

Sawmill Passionfruit Sour 4.5% ABV, 330ml RRP $10.99 Sawmill Brewing

Arriving in a beautiful gold and blue striped bottle, Sawmill’s take on the sour is an intensely fruity affair with a pang of refreshing sourness. The first hint of the flavour assault you’re about to enjoy is on the nose, where it hits like those Short Circuit lollies we used to buy at the dairy. The almost-pink drop has hibiscus and passionfruit flavours that combine to recall sour melon. Refreshing and thirst-quenching – ideal for summer afternoon sessions.

Sprig & Fern Galactic Pale Ale 5% ABV, 888ml RRP $11.99 Sprig & Fern

This golden Pale Ale from Nelson’s Sprig & Fern brewery takes its name from Australia’s most internationally recognised flavour hop: Galaxy, which gives this beer a punch of peach, passionfruit and citrus.

The crew at Garage Project have teamed up with Proper Hand Cooked Crisps to create a crisp beer to go with a beer crisp.

DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019 51

BEER & CIDER REPORT

Baltika APA 5.5% ABV, 440ml RRP $3.99 Q Liquid

A light and dry American Pale Ale. Intense aromas of Cascade and Citra hops with floral notes, tropical fruit and pine. Refreshing on the palate with a pleasant hop bitterness on the finish. Mac’s Big Dipper White IPA 5.7% ABV, 330ml 4-pack RRP $14.99 Lion

Mac’s Big Dipper White IPA is a happy hybrid of a beer combining IPA hops with the spiced herbaceousness of a wheat beer. It pours very pale and golden in the glass and has the nose of an IPA, while the coriander notes that distinguish wheat beers appear on the palate. It’s a clever combo and will pair spectacularly well with mussels and seafood in the hot summer months. Baltika IPA 5.9% ABV, 440ml RRP $3.99 Q Liquid

Citra and Amarillo hops make this IPA from Russia’s Baltika brewery an ale fragrant with citrus and tropical fruits. Easy drinking, it balances good flavour with moderate hop bitterness. Sawmill Hazy Pale Ale 5.5% ABV, 330ml (part of Hazy 6-pack) RRP $26.99 Sawmill Brewing

Here’s an excellent idea from Sawmill - a six pack of three, hazy classics in one tidy unit (Hazy Pale Ale, East Coast IPA, and Nelson Sauvin). This will be a big hit in summer barbecue season. Sawmill walks the tightrope perfectly between quality crafted beers and mass market drinkability and their Hazy Pale Ale is no exception. There is a big citrus hit in this ale, but rather than being the jawaching hit it can so often be in other pale ales, this one stays beautifully balanced and fabulously drinkable to the end. The slight haze in the glass seems to impart a chilled-out nature that translates into the drinking experience. Recommended.

52 DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

Sawmill East Coast IPA 5.9% ABV, 330ml (part of Hazy 6-pack) RRP $26.99 Sawmill Brewing

Emporium Obscurity 6% ABV, 375ml RRP $13 Emporium Brewing

The East Coast IPA (part of the Hazy 3x2 6-pack) is a golden drop with floral and tropical fruit characters of mango and passionfruit offset by a more bitter earthiness. The full set is an attractive package with classy royal green, gold and crimson labels. I’d save the East Coast IPA for the middle of the 6-pack as it’s a nice counterpoint to the other two.

The Obscurity Dark Sour Ale from Kaikoura brewery Emporium is a riot of flavours and smells. The nose is full of sour raspberry and the flavour agrees. Moderately sour and with an underlying vinous character from its time ageing in Pinot Noir barrels.

BEER & CIDER REPORT

Renaissance Big RIPA Red IPA 6.1% ABV, 500ml RRP $7.99 – also in keg Brandhouse

Renaissance have descended into darkness with their Espresso Beertini Baltic Porter - a veritable dessert sampler of a beer.

This malty red IPA is a beer for those who require a bit of toastiness in their IPAs and was created for the NZ IPA Challenge. It uses New Zealand hop varieties Kohatu, Motuaka and Taiheke as well as the new research strain Hort 9909. This beer is all about the nose: a caramel malt hit with notes of citrus and tropical fruit that set you up for the flavours about to descend. The caramel and fruit characters continue on the palate, with hoppy notes that linger to the end. ParrotDog Lindsay West Coast IPA 6.8% ABV, 440ml RRP $8.99 ParrotDog

Sawmill Nelson Sauvin 6% ABV, 330ml (part of Hazy 6-pack) RRP $26.99 Sawmill Brewing

This West Coast IPA proved so popular that ParrotDog is reviving it for summer. It uses the US hop Cashmere from Washington, creating a combination of stone fruit and citrus flavours.

A beer celebrating New Zealand grown hops and malt, the Nelson Sauvin is a flavour hit and a half. A golden brown drop with moreish malt tones, this is an instant classic for summer. Its fruit is pronounced with a touch of pine, but it’s not over-bearing. The hazy character keeps it at the easy-drinking end of the spectrum. Enjoy as an accompaniment to grilled seafood or a plate of fresh mussels.

Renaissance Belgian Dubbel 7% ABV, 500ml RRP $8.99 – also in keg Brandhouse

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A Trappist Abbey-style beer is very much in keeping with Renaissance’s aesthetic. This heavy brown ale has an understated bitterness and dark fruit flavours of raisin, prune and date from the malts and spicy notes from the yeast.

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Renaissance Espresso Beertini Baltic Porter 7.7% ABV, 500ml RRP $8.99 – also in keg Brandhouse

Renaissance have descended into darkness with their Espresso Beertini Baltic Porter. The Baltic Porter has been infused with Harpoon cold brew coffee and is described as the brewery’s take on an espresso martini. The nose is all coffee but the flavour profile is a veritable dessert sampler of chocolate, coffee, dark fruits, berries, caramel and honeycomb. Ideal served with (or instead of) dessert. Deep Creek Haiku Hazy Double IPA 8% ABV, 440ml RRP $7.99 Hancocks

Deep Creek are used to pushing the boat out with their beers and this limited summer release is no exception. The Haiku Hazy Double IPA is a hefty pale ale with a strong grapefruit nose. The grapefruit continues on the palate but is mixed with hints of mango and lychee. A big IPA for hop connoisseurs; try this one with jalapeño poppers or a dish spicy enough to stand up to the massive flavours. Sawmill Belgian Strong Ale 8% ABV, 500ml RRP $11.99 Sawmill Brewing

This bottle conditioned beer has aromas of spice, biscuits and white rum. It’s rich with a dry finish. Cellar for up to two years for mellow raisiny characters. Sawmill also recommends swirling any settled yeast into the beer to add a chewy character. DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019 53

BEER & CIDER REPORT

CIDER Orchard Thieves Blueberry & Lime Cider 4% ABV, 500ml RRP $5.49 DB

Just in time for summer, the latest addition to the Orchard Thieves range of ciders combines apple with blueberry and lime. Pouring a vibrant red, it has a distinct apple aroma, with a touch of tart blueberry and lime freshness on the palate. Medium-sweet. Rekorderlig Cucumber-Lime 4% ABV, 500ml RRP $6.49 DB

Fresh cucumber is blended with zesty lime to create the latest release from Swedish cider brand Rekorderlig. Intense cucumber on the nose, medium-sweet on the palate with fresh cucumber and subtle lime.

Somersby Lower Carb Apple Cider 4% ABV, 330ml 12-pack RRP $25.99 Independent Liquor

Zeffer Rosé Cider with Berry Infusion 4.8% ABV, 330ml can RRP $4.49 and 1L RRP $12.99 Quench Collective

With 30% less carbs and 30% less sugar than regular Somersby cider, this is the version for those watching their waistlines. The new formulation hasn’t sacrificed any flavour though – there’s still plenty of crisp apple in there balanced with sweetness.

A balanced and refreshing semi-dry cider from the team at Zeffer. This coralpink cider is made with freshly crushed Hawke’s Bay apples and infused with locally grown cherries and raspberries. Rich fruit flavour, rounded and refreshing.

Isaac’s Crisp Low Sugar Cider 4.2% ABV, 330ml 12-pack RRP $21.99 Lion

Isaac’s have taken the clever tack of producing a Hawke’s Bay apple cider but lowering the sugar for the health-conscious. The cider remains sweet however, for those who prefer the style, and loses none of its crisp apple flavour.

Peckham’s Earth and Fire 6.7% ABV, 330ml RRP $5.99, 750ml RRP $19.99 Peckham’s

Peckham’s continue to make interesting ciders of great distinction. Their Earth and Fire cider was produced in memory of winemaker Dave Glover. It uses Kingston Black apples fermented whole with a barrel of single variety Yarlington Mill cider, and the addition of cider caramelised over an open fire for a dry, earthy character. It’s unfiltered and funky and not for the faint-hearted. Peckham’s Eastern Pathfinder 7.8% ABV, 330ml RRP $5.99 Peckham’s

Eastern Pathfinder is Peckham’s spicy take on a farmhouse cider, using cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and allspice.

Eastern Pathfinder is a spicy take on a farmhouse cider. Pure cider apple juice is wild fermented in oak with whole cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, cloves and allspice. The result is a heady brew that is strong and rich with subtle spicy aromas.

For distributor details see Distributor Index on page 92. 54 DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

OPINION – BEER

Michael Donaldson

Beer Writer of the Year, journalist and author beernation.co.nz

Sweet and sour Michael Donaldson explores the balancing act taking place as brewers take their beers into a new realm… BEER, THE experts will always tell you, is about balance. Historically, balance was achieved through a bitter-sweet combination, with the bitterness of hops offsetting sweet malt and alcohol. In stouts, the edgy, charred coffeelike acidity of dark malts – and a dash of hops – also helps balance against sweet chocolate notes. And lately we’re seeing a new development in the flavour see-saw with brewers doing a fantastic job of balancing sweet with sour. Sour beer takes on a number of guises. At one end you can get wild fermented beer that is often bracingly acidic and with a big funky nose that smells of silage. There are also barrel-aged beers, where bugs in the wood add complex threads of acidity to an otherwise normally fermented beer, creating almost wine-like character. Recently, you would have noticed the increasing number of beers that we call ‘kettle-soured’, or ‘quick-soured’. These use lactic acid-making bacteria (as found in yoghurt) to lower the pH of raw beer before it’s then brewed in the traditional manner. Adding fruits and salt to these styles of beers creates a delicately perfumed, tart and refreshing drop with an effervescent mouthfeel and often with a low ABV, making them great session beers. While gaining in popularity, these are not to everyone’s tastes. Traditional beer drinkers find sours unrecognisable to what they’ve always known as beer, while hop-heads will always prefer their pale ales and IPAs. But sours are also broadening beer’s reach in new directions, reaching out to wine-lovers, cider-drinkers and even those 56 DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

The addition of lactose and fruit to sour beers is a whole new ball game. who might have preferred a lemon, lime and bitters. A more recent development promises to take this style to a new audience, with brewers experimenting with the addition of lactose and other sweeteners to the tart beers to bring the balance back to a middle ground. Lactose, a non-fermentable sugar, has traditionally been used in milk stouts and lately has been used in what we call Milkshake IPA, those sweet, dessert-like beers that you’re more likely to find at festivals and in one-off kegs. And some brewers use lactose in their hazy IPAs to create sweetness and haze. The addition of lactose and fruit to sour beers, however, is a whole new ball game. The lactose, used judiciously, does

a number of things to a normally lean, bright, tart beer. First, it fattens up the mouthfeel, making it creamy and more generous. Second, it offsets the tart flavours, taking the edge off to create that sweet-sour balance many people are looking for in a beer they otherwise find just too mouth-puckering. Third, it brings a playful element – it makes beer fun rather than super-serious. Nobody’s done it better than Paraparaumu-based Duncan’s Brewery. Their Raspberry Ripple Icecream Sour was one of the standout offerings at the annual Beervana festival at Wellington in August. Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream Sour – even putting all those words together seems weird – it just doesn’t sound like beer at all. But the effect is magic. The addition of vanilla and lactose perfectly offsets the sour base beer and the tartness of raspberry. The overall effect was just like an ice cream on a summer’s day: refreshing, delicious and with layers of flavour. Welsh brewery Tiny Rebel, who were in New Zealand for Beervana, brought their Rhubarb and Custard Sour, which delivers the same sweet-sour dessert mix. In a similar vein, but with cider, Mount Brewing out of Mt Maunganui do a terrific job with their Dark ‘n Stormy Cider, which balances the typically refreshing tartness of cider with sweetness from molasses and the addition of ginger and “dessert” spices. It was another standout at Beervana. Given the popularity of these three drops you can expect to see a few more ‘sweet & sours’ coming out in the near future.

BEER & CIDER NEWS

NZ’s first carboNZero beer from The Fermentist

Lines drawn for Monteith’s Classics and Batch Brewed Monteith’s has separated its beers into two distinct tiers, with new packaging cues to help consumers identify them easily. The tiers comprise the ‘New Zealand Classics’ range and ‘Batch Brewed’ range and are differentiated by black or white bands across the top of their boxes. The New Zealand Classics 12-pack range consists of Monteith’s Original, Monteith’s Radler and Monteith’s Summer Ale in new amber bottles with white bands across the top of the boxes and a new lower RRP of $22.99 (330ml 12-pack). The Monteith’s Batch Brewed 12-pack range (RRP $25.99) includes Monteith’s Phoenix IPA, Monteith’s Patriot APA, Monteith’s Pointers Pale Ale, Monteith’s Beacon Pilsner and Monteith’s

CHRISTCHURCH-BASED CRAFT brewery The Fermentist has released New Zealand’s first carboNZero certified beer, following product certification by Enviro-Mark Solutions for its Kiwi Pale Ale (KPA). The official certification forms part of the Lion-owned craft beer brand’s wider goal to be the first fully carbon neutral brewery in New Zealand by 2020. “carboNZero product certification makes life easier for consumers, who are increasingly demanding ethical brands,” says Simon Taylor, General Manager for The Fermentist. “Consumers can now buy a beer knowing that its impact on the planet has been mitigated. All of the emissions from the entire lifecycle of our KPA have been taken into account – from the fertiliser that goes into growing the grain to the refrigeration of the product in the consumer’s home. “Going through the certification process has reinforced the real benefits of building sustainability into the brewery from the ground up,” he says. “It’s also encouraged us to be even bolder in our sustainability goals. As a result, we’re now striving towards carbon neutrality as a whole brewery for next year – which will hopefully make us the first carbon neutral brewery in country.” In October, The Fermentist is releasing a consumer brand campaign using ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) to trace the journey of the KPA from harvest to hand, as well as new packaging to celebrate its KPA achieving carboNZero product certification. 58 DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

Barber Lager. This range remains in the traditional Monteith’s bespoke bottles and has a black band across the top of the boxes. DB Breweries Marketing Director, Sean O’Donnell, says the development of the two Monteith’s ranges is in response to two distinct taste preferences in consumers. “Research showed clear differences between our craft customers looking for big bold flavours, and New Zealand Classics range customers who are looking for lighter tasting options,” says O’Donnell. “The new pricing structure reflects the difference in ABV between the ranges, and also the difference in ingredients –particularly hops – that go into the beers.” DB

Garage Project and Proper Crisps mash up GARAGE PROJECT has teamed up with Proper Crisps for a complementary beer and snack pairing. The team at GP has brewed a dry hopped lager (described as ‘crisp’ and dry) using Proper’s own potatoes in the mash, while the folk at Proper Crisps have made a beer-inspired chip using spice, yeast and Nelson hops. Garage Project Proper Crisp Beer is available in 330ml can and 50L keg. Garage Project

MIUM CRAF T

W ZEAL

BEER & CIDER NEWS

Moa x Vogels KIWI BRANDS Moa and Vogel’s have joined forces to create a new Mixed Grain Toasted Ale – a beer brewed from bread. The beer uses more than 400kg of Vogel’s Original Mixed Grain bread and a toasted malt. “The Mixed Grain Toasted Ale shows what good can come when two dedicated brands combine their creative talents,” says Moa CEO Stephen Smith. The Mixed Grain Toasted Ale is available now. Moa Beer

Hazy days from Sawmill Sawmill Brewery has released a 6-pack of its popular hazy beers for summer. The Hazy 3 x 2 features two each of its East Coast IPA, Nelson Sauvin IPA, and Hazy Pale Ale. Sawmill’s Mike Sutherland says it was an easy decision for the independent brewery to make. “We really wanted to offer Sawmill drinkers a new 6-pack this summer and there has been such an incredible response to these beers they were the obvious choice. Brewing everything ourselves on site in Matakana means we can get them out to people fresh and in the best condition.” RRP $26.99 Sawmill

BEER & CIDER NEWS

By the dozen from Boundary Road

Celebrity chef cooks up recipe for Steinlager Pure Ultra Steinlager teamed up with New Zealand chef Nic Watt for the launch of its Steinlager Pure Ultra – the brand’s new full-strength low-carb lager. Watt, who helms SKYCITY’s MASU in Auckland and the newly opened Akarana Eatery in Okahu Bay, created a low-carb recipe especially to match with the new beer: “Citrus cured prawns, cos lettuce hearts, toasted nori seaweed and hot pepper roasted peanut sesame dressing.”

BOUNDARY ROAD Brewery has released its popular Bouncing Czech and Mumbo Jumbo IPA in 12-pack can formats, replacing the bottles. Bouncing Czech Pilsner Lager is a citrusy, bitter Pilsner, while Mumbo Jumbo IPA has floral aromas, malty sweetness and a lingering dry finish. Independent

Lion

Drink sustAinAblY. Don’t exceed Your quotA.

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HOPPY

LIGHT

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sweet

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SPIRITS REPORT – GIN

Gin is in Gin’s stellar rise continues, with more products than ever available to New Zealand consumers – including a slew of new local brands

62 DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

SPIRITS REPORT – GIN

NEW ZEALAND 1919 Classic 41% ABV, 700ml RRP $69.99 1919 Distilling

A classic style gin with a Kiwi twist, using Otago cherries, Manuka honey and organic citrus. Light and clean but complex on the palate with a spiced warmth that develops, freshened by flavours of zesty citrus. 1919 Limited Edition 41% ABV, 700ml RRP $79.99 1919 Distilling

A limited edition gin released on the 1st of September 1919, to mark 1.9.19 for this New Zealand distillery. Butterfly pea flower gives the gin its vivid colour, which transforms when tonic is added. Lemons, oranges, grapefruit, Otago cherries, juniper and cinnamon are all in the mix.

Adorn Beauty Gin 44% ABV, 750ml RRP $75 The National Distillery Company

Black Robin Rare Gin 43% ABV, 750ml RRP $89 Negociants

This gin from new Napier distillery, The National Distillery Company, is inspired by botanicals found in luxury New Zealand skincare. A delicately floral gin using native New Zealand flax seed, rose petals, organic rosehip and chamomile. Balanced with a hint of sweetness and a subtle lingering florality.

A fresh, citrus-forward gin with undertones of spice. The zesty citrus contrasts with peppery heat from the addition of native horopito, and spicy warmth of star anise and liquorice.

Ariki Ultra Premium Gin 45% ABV, 700ml RRP $97 Beverage Brothers

This gin uses fresh boysenberries and it's immediately evident in the initial aroma of luscious ripe fruit. It's light and mouthfilling, and full of ripe fruit sweetness well balanced by a tart character.

Rarotongan vanilla and Tongan coconut give this New Zealand-made gin a Pacific twist, and sit alongside native Manuka and classic gin botanicals. Ariki has delicate floral and citrus aromas with a full-bodied, warming flavour and a rich, smooth finish. Batch 10 London Dry Gin 37% ABV, 700ml RRP $69.95 The Premium Liquor Co.

The team at Batch 10 have put a New Zealand twist on a classic London Dry gin. A smooth, crisp gin with a hint of citrus. Batch 10 Pink Gin 40% ABV, 700ml RRP $69.95 The Premium Liquor Co.

A combination of Batch 10’s London Dry gin, with bitters and pomegranate. A fresh, lightly spiced gin.

1919 Summer Pink 41% ABV, 700ml RRP $69.99 1919 Distilling

Black Collar Gin 42% ABV, 700ml RRP $54.95 Black Collar

Pale pink in the glass, this gin has aromas of red berry fruit and a hint of sweetness. Light and rounded in the mouth with a strawberry ripeness and a thread of honeyed sweetness balanced with juniper and spice. Juniper and strawberry on the finish.

This Northland gin has aromas of juniper overlaid with warm spice and lemon. Rounded and full in the mouth with a slight sweetness, there is lemon zest, and spice on the palate with a lingering juniper finish.

Blush Boysenberry 37.5% ABV, 700ml RRP $85 Blush Gin

Blush Hot Toddy 37.5% ABV, 700ml RRP $89.99 Blush Gin

A winter warmer gin that you could serve year round. It uses the original Blush Rhubarb Gin and creates an apple crumblelike experience by adding fresh apple, currants, cinnamon, cardamom and clove. Blush Rhubarb Gin 37% ABV, 700ml RRP $85 Blush Gin

As the name suggests, this gin has a pretty blush pink hue. Aromas of tart rhubarb mingle with subtle sweetness and juniper notes. It’s rounded and dry on the palate, with a delicate candied sweetness that balances the tart rhubarb flavour. The Bond Store Kawakawa Gin 37.5% ABV, 700ml RRP $45 The Bond Store

Fresh green aromas leap out of this gin from the Kapiti Coast. The resinous and earthy nose leads to a smooth, oily palate with intense juniper and a peppery heat balanced with a fresh character. Lingering juniper on the finish.

DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019 63

SPIRITS REPORT â&#x20AC;&#x201C; GIN

Broken Heart Gin 40% ABV, 700ml RRP $70 Broken Heart Spirits

This London Dry gin combines piney juniper with floral notes from South Island lavender, earthy Nelson hops and malt, and spicy notes from pimento and ginger, alongside angelica. Gold medal at NZ Spirits Awards 2019. Broken Heart Barrel Aged Gin 40% ABV, 500ml RRP $70 Broken Heart Spirits

The Bureaucrat 41% ABV, 700ml RRP $75 Bureaucrats Gin

Curiosity Pinot Barrel Sloe 27% ABV, 500ml RRP $60 The Spirits Workshop

Six months in French Chardonnay oak mellows the original Broken Heart Gin and gives it pronounced oak aromas and flavour with a smooth, slippery mouthfeel.

A warm, woody aroma with classic juniper and coriander, developing into fruit cake spices too, with cinnamon, nutmeg and subtle aniseed. On the palate the gin is complex: light and delicate with the spices to the fore and a lingering aniseed finish.

The team at Curiosity imports sloe berries from the UK and steeps them in Curiosity Gin for several months using a barrel previously used to age Otago Pinot Noir. The gin is sweetened with natural sugar before bottling. It has ripe berry sweetness on the nose, with a hint of marzipan. Rich, bittersweet fruit in the mouth, yet light on the palate, with juniper undertones.

Broken Heart Navy Strength 57% ABV, 700ml RRP $80 Broken Heart Spirits

A more botanical-rich (and higher ABV) version of the original Broken Heart Gin. This Navy Strength expression uses 40% more botanicals to create a more intense version for cocktail making. Broken Heart Quince Gin 30% ABV, 500ml RRP $70 Broken Heart Spirits

There is 20kg of quince macerated in every 100 litres of Broken Heart Quince Gin, with no additional sugar or other additives. This gold-hued gin has a rich fruit aroma and flavour. Try serving neat as an alternative to dessert wine, with cheese and fruit, or as an adventurous match for pork dishes. Broken Heart No. 8 Rhubarb Gin 40% ABV, 500ml RRP $70 Broken Heart Spirits

Rhubarb is macerated in Broken Heart Gin to create subtle rhubarb tartness on the nose, and a lingering rhubarb flavour.

Curiosity Recipe #23 42% ABV, 500ml RRP $70 The Spirits Workshop

The single malt base spirit (made from Canterbury grain) used for this gin means the initial aroma immediately calls to mind whisky, rather than gin. But as it opens up, the tell-tale piney juniper quality emerges. It uses 11 botanicals, including Manuka from the East Coast, Gisborne citrus and Otago lavender to create a clean, rounded gin with complex spicy undertones of star anise, cinnamon and cardamom.

Curiosity Negroni Special 55% ABV, 500ml RRP $80 The Spirits Workshop

Curiosity Curious Dry 40% ABV, 500ml RRP $70 The Spirits Workshop

Dancing Sands Barrel Aged Gin 48% ABV, 700ml RRP $89.99 Federal Merchants

Using a base spirit made from Canterbury grain, this gin has a rich and complex aroma but is light and refreshing on the palate. Its herbal characters come from an array of native botanicals such as kawakawa, horopito, Manuka and tarata (lemonwood).

Three months in a combination of new French oak and 14-year-old Murdererâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bay Gold Rum barrels gives this pale golden gin a bold oak aroma and flavour, with a hint of sweetness alongside notes of juniper, Manuka and spice.

Juniper is macerated and vapour infused to intensify its flavour for this higher strength gin that was created to complement a Negroni and provide body to other cocktails. Time in new French oak gives it a woody character with a hint of vanilla sweetness. Also notes of spice and orange zest.

Dancing Sands Dry Gin 44% ABV, 700ml, RRP $79.99 Federal Merchants

Double distilled and vapour infused, this gin has fresh aromas of green Manuka leaves and juniper, and is creamy on the palate with warming cardamom, pepper and a long liquorice finish.

64 DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

SPIRITS REPORT – GIN

The Brands 1919 Distilling Soren Crabb launched his Auckland distillery two years ago and prides himself on making his spirits from scratch. The distillery’s name was inspired by the prohibition vote in New Zealand, which took place in December 1919 and was a close call – with just 50.3% of the vote against. In mid-2019, 1919 joined forces with Blush Gin.

Wellington’s Denzien Te Aro Dry gin was the winner of Trophies for Best NZ Gin and Best Overall Gin at the NZ Spirits Awards 2019. Dancing Sands Sun Kissed 37.5% ABV, 700ml RRP $79.99 Federal Merchants

Fresh strawberries and rhubarb sourced from the Golden Bay area are infused in Dancing Sands Dry Gin. The gin is aromatic and fresh; full of candied strawberry notes that balance the tart rhubarb character. Denzien Te Aro Dry 42% ABV, 700ml RRP $79 Denzien Urban Distillery

An elegant, sophisticated gin with aromas of resinous juniper, warm spice and a hint of delicate citrus. Clean, light and rounded on the palate, with juniper and spice to the fore, notes of orange and a peppery heat. Lingering juniper finish. Winner of Trophies for Best NZ Gin and Best Overall Gin at the NZ Spirits Awards 2019. The Doyenne 41% ABV, 700ml RRP $75 Bureaucrats Gin

A clean, light aroma that calls to mind fresh Asian flavours, with characters of coconut, lemongrass, lime and subtle star anise. These continue on the palate, which is beautifully delicate and finishes with a lingering lemongrass flavour.

Hidden World Chilli Gin 45% ABV, 500ml RRP $65 Hidden World

An initial leafy green aroma develops into freshly cut chilli pepper in this gin from Hidden World. On the palate, an intense heat hits fast – a clean chilli pepper flavour that becomes a pleasant warmth with a liptingling finish. Use in cocktails to pair with spicy Mexican food. Hidden World Chocolate Orange Gin 44% ABV, 500ml RRP $60 Hidden World

There’s more than a hint of Jaffa on the nose in this gin – the rich chocolate aroma is underlaid with subtle orange. It has a full mouthfeel with a rounded chocolate flavour and a hint of orange. Hidden World Feijoa Gin 44% ABV, 500ml RRP $60 Hidden World

The first sniff of this gin is of a just ripe feijoa when you first cut into it, or the smell you get on your hands after you’ve picked a bagful straight from the tree. The aroma is clean and juicy, while on the palate the gin is light and fresh, slightly sweet and full of distinctive feijoa flavour. Hidden World Guardian Gin 44% ABV, 500ml RRP $60 and 750ml RRP $80 Hidden World

Intense earthy and resinous juniper aromas, while on the palate there is peppery horopito and kawakawa, fresh citrus and subtle underlying spice of coriander and cardamom. Hidden World Hot Cross Bun Gin 44% ABV, 500ml RRP $60 Hidden World

Aromas of cinnamon and freshly baked bread sit alongside a candied lemon zest sweetness. In the mouth, the gin tends more towards spice than sweetness – a touch of clove leads to a spiced finish.

Ableforth’s Bathtub Gin A British spirits brand based in Kent, England. Founded in 2011, it also produces Ableforth’s Rumbullion, Cold Distilled Absinthe and Cherry Brandy.

Ariki New Zealand company Ariki takes its name from the M ori word for a paramount chief or leader, also known on other islands of Polynesia as Ari’i (Tahiti) and Ali’i (Samoa, Hawaii). The company says it refers to its position as the Pacific region’s first ultra-premium spirits brand. Ariki produces gin and vodka, both using Rarotongan vanilla and Tongan coconut, and supports organic growers in Polynesia.

Batch 10 A New Zealand spirits company based in Puhoi, north of Auckland. Batch 10 launched in 2017 with a honey bourbon and has since grown its range to include gin.

Beefeater This famed English gin was first produced in 1876 by James Burrough, who named it for the Beefeaters at the Tower of London. Initially distilled in Chelsea, then in Lambeth, Beefeater moved to Kennington, still its home today, in 1958. Desmond Payne became Master Distiller in 1995 and remains in his role today. Pernod Ricard acquired Beefeater in 2005.

Black Collar This Northland distillery launched in 2017 and produces gin, rum and vodka. Black Collar Vodka won Gold at the IWSC 2019, with the gin and rum awarded Bronze.

Black Robin Rare Gin Part of the spirits range from New Zealand company Simply Pure, which also makes Fiordland Blue Duck Rare Vodka. Simply Pure is a champion of ‘sustainable luxury’ and ethical consumption, and donates a percentage of profits from the sale of its products to Forest & Bird, which works to protect wildlife like the Black Robin and Blue Duck featured on its bottles. DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019 65

SPIRITS REPORT – GIN

Indiginous Damson Plum & Blackberry Gin Liqueur 32% ABV, 700ml RRP $74.99 Indiginous

A golden pink hue in the glass, this gin has jammy aromas of sweet fruit and a marzipan character. The palate is soft and rounded and full of sweet, ripe dark fruit with a hint of tartness. The finish is long and sweet. Indiginous Reikorangi Triple Distilled 42% ABV, 700ml RRP $79.99 Indiginous

A clean, fresh aroma with intense juniper, delicate citrus and a subtle spicy note. The palate is oily with a slight sweetness, warm liquorice spice and a citrus character. The finish is of lingering juniper and warm spice. Indiginous Rhubarb & Raspberry 38% ABV, 700ml RRP $79.99 Indiginous

This pinky red gin has layered aromas of tart rhubarb and sweet red berry. It has a rounded mouthfeel; clean and light with well-balanced rhubarb and berry. A long dry finish with just a hint of sweetness.

Juno Summer 2019 40% ABV, 200ml RRP $42 EuroVintage

Karven Ginseng Gin 40% ABV, 500ml RRP $60 Quench Collective

There's an instant hit of freshly cut citrus in the aroma of this gin, which uses Bay of Plenty tangelos. This contines on the palate with underlying sweetness from red clover. Light finish, with fresh citrus and honey. Awarded Gold at NZ Spirits Awards 2019.

Part of Karven’s ‘Distillers Reserve’ range and using ginseng sourced from the mountainous regions of the central North Island. The aroma is earthy with an almost liquorice note, while on the palate it has a focused earthy flavour with warm, gingery spice characteristics.

Juno Autumn 2019 40% ABV, 200ml RRP $42 EuroVintage

Aromas of ripe fruit with a red apple character call to mind an orchard in late autumn. The gin uses crabapples, lemon balm and cinnamon for a rich flavour. The palate is full and rounded, with cinnamon spice emerging alongside the fruit. Juno Winter 2019 44% ABV, 200ml RRP $42 EuroVintage

There's a slightly higher ABV on this seasonal expression from Juno to keep you warm on a winter night. A gin full of fresh citrus with subtle honey sweetness, it uses local Taranaki honey and locally grown chamomile, lime blossom and lemon verbena. Karven Raspberry Gin 40% ABV, 700ml RRP $80 Quench Collective

Part of Karven’s ‘Distillers Reserve’ range, this gin uses raspberries picked near the distillery in rural Puhoi, north of Auckland. It is a pale pink colour with aromas of juniper and a hint of fruit sweetness that lingers on the palate.

Juno Extra Fine Gin 40% ABV, 200ml RRP $30, 700ml RRP $88 EuroVintage

A rounded aroma with juniper and lemon zest to the fore. Elegant and light on the palate with fresh citrus, juniper and delicate orange blossom. Subtle note of liquorice on the finish. Awarded Silver at IWSC 2019. Juno Spring 2019 40% ABV, 200ml RRP $42 EuroVintage

Piney juniper and zesty citrus from the yuzu in this gin create an aromatic and uplifting nose. It is smooth, light and rounded on the palate with a gentle heat from pink peppercorns balanced with citrus freshness.

66 DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

Juno Extra Fine Gin was awarded Silver at the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) 2019.

Karven Dry Gin 40.8% ABV, 700ml RRP $75 Quench Collective

This small-batch gin combines classic botanicals with native Manuka flowers and lemon myrtle to create a smooth, citrusforward expression with lifted flavours of lemon and grapefruit, slight sweetness and a warming undertone of cinnamon. Lavender Hill Lavender Infused Gin 40% ABV, 700ml RRP $69 Lavender Hill

This gin’s pretty floral character comes from an infusion of English Lavender oil, made from flowers hand-harvested at Lavender Hill’s Riverhead property north west of Auckland. Owners Jason and Trish Delamore process the oil in their own large steam still and it was just awarded Best in New Zealand at the Supreme Oil Awards, held by the NZ Lavender Growers Association. An elegant gin with aromas of juniper, subtle citrus and a sweetly floral hint. The lavender becomes more apparent on the palate, yet is still delicate. Rounded with a hint of spice and a long finish.

SPIRITS REPORT – GIN

Bloom Bloom London Dry Gin is distilled at the G&J Distillery in England’s northwest, which has been operating since 1761 and is the oldest continuous gin distillery in the world. Master Distiller Joanne Moore (one of the world’s first female Master Distillers) oversees the brand. Other brands produced at G&J include Opihr, Greenall’s and Thomas Dakin.

The Bond Store

Lavender Hill Saffron Gin 40% ABV, 700ml RRP $79 Lavender Hill

Little Biddy Gin 40% ABV, 700ml RRP $79.99 Beverage Brothers

This striking straw gold gin has a hint of earthy saffron overlying the classic juniper aroma. It’s warm on the palate with a distinctive, lingering saffron flavour and a hint of spice.

Made by Reefton Distilling Co, this gin has a rich and complex aroma of liquorice, cassia and resinous juniper. It leads to a palate full of West Coast rainforest character with locally foraged Douglas fir, and native botanicals, plus notes of zesty citrus to boot.

Lighthouse Hawthorn Edition 57% ABV, 700ml RRP $89.95 Foley Wines

A stronger expression of the original Lighthouse Gin, at a higher 57% ABV. The more intense botanical character makes it ideal for classic cocktails. Lighthouse Gin 42% ABV, 700ml RRP $69.95 Foley Wines

A consistently award-winning gin from one of New Zealand’s first craft distillers. Lighthouse uses a blend of 10 botanicals with spring water from Palliser Bay. The gin is smooth and fresh, with notable citrus characteristics from Yen Ben lemon.

Little Biddy Gin – Black Label 46% ABV, 700ml RRP $189.99 Beverage Brothers

A more concentrated expression of Reefton Distilling's Little Biddy Gold Label (below). It has a fresh aroma underpinned by subtle sweetness of caramelised limes. Smooth and rounded on the palate with warm spices, subtle heat of pink peppercorns and freshness of the lime character. Little Biddy Gin – Gold Label 43% ABV, 700ml RRP $169.99 Beverage Brothers

There’s a delicate sweetness from caramelised limes underneath the bright, fresh aroma of this gin from Reefton Distilling, which features locally foraged kahikatea, snow moss and toatoa. The palate is light and fresh with an almost mineral edge, leading to warm spices.

Based on the Kapiti Coast, the Bond Store is a family business specialising in spirits and liqueurs. Its range includes limoncello, gin and vodka.

Blush Gin Blush Gin was created in Auckland by restaurateur Elliot McClymont, and engineer and former publican Chris Thomas. In mid-2019, they joined forces with 1919 Distilling.

Bombay Sapphire Bombay Sapphire was launched in 1987 and has grown to become one of the world’s most famous gins, in its distinctive blue bottle. ‘Bombay’ references gin’s popularity in India during Queen Victoria’s rule (her image appears on the label), while ‘Sapphire’ refers to the Star of Bombay, a 182-carat sapphire on display at the Smithsonian Institute. Bombay Sapphire is owned by Bacardi and is produced at an historic mill in Hampshire, England.

Boodles Gin Distilled, manufactured and bottled in the UK, Boodles is named after an exclusive 250-year-old private London gentleman’s club in St James Street, which can claim Winston Churchill and Ian Fleming as past members.

The Botanist Made on Islay, the southernmost island of Scotland’s Inner Hebrides, The Botanist is described as an exploration of Islay’s botanical heritage and uses 22 botanicals that are foraged by hand.

Broken Heart Master Distiller Joerg Henkenhaf first released Broken Heart gin several years ago following the death of a close friend and fellow Master Distiller, with whom he had first created it. The pair, both from Germany, had wanted to create a gin that captured the essence of their new homeland. Since then, Broken Heart Spirits has grown to include new gins, as well as a spiced rum, and vodka.

SPIRITS REPORT – GIN

Reid + Reid Barrel Aged Gin 42% ABV, 700ml RRP $70 Mineral

Roots Marlborough Dry Gin 45% ABV, 700ml RRP $89 Mineral

Scapegrace Gold 57% ABV, 700ml RRP $125 Hancocks

Ageing for three months in ex-Martinborough Pinot Noir French oak gives this gin a sepia hue and a rich, mellow aroma with a hint of sweetness in the background. On the palate it has peppery notes, complex warming spice and a subtle lingering sweetness.

This gin is made from sustainable neutral base spirit, with organic hops from Motueka, zest of Gisborne grapefruit, Hawke’s Bay coriander seed and wild gorse flower from Marlborough. It has a juniperforward palate followed by fresh grapefruit and zesty hops, balanced with aromas of kawakawa and gorse. It finishes long and clean with lingering coriander.

A juniper-forward style, this gin features a sweetness thanks to three layers of citrus (orange, lemon and tangerine). It won the London Dry Gin Trophy at the IWSC 2018.

Reid + Reid Native Gin 42% ABV, 700ml RRP $65 Mineral

A dry gin with a fresh, peppery aroma thanks to horopito and kawakawa (also known as ‘bush basil’). It has a rounded, smooth mouthfeel and a warming finish. Reid + Reid Rev Dawson’s Gin 42% ABV, 700ml RRP $65 Mineral

This gin is named after one of New Zealand’s leading Prohibitionists, who also happens to be the great-great-grandfather of Reid + Reid’s Stewart and Chris Reid. A juniper-forward aroma with underlying woody spice leads to a light, clean palate full of juniper, zesty citrus and a subtle peppery character. A classic dry style. The Riot 42% ABV, 700ml RRP $74.99 Riot & Rose Spirits

A heady aroma of spice accompanies the juniper in this gin, while on the palate the citrus comes to the fore with mandarin and orange, and an underlying spicy heat from star anise and cardamom. Smooth yet robust. The Rose 42% ABV, 700ml RRP $74.99 Riot & Rose Spirits

A soft, lifted aroma of citrus and florals. Smooth on the palate with flavours of rose and delicate spice. Light with a gently warming finish.

68 DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

Scapegrace Black 41.6% ABV, 700ml RRP $84.99 Hancocks

The latest addition to the Scapegrace range is a naturally black flavoured gin that changes colour when mixed with tonic. It has aromas of juniper and earthy notes with a hint of sweetness, that lead to a palate full of floral character, crisp and with citrus and a touch of spice. The finish is sweet and earthy. Scapegrace Classic 42.2% ABV, 700ml RRP $84.99 Hancocks

Using 12 botanicals and Southern Alps water, this gin has intense aromas of juniper, orange peel and deep spice. Juniper and citrus lead on the palate, which is crisp but smooth. Awarded Gold at the NZ Spirits Awards 2019.

The Source 47% ABV, 750ml RRP $120 Cardrona Distillery

Aromas of juniper and citrus are balanced with an almost perfumed note. On the palate, this vapour-distilled gin is delicate, fresh and zesty, with the addition of seasonal locally foraged rosehip (first brought to the Cardrona Valley by Chinese immigrants) adding a regional character. The Source Barrel Aged Pink Gin 47% ABV, 750ml RRP $150 Cardrona Distillery

Made to support Breast Cancer Awareness month, $5 from every bottle sold is donated to Breast Cancer Research. The Source Pink Gin has been aged in Central Otago Pinot Noir seasoned oak, adding a hint of blush to the colour and complexity and richness to the flavour. Very limited numbers available.

SPIRITS REPORT – GIN

Bulldog Gin Verdigris Copper Distilled Dry Gin 44% ABV, 750ml RRP $69 The National Distillery Company

Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin 41.8% ABV, 700ml RRP $79.99 Tickety-Boo

An approachable, easy-drinking London Dry style gin with lemon peel and native New Zealand flax seed. It has classic pine and citrus character with underlying depth from New Zealand orris root.

Described as “a truly modern Australia gin”, this is a classic dry gin that combines spice and citrus. Cinnamon and star anise add rich fruit cake tones, Tasmanian pepperberry leaf creates warmth and lemon myrtle is a delicate alternative to lemon peel. Whole oranges used in the blend offer a highly aromatic nose and palate that supports the spicy botanicals.

Victor Gin 42% ABV, 700ml RRP $75 Thomson Whisky

A citrus freshness accompanies the juniper on the nose in this gin, while the palate is delicate, clean and refreshing with notes of lemon, lemongrass, cardamom and coriander. The White Sheep Co. Sheep Milk & Honey Gin 42% ABV, 500ml RRP $64.95 Beverage Brothers

With a very slightly pale yellow tint to its appearance, this gin has a soft, delicately creamy aroma with a slightly honeyed (almost toffee) sweetness. It’s silky, full and rounded on the palate with delicious flavours of crème brûlée. Ideal served neat or as a dessert martini.

AUSTRALIA Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin 37.8% ABV, 700ml RRP $89.99 Tickety-Boo

With wine-producing Yarra Valley as their home, the team at Four Pillars took advantage of the local product and steeped Shiraz grapes in their Rare Dry Gin to create this unique expression. It has aromas of fresh pine needles and spice, and a peppery, dense raspberry character. The palate is sweet, with long juniper and spice characters to finish. It is unfiltered and bottled a deep purple that turns iridescent pink when mixed with tonic or soda.

Four Pillars Navy Strength 58.8% ABV, 500ml RRP $89.99 Tickety-Boo

Native finger limes, fresh ginger and turmeric are added to mix in this Navy Strength expression from Four Pillars. It has lifted aromatics of lime curd, pine needles, and fragrant spices with a vanilla character. The palate is intense but still very clean. Hemp Gin 40% ABV, 700ml RRP $91.99 Long Cloud Wines & Spirits

This dry gin from Australia was the first to market there using hemp as a key botanical. The hemp creates a savoury back note on the palate, with juniper, cardamom, coriander, lemon and liquorice adding freshness and underlying spice. Ink Gin 43% ABV, 700ml RRP $89.99 Tickety-Boo

This gin pours a striking light indigo colour that transforms to brilliant violet when tonic is added. Butterfly pea is the key to the colour changing quality and makes its presence felt with a subtle herbal note. On the palate there is warm spice, pepper and zesty citrus from lemon myrtle leaf and sweet orange peel.

This London Dry gin was created in the USA in 2007 by entrepreneur Anshuman Vohra, to capture the spirit of the original British bulldog, Winston Churchill, of whom Vohra was a great admirer. Its distinctive heavy glass bottle with spiked collar references the punk rock era of modern England. Bulldog expanded into Europe in 2009 and was acquired by Campari Group in 2017.

Bureaucrats Gin Born in the country’s bureaucratic heart, the Wellington team behind this brand launched their first gin, The Bureaucrat, in August 2018. The Doyenne followed in January 2019.

Cardrona Distillery After opening in 2015, Cardrona Distillery in the Cardrona Valley has quickly made a name for itself in artisan spirits. Its range comprises vodka, gin and limited edition liqueurs.

Chase Distillery A single estate distillery and working farm in England’s Herefordshire, Chase Distillery makes its own base spirit for its vodka and gins from potatoes grown on site. The distillery was established by potato farmer William Chase, who made his first vodka in 2008.

Citadelle The gin brand of Maison Ferrand, a Cognac-producing House taken over nearly 30 years ago by craft distiller Alexandre Gabriel. He launched Citadelle in 1996 and it was the first in France’s artisanal gin movement.

Curiosity Gin This New Zealand brand launched after four friends with backgrounds in the food, beverage and dairy sectors got together and bought a still in late 2015, keen to see if they could develop distinctly New Zealand spirits. The Spirits Workshop is now a small batch craft distillery in Christchurch producing Curiosity Gin and Crux Vodka, and single malt whisky.

Dancing Sands Previously under the name ‘Sacred Spring’, Dancing Sands Distillery in Nelson’s Golden Bay has now rebranded its gins to sit under the Dancing Sands name. Dancing Sands also produces vodka and rum. All its spirits are made using water from an aquifer that feeds the famed Te Waikoropupu Springs (“The Place of the Dancing Sands”) which is regarded as the clearest spring in the world. Owner Ben Bonoma describes the water in their gin as “the ninth botanical”.

SPIRITS REPORT – GIN

Never Never Southern Strength 52% ABV, 500ml RRP $79.99 Proof & Co

A higher strength version of this Australian distillery’s Triple Juniper Gin, with more intense angelica, coriander and lemon characters. Aromas of pine mix with bright citrus and earthy angelica. Juniper leads on the palate with pepperberry spice and cinnamon warmth on the finish. Never Never Triple Juniper 43% ABV, 500ml RRP $64.99 Proof & Co

A combination of steeping, pot and vapour distillation showcase juniper in this gin. On the palate it has a bright citrus character, intense juniper and earthy undertones of angelica, orris root, and woody spice. The finish is long, complex and dry with lingering juniper.

Roku 43% ABV, 700ml RRP $54.99 Beam Suntory

Beefeater Pink 45% ABV, 700ml RRP $42.99 Pernod Ricard

Six Japanese botanicals (sakura leaf, sakura flower, gyokuro tea, sencha tea, sanshō pepper and yuzu) are distilled individually then blended with eight traditional gin botanicals to create Roku. The gin has aromas of juniper, with spicy pepper and an undertone of green tea. Smooth on the palate with the initial citrus freshness of yuzu giving way to intense pepper spice with a hint of delicate green tea. The hexagonal shaped bottle reflects the six Japanese botanicals.

Beefeater’s Pink expression combines natural strawberry flavour with citrus and classic juniper botanicals.

JAPAN

ENGLAND

Ki No Bi Kyoto Dry Gin 45.7% ABV, 700ml RRP $100 Tickety-Boo

Ableforth’s Bathtub Gin 43.3% ABV, 700ml RRP $79.99 Proof & Co

Distinctive Japanese botanicals give this gin its unique character. The botanicals are grouped into Citrus, Tea, Herbal, Spice and Fruity & Floral, and macerated in premium rice spirit before being distilled individually. It has a lifted zesty aroma of yuzu with a hint of pepper. The palate is fresh and light with spice and a finish of warm ginger.

This gin is made from a wheat grain copperpot still spirit infused with juniper, dried Seville orange peel, coriander, clove, cassia bark and cardamom. It has a juniper-rich aroma with a hint of cardamom, orange blossom and cinnamon. A creamy mouthfeel with a palate of juniper and subtle spice. Lingering spice on the finish with slight orange peel character.

Ki No Tea Kyoto Dry Gin 45.1% ABV, 700ml RRP $120 Tickety-Boo

Created in collaboration with an historic teagrower and blender based in the famous Uji region south of Kyoto, the gin uses superpremium Gyokuru and Tencha teas. It has a delicate, sweet aroma, which is echoed on the palate. Notes of white chocolate followed by juniper lead to a long, clean finish of green tea. Ki No Bi ‘Sei’ Kyoto Dry Gin 54.5% ABV, 700ml RRP $120 Tickety-Boo

A high-proof bottling based on the original Ki No Bi Kyoto Dry Gin (see above) that is designed for use in cocktails. This blend brings out the maximum intensity of each botanical.

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Beefeater 24 45% ABV, 700ml RRP $46.99 Pernod Ricard

Beefeater Master Distiller, Desmond Payne, created this gin after being inspired by tea’s potential as a botanical during a visit to Japan. Sencha tea and Chinese green tea give clean, green notes to this gin, which also features grapefruit peel (to retain Beefeater’s classic citrus qualities) alongside coriander, orris root and angelica. The ‘24’ in the name refers to the fact the botanicals are steeped in the spirit for 24 hours before distillation.

Bloom Gin 40% ABV, 700ml RRP $64.99 Federal Merchants

A fresh, fragrant gin with distinctive aromas of chamomile, honeysuckle and pomelo. Light and floral on the palate with a touch of sweetness and a smooth finish. Bombay Sapphire 40% ABV, 1L RRP $54.99, 700ml RRP $39.99 Lion

The distinctive ice-blue bottle of Bombay Sapphire is a staple behind bars around the world. The characteristics of its 10 botanicals are captured using vapour infusion. Flavours of juniper and citrus lead on the palate, along with spice from liquorice and coriander and underlying light woody notes. Boodles 40% ABV, 700ml RRP $54.99 EuroVintage

Boodles is distinct from many other gins in that it contains no citrus botanicals, as the original distillers expected a “proper drink” to include a slice of lemon or lime. It is made from a spirit distilled from British wheat, with nutmeg, sage and rosemary balancing out the juniper.

SPIRITS REPORT – GIN

Darnley’s Brother and sister William and Isabella Wemyss are behind Darnley’s Gin, which is made in a farm cottage in the Kingdom of Fife on the east coast of Scotland. It uses a range of botanicals, some of which are grown in the cottage garden.

Denzien Urban Distillery

Bulldog Gin 40% ABV, 700ml RRP $59.99 EuroVintage

Chase Pink Grapefruit & Pomelo Gin 40% ABV, 700ml RRP $91.99 Long Cloud Wines & Spirits

Bulldog’s distinctive spiked collar bottle references the punk rock era of modern England, while the London Dry gin inside was designed to capture the spirit of the original British bulldog, Winston Churchill. A subtle juniper character sits alongside delicate floral and citrus aromas and flavour. A smooth gin with a clean finish.

Fresh citrus flavours from the peels of pomelo and pink grapefruit are combined with Chase’s GB Extra Dry Gin. A floral, zesty gin with intense tartness on the palate, fresh grapefruit peel flavour and subtle hints of juniper.

Chase Elegant 48 Gin 48% ABV, 700ml RRP $91.99 Long Cloud Wines & Spirits

This gin is made using rare varieties of apples from the 200-year-old orchards at Chase Distillery in the Herefordshire countryside. Hops, elderflower, Bramley apple, angelica root, orange and lemon peels, plus wild botanicals add to the delicate qualities of the gin, which has aromas of juniper, citrus, and floral characters. Elegant, crisp and fruity with subtle apple undertones. The finish is clean, aromatic and complex. Chase GB Extra Dry Gin 40% ABV, 700ml RRP $74.99 Long Cloud Wines & Spirits

Chase Distillery in Herefordshire copper pot distills its own potato vodka with 10 classic gin botanicals to produce its GB Extra Dry Gin. It has aromas of citrus and spice, with flavours of juniper, lemon and underlying rich spice, with a dry finish.

Chase Rhubarb & Bramley Apple 40% ABV, 700ml RRP $91.99 Long Cloud Wines & Spirits

A gin that calls to mind classic rhubarb and apple crumble. English rhubarb and Bramley apples grown on the Chase Distillery farm in England’s Herefordshire give a fresh, tart character to the gin, which also has warm spice undertones of coriander, clove, ginger and cardamom. Chase Seville Marmalade Gin 40% ABV, 700ml RRP $91.99 Long Cloud Wines & Spirits

A note on the bottle suggests this gin is ideal for a Breakfast Martini and its intense marmalade characters certainly play to that idea. It has delicate orange peel aromas and an intense bitter orange marmalade flavour with a refreshing lift. A lingering bitter orange finish. Chase Oak-Aged Sloe & Mulberry Gin 29% ABV, 500ml RRP $71.99 Long Cloud Wines & Spirits

Wild hedgerow sloe berries from Herefordshire and mulberries are gently macerated in Chase GB Extra Dry Gin and then aged in Rhône Valley red wine oak casks. The gin has aromas of sweet ripe blackcurrants, redcurrants, stone fruit and rich botanicals. The mouthfeel is smooth and rich, with sweet, fresh flavours of plummy stone fruit balanced with a touch of tartness. A long finish, with subtle oaky undertones.

Wellington’s first inner city gin distillery launched in late 2018 in Lombard Lane. Its Te Aro Dry Gin is copper distilled, using organic native botanicals and sustainable whey ethanol. It was awarded Best New Zealand Gin and Best Overall Gin at the NZ Spirits Awards 2019.

Dictador Colombian company Dictador has been producing spirits at its distillery in Cartagena for more than a century. Its range includes aged spirits (rums and gins) as well as coffee and Dominican cigars.

Dunnet Bay Husband and wife team, Martin and Claire Murray, produce a range of spirits from their Dunnet Bay distillery in Caithness on the north coast of Scotland, including the Rock Rose range. Rock Rose takes its name from the local botanical Rhodiola rosea, a rose found on the coast, where Vikings once harvested it as a source of strength and vitality.

Elemental Distillers Marlborough’s Elemental Distillers first launched with a range of three boutique bitters and went on to launch their first gin in mid-2019. They have also just opened their micro-distillery and tasting room in Rapaura.

Elephant This range of gins is made in Germany, yet takes its inspiration from Africa – particularly the tradition of a ‘sundowner’, the south African term for a sunset cocktail after a hard day’s work. Its botanical line-up includes ingredients unique to Africa, such as baobab. Since launching in 2013, Elephant Gin has been giving 15 per cent of all proceeds to two African elephant foundations to support the preservation of African wildlife.

Empress Gin A Candian gin brand inspired by the tea service at the historic Fairmont Empress Hotel in British Colombia. Its recipe includes an Empress tea with other botanicals to create its distinctive colour.

Four Pillars This small Australian distillery is based in Victoria’s Yarra Valley. Founded in 2013, its stated aim is bring modern Australia flavours to gin-making.

SPIRITS REPORT – GIN

Gordon’s Gin 37.5% ABV, 1L RRP $41.99 Lion

Hayman’s Dry Gin 40% ABV, 700ml RRP $49.99 Hancocks

Martin Miller’s Westbourne Gin 40% ABV, 700ml RRP $79.99 EuroVintage

A consistently awarded classic London Dry gin – refreshing and juniper-forward with zesty citrus. Smooth on the palate.

A classic London Dry gin using 10 botanicals steeped in English wheat spirit prior to distillation. Fresh, crisp and with a lively citrus finish.

A higher strength gin created for the UK bar trade, it has an emphasis on the spicier, peppery notes of cassia and nutmeg, making it ideal for classic cocktails. Awarded Double Gold at the NZ Spirits Awards 2019.

Gordon’s Pink Gin 37.5% ABV, 700ml RRP $41.99 Lion

A blush-pink gin that combines Gordon’s gin with natural fruit flavours of raspberries and strawberries, with the tang of redcurrant. Greenall’s Original London Dry 37.5% ABV, 1L RRP $42.99 Federal Merchants

A classic London Dry gin with rounded juniper notes and fresh, punchy citrus. It’s smooth on the palate with citrus and spice. A lasting finish of delicate bitterness and residual sweetness. Greenall’s Wild Berry 37.5% ABV, 1L RRP $42.99 Federal Merchants

This pink-hued gin has subtle aromas of red fruit balanced with rounded juniper notes and fresh citrus. On the palate there is citrus with underlying fruit and delicate sweetness on the finish. Half Hitch Gin 40% ABV, 700ml RRP $84.99 Hancocks

The key botanicals in this gin are black tea, bergamot, wood, hay and pepper. It has aromas of juniper and a citrus note from the bergamot with an undertone of pepper. Fresh, sweet orange on the palate, balanced with earthy black tea. The finish is of subtle cinnamon and fresh lemon zest.

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Hayman’s Sloe Gin 26% ABV, 700ml RRP $49.99 Hancocks

Hayman’s version of this British classic has intense plummy aromas, a hint of almond and delicious fruit flavours. A complex, warming finish. Hayman’s Royal Dock Navy Strength 57% ABV, 700ml RRP $79.99 Hancocks

This gin was first supplied to the English Admiralty in 1863. It has a subtle juniper aroma, while on the palate the juniper intensifies, balanced with citrus and spice and a lingering finish of pepper and liquorice. Martin Miller’s Gin 40% ABV, 700ml RRP $59.99 EuroVintage

A small-batch English gin blended in Iceland to use that country’s pure spring water. It has delicate floral aromas alongside juniper and a hint of citrus, which continue on the palate, with spice characters from cardamom and peppercorn. Awarded Gold at the NZ Spirits Awards 2019.

Martin Miller’s 9 Moons Gin 40% ABV, 700ml RRP $109 EuroVintage

The first cask-aged gin from Martin Miller, this is matured for nine months in American oak bourbon barrels. The slight vanilla sweetness from the oak enhances and amplifies the botanicals; citrus notes and light oak in the finish. Martin Miller’s 26 Moons Gin 42% ABV, 700ml RRP $149 EuroVintage

Ageing in a single ex-Madeira cask for 26 months gives this gin a pale pink hue, slight vanilla sweetness and a dry freshness. Citrus characters on the palate with soft floral notes in the finish.

SPIRITS REPORT – GIN

Gabriel Boudier Opihr 40% ABV, 700ml RRP $59.99 Federal Merchants

Sipsmith London Cup 29.5% ABV, 700ml RRP $59.99 Beam Suntory

This gin takes its name (pronounced o-PEER) from a legendary region on the ancient Spice Route and its recipe is inspired by the exotic spices traded in ancient times, including spicy cubeb berries from Indonesia, black pepper from India and coriander from Morocco. It has an aroma of rich spice, with a perfumed character and bursts of citrus. Cumin and cardamom provide a warm, earthy background balanced with grapefruit peel. Slight sweetness on the palate with warming spice and a long finish of black pepper and spice.

In the style of a punch, Sipsmith London Cup is made from the Sipsmith London Dry Gin infused with Earl Grey tea, borage, lemon verbena and a host of other botanicals. The aroma is sweet with orange and a background of cardamom. Gentle sweetness on the palate and finishes dry with complex spice.

Portobello Road No. 171 Gin 42% ABV, 700ml RRP $59.99 EuroVintage

A selection of classic botanicals such as orris, lemon and bitter orange peels, nutmeg and cassia are blended with a base spirit distilled from English wheat to create what the gin’s creators call a salute to “London’s distillers of the past”. Solid flavours of juniper, citrus and coriander. Seagers Dry Gin 37.2% ABV, 1L RRP $35.99 Independent Liquor

Aromas of juniper and citrus at the fore, Seagers has a light, slightly sweet flavour and a hint of warming spice. Silent Pool Gin 43% ABV, 700ml RRP $99 EuroVintage

This gin is made with 24 botanicals and water from the Silent Pool – a lake in the UK’s Surrey Hills. A rich, clean gin with layers of lavender and chamomile and notes of citrus and kaffir lime. Locally sourced honey adds a touch of sweetness. Well-balanced with a smooth finish.

Sipsmith London Dry 41.6% ABV, 700ml RRP $79.99 Beam Suntory

A classic London Dry gin with intense juniper and delicate citrus on the nose. Juniper leads on the palate with lemon and subtle spice. A lingering citrus and juniper finish. Sipsmith Sloe Gin 29% ABV, 500ml RRP $69.99 Beam Suntory

Sipsmith freezes wild sloe berries to break the skins, then rests them in its London Dry Gin for three to four months. The resulting gin has aromas of marzipan and sweet, rich red fruit, while on the palate there is jammy red fruit and more marzipan character. Sipsmith V.J.O.P. 57.7% ABV, 700ml RRP $119.99 Beam Suntory

As the name indicates, juniper takes the lead role in this higher strength gin (V.J.O.P. stands for Very Junipery Over Proof) with three times the juniper used in Sipsmith’s London Dry. It has an intense juniper aroma and flavour, with an undertone of rich spice.

Founded in France in 1874, Gabriel Boudier is a Dijon-based producer of spirits and liqueurs.

Ginarte An Italian gin brand inspired by art. Its botanicals include those used by artists to make pigment for their paints. The bottles feature a range of artworks on the side panels.

Gin Mare The Gin Mare brand was launched in 2010 and the gin’s distillery is in a 13th century chapel located in an ancient fishing village between the Costa Brava and the Costa Dorada, south of Barcelona. It is strongly associated with the Mediterranean, using botanicals such as Spain’s arbequina olive, Italian basil, Greek thyme and Turkish rosemary.

Glendalough The Glendalough Distillery, south of Dublin, was set up by five friends keen to revive Ireland’s craft distilling heritage. It produces gin, whiskey and traditional Irish poitín. The distillery’s labels feature Saint Kevin of Glendalough, a holy man who founded a monastic settlement in the area in the 6th century.

Gordon’s This famous English brand was first created by Alexander Gordon at his London distillery in 1769. It is now made at Cameron Bridge Distillery in Scotland and is owned by Diageo.

Graham Norton’s Own A new gin range from UK talk show host Graham Norton in partnership with New Zealand’s Invivo & Co. The two gins (Irish Gin and Irish Pink Gin) are produced by West Cork Distillers, near Norton’s home.

Greenall’s First produced more than 250 years ago, Greenall’s Original London Dry Gin still uses its original recipe. It is made at G&J Distillery in England’s north-west, which has been operating since 1761 and is the oldest continuous gin distillery in the world.

G’Vine A French gin made at Maison Villevert, a 16th century family estate just outside Cognac in southwestern France. Made with grape spirit, the G’Vine gins are designed to capture nuances of the vineyard.

Half Hitch Half Hitch has established its micro distillery in Camden Lock – once the heart of London’s gin distilling and warehousing industry. The name Half Hitch refers to the strong rope knot used to moor barges along the Lock during the industrial era.

SPIRITS REPORT – GIN

Star of Bombay 47.5% ABV, 700ml RRP $84.99 Lion

A bolder expression of the original Bombay Sapphire, this version has two additional botanicals: ambrette seeds from Ecuador and dried bergamot orange peel from Italy’s Calabria region. Star of Bombay uses slower vapour infusion and distillation to create a more intense gin with richer aromas and deeper flavours.

Warner’s Elderflower Gin 40% ABV, 200ml RRP $29.99 and 700ml RRP $89.99 Long Cloud Wines & Spirits

Warner’s Sloe Gin 30% ABV, 200ml RRP $29.99 and 700ml RRP $74.99 Long Cloud Wines & Spirits

Widely regarded as the quintessential London Dry gin, Tanqueray is beloved by bartenders the world over. It has aromas of juniper with a subtle citrus character. Clean and dry on the palate with intense juniper and liquorice that lingers on the finish.

A delicate expression of Warner Edwards rural farm distillery in the UK, this gin is infused with fresh elderflowers, handpicked on their property. Harvested just once a year, the elderflowers go from field to bottle in just a few hours. A balanced gin that is smooth, sweet and delicately fragrant with summer elderflower.

Sloe berries are handpicked from hedgerows on Warner Edwards UK farm distillery site and steeped in Harrington Dry Gin to create this intensely fruity gin. Not overly sweet, it has notes of cherry and almond.

Tanqueray No. Ten 47% ABV, 1L RRP $99.99 Lion

Warner’s Honeybee Gin 43% ABV, 700ml RRP $89.99 Long Cloud Wines & Spirits

An elegant gin that uses whole fresh citrus fruit during distillation. Aromas of sweet, fresh grapefruit lead to a soft, viscous, rounded mouthfeel. An elegant finish with distinct chamomile.

Honeybee Gin features 28 natural botanicals and is infused with honey sourced locally, and from Warner Edwards’ own hives at their UK farm distillery. The gin is floral and zesty with a lingering, gently sweet finish.

Thomas Dakin Gin 42% ABV, 700ml RRP $89.99 Federal Merchants

Warner’s Lemon Balm Gin 43% ABV, 700ml RRP $89.99 Long Cloud Wines & Spirits

A juniper-led classic style with sweet orange and citrus notes, English coriander and a peppery, savoury finish from the unique botanical addition of red cole (horseradish).

A fresh, herbaceous and zesty dry gin that uses key botanicals freshly harvested from Warner’s own farm surrounds, where they grow lemon balm, lemon verbena and lemon thyme.

Tanqueray 47.3% ABV, 1L RRP $54.99, 750ml RRP $40.99 Lion

Warner’s Harrington Dry Gin 44% ABV, 200ml RRP $29.99 and 700ml RRP $89.99 Long Cloud Wines & Spirits

This was the first release from artisanal producer Warner Edwards, from their farm distillery in Northamptonshire. Its strong notes of cardamom and nutmeg give an intense warmth to the well-rounded and complex palate.

Warner’s Raspberry Gin 40% ABV, 700ml RRP $89.99 Long Cloud Wines & Spirits

A gin inspired by the farm hedgerows around Warner’s historic farm surrounds in Northamptonshire. Each bottle contains one-third fresh raspberries, blackberries and hand-picked hedgerow elderflowers. It’s a jammy, vibrant gin with initial juniper and coriander that gives way to the sweet flavours of the hedgerow fruits. Warner’s Rhubarb Gin 40% ABV, 200ml RRP $29.99 and 700ml RRP $89.99 Long Cloud Wines & Spirits

This gin can claim royal connections, as it’s made using a crop of rhubarb grown originally in the kitchen garden of Buckingham Palace during Queen Victoria’s reign. The rhubarb juice is extracted using a traditional fruit press and blended with Harrington Dry Gin to create a blush pink expression that is sweet and tangy. 74 DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

Warner’s Strawberry & Rose Gin – out Nov 40% ABV, 700ml RRP $89.99 Long Cloud Wines & Spirits

A lusciously aromatic and fruity gin that sums up an English summer. This limited edition seasonal gin is made with a quarter real strawberry juice and fresh roses. It has aromas of strawberry jam, juniper and orange oil, leading to a palate of delicate rose and crème brûlée with nutmeg. The finish is of rose blossom and strawberry compote. Whitley Neill 42% ABV, 700ml RRP $69.99 Hancocks

A smooth, citrusy gin with a distinctly floral aroma. Although made in England, Whitley Neill draws inspiration from Africa, with its signature botanical the baobab fruit, which has a grapefruit-like taste. Aromatic Cape gooseberries give the gin its golden colour and citrus flavour. A soft, smooth gin with notes of exotic spice, herbs and citrus. Whitley Neill Pink Grapefruit 43% ABV, 700ml RRP $69.99 Hancocks

This fragrant gin is inspired by the citrus groves of Spain and is infused with Iberian pink grapefruit. It has a delicate sweetness on the palate with citrusy notes that give way to a balanced grapefruit burst. Whitley Neill Rhubarb & Ginger 43% ABV, 700ml RRP $69.99 Hancocks

A gin that captures the essence of classic English rhubarb. It has a tart crisp edge over a smooth English gin base, with ginger adding a warm, full-bodied finish.

SPIRITS REPORT – GIN

Hayman’s A family-owned gin distilling business that traces its roots back to London in the 1860s and makes the Haymans the only family of original English gin makers still distilling today.

Hemp Gin

GUERNSEY Wheadon’s Rock Samphire and Pink Grapefruit Gin 46% ABV, 700ml RRP $89 Glengarry

A uniquely boutique gin from the island of Guernsey. It has fresh, ripe grapefruit on the nose, and the zesty citrus continues on the palate which is smooth, with a mineral edge from the rock samphire.

Distillations of three different roses add layered floral character to Glendalough Rose Gin IRELAND Glendalough Rose Gin 37.5% ABV, 700ml RRP $69.99 Tickety-Boo

In addition to more traditional botanicals, this gin is made with distillations of three different roses, creating its natural pretty pink shade and giving it layered floral characters. The aroma is juicy and tangy rather than sweet, and the gin is light on the palate, where the rose element becomes more pronounced with a beautiful, delicately floral lift.

Glendalough Wild Botanical Irish Gin 40% ABV, 700ml RRP $69.99 Tickety-Boo

A seasonally-inspired gin that uses fresh botanicals from the mountains in Ireland’s County Wicklow. The botanicals are gathered and then distilled at Glendalough Distillery the next day to create a gin that captures the seasons. Fresh floral aromas lead to flavours of juniper, citrus and pine, summer flowers and hints of autumn fruit, with a warming spice-driven finish. Graham Norton’s Own Irish GiN 40% ABV, 700ml RRP $54.99 EuroVintage

Branching out from the successful collaboration with New Zealand winemakers Invivo, UK talk show host Graham Norton has turned his hand to gin. It is small batch distilled in West Cork and uses 12 botanicals, some locally foraged. Aromas of kaffir lime and juniper continue on the palate, with citrus notes and a crisp finish. Classic gin botanicals are accompanied by gooseberry, elderflower, rose hips and fuschia flowers. Graham Norton’s Own Pink GiN 40% ABV, 700ml RRP $54.99 EuroVintage

Made with Irish grain, this pink gin draws its flavour from a combination of 12 botanicals including rose petals, kaffir lime and rose hip. The gin is made in West Cork, and locally foraged fuchsia flowers add a delicate aroma, while an infusion of roses and cranberry give the gin its blush pink colour.

First created for a university assignment, Hemp Gin was the first Australian gin to use hemp as a key botanical. It is distilled and bottled in Sydney.

Hendrick’s The recipe for Scottish gin Hendrick’s was developed by its Master Distiller, Lesley Gracie, in 1999 when parent company William Grant & Sons was looking for a new spirit to add to its portfolio. It uses infusions of rose and cucumber to create its unique flavour profile.

Hidden World This New Zealand brand is a joint venture between Epic Brewing’s Luke Nicholas and distiller Anthony Sexton. It launched with Guardian Gin in late 2016 and an array of limited edition varietals have been added to the range since.

Husk Distillers A ‘paddock to bottle’ distiller based in Australia’s NSW. Husk launched with an agricole rum made from cane grown on the family’s farm, and recently added Ink Gin to the range.

Indiginous Gin Friends Chris Charteris and Simon Wilson launched this New Zealand gin brand in March 2019. It’s based on the Kapiti Coast (in the original Tuatara Brewery site) and aims to highlight indigenous/locally sourced ingredients, which they use in the three gins in their current range. Each gin also features artwork by a different tattoo artist.

Juno A New Zealand gin brand established in Taranaki in early 2017 by husband and wife team Jo and Dave James. It has a strong focus on locally grown, seasonal botanicals.

Karven New Zealand craft distillers Karven launched in late 2016 and produce a range of small-batch spirits in Puhoi, north of Auckland. The range includes gin, vodka, vermouth, absinthe and amaro.

Kyoto Distillery Kyoto Distillery is Japan’s first dedicated artisanal gin distillery. It is based in the south of Kyoto City and uses local botanicals in its range of gins.

SPIRITS REPORT – GIN

Hendrick’s Midsummer Solstice is a bright, floral variation of the much admired original Hendrick’s Gin.

Method & Madness Irish Micro Distilled Gin 43% ABV, 700ml RRP $89.99 Pernod Ricard

There are 16 botanicals in this Irish gin, led by Black Lemon (dried limes) and Irish gorse flower. There is deep, dense citrus on the nose alongside juniper, a hint of sweetness and a floral lift. The palate is light, oily and mouth-filling, with flavours of ripe citrus. Lasting notes of juniper and subtle spice.

SCOTLAND The Botanist 46% ABV, 700ml RRP $84.99 Hancocks

The botanical heritage of Islay, the southernmost island of Scotland’s Inner Hebrides, is the focus of this gin, in which 22 local botanicals (including tansy, hawthorn and bog myrtle) are added to nine classic gin aromatics. The gin is rich, intense and full-bodied yet smooth, with complex floral aromas. Darnley’s Original Gin 40% ABV, 700ml RRP $49.99 Glengarry

There's a fresh, slightly sweet aroma to this gin, with lifted floral from the elderflower and underpinned by resinous juniper. It’s rounded and smooth on the palate, full of bright, zesty citrus.

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Darnley’s Spiced Gin 42.7% ABV, 700ml RRP $59.99 Glengarry

Subtle spice on the nose of this gin with a touch of orange leads to a smooth palate, full of warming cinnamon and nutmeg and with a lingering peppery heat.

Dunnet Bay Rock Rose Old Tom Pink Grapefruit Gin 41.5% ABV, 700ml RRP $82.99 Long Cloud Wines & Spirits

Organic pink grapefruit peel gives this classic Old Tom gin its zesty character with a touch of sweetness from muscovado sugar.

Dunnet Bay Rock Rose Autumn 41.5% ABV, 700ml RRP $82.99 Long Cloud Wines & Spirits

Dunnet Bay Rock Rose Spring 41.5% ABV, 700ml RRP $82.99 Long Cloud Wines & Spirits

This autumn edition of Rock Rose Gin from northern Scotland’s Dunnet Bay Distillery uses blackberries, raspberries and blaeberries (bilberrries) from the local area, as well as the distillery’s home-grown Vietnamese coriander and nasturtium flowers. A warm gin full of berry flavour and light spice.

Locally foraged ingredients are designed to capture the sense of spring in northern Scotland’s Caithness. The Rock Rose Spring edition uses gorse flowers for a coconutty aroma, dandelion for earthy, liquorice flavours and coltsfoot for sweetness. Additional cardamom and water mint in the distillation add balance and freshness.

Dunnet Bay Rock Rose Dry 41.5% ABV, 700ml RRP $?? Long Cloud Wines & Spirits

A flavourful and fresh gin with zest and berry characters. Local botanicals such as rowan and hawthorn berries, sea buckthorn and rhodiola rosea (the rock rose) are hand-foraged from the cliffs and forests of Caithness in northern Scotland. Dunnet Bay Rock Rose Navy Strength Gin 57% ABV, 700ml RRP $99.99 Long Cloud Wines & Spirits

The higher ABV version of Rock Rose has a strong warm pine release at the front with notes of lemon sherbet. The middle palate has bold berries that give way to the deeper earthier notes of angelica and orris.

Dunnet Bay Rock Rose Summer 41.5% ABV, 700ml RRP $82.99 Long Cloud Wines & Spirits

Distilled using ingredients from the Dunnet Bay Distillery gardens and rockery to create a seasonal expression of Rock Rose Gin. A citrus-forward gin using lemon balm, clover, lemon thyme, pineapple sage, meadowsweet and elderflower. Dunnet Bay Rock Rose Winter 41.5% ABV, 700ml RRP $82.99 Long Cloud Wines & Spirits

The hero botanical in this winter edition gin from Dunnet Bay Distillery is spruce tips, which lend an earthy, slightly citrusy character to the classic dry gin style. Calling to mind bracing winter walks and chilly nights, this is a juniper-led, earthy gin with fragrant pine notes.

SPIRITS REPORT – GIN Larios A Spanish gin brand that traces its origins to Malaga on the Mediterranean coast, when a distillery was established there in 1866. The distillery was bought by the third Marques de Larios, who founded Casa Larios in 1916.

Lavender Hill Jason and Trish Delamore own Lavender Hill in Riverhead, north west of central Auckland. As well as operating a B&B and farm, they also produce two gins (one using awardwining lavender oil they make from their own lavender) and a limoncello using their own lemons. Hendrick’s Gin 41.4% ABV, 700ml RRP $79.99 Federal Merchants

Hendrick’s use of cucumber and rose petal infusions give the gin a distinctively delicate quality that has become much loved by aficionados the world over. Its aroma has a hint of floral alongside the juniper, while on the palate there is freshness from the cucumber and exotic Turkish Delight from the rose. Complex, smooth and refreshing. Hendrick’s Midsummer Solstice 43.4% ABV, 700ml RRP $89.99 Federal Merchants

A variation on the much admired Hendrick’s Original house style from its creator, Master Distiller Lesley Gracie. It’s inspired by the Summer solstice, when the Earth is at its maximum tilt towards the sun, the gin is infused with an array of floral essences, including orange blossom. A bright take on the original Hendrick’s expression. Pickering’s Gin 42% ABV, 700ml RRP $69.99 EuroVintage

Based on an original Bombay recipe, Pickering’s has strong aromas of juniper and citrus, with underlying notes of spice. Fresh and clean on the palate – the flavours of juniper and citrus give way to warming cardamom, coriander seed and clove. Pickering’s Gin 1947 42% ABV, 700ml RRP $69.99 EuroVintage

This expression of Pickering’s is made precisely to the original recipe, as it was said to be written in Bombay in 1947. The addition of cinnamon gives a warming character. It is spicier, sweeter and more intense than the original with a crisp, refreshing and lingering finish. Awarded Double Gold at the NZ Spirits Awards 2019.

Pickering’s Pink Grapefruit & Lemongrass Gin Liqueur 20% ABV, 500ml RRP $41.99 EuroVintage

The addition of pink grapefruit complements the spicier botanicals, while lemongrass and extra cardamom add fragrant warmth to this gin liqueur.

FRANCE Citadelle Original 44% ABV, 700ml RRP $69.99 Proof & Co.

An artisanal French gin using 19 botanicals; among them violet, iris and blackcurrant. Creator Alexandre Gabriel uses a patented progressive infusion method in which each botanical is infused in an alcohol made from French wheat. This creates an elegant gin that is soft and smooth on the palate. Subtle aromas of juniper and citrus continue on the palate alongside notes of pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon. The distinctive bottle was inspired by 18th century France. Citadelle Reserve 45.2% ABV, 700ml RRP $99.99 Proof & Co.

Distiller Alexandre Gabriel was one of the first to release an aged gin, with his Citadelle Reserve in 2008. After several years of experimentation, he perfected his recipe by adding yuzu, génépi (wormwood) and bleuet (cornflower) and resting the gin for five months in five different types of barrels: acacia, mulberry, cherry, chestnut and French oak. The gin is then blended and refined in an eight-foot tall, egg-shaped oak barrel. Citadelle Reserve has aromas of dried spice, herbs and juniper. It is silky in the mouth with spice, pepper and notes of lemon zest, ginger and almond.

Le Gin De Christian Drouin Maison Drouin is an historic estate in Normandy, France. It was best known for its calvados before third generation Guillaume Drouin joined the family business and saw the potential for a gin based on the apples from the estate’s orchards.

Lighthouse Gin Established in 2005, Lighthouse Gin was one of the first distillers on New Zealand’s now burgeoning craft distillery scene. It takes its name from the Cape Palliser lighthouse on the southernmost tip of the North Island and is produced in Martinborough. It has been awarded the last five running at the IWSC.

Martin Miller’s This small-batch English gin was created in 1999 by entrepreneur and bon vivant Martin Miller (who died in 2013). It is distilled in England and then blended with pure Icelandic spring water. Martin Miller’s Gin is one of the most highly awarded in the world.

Method & Madness This micro-distillery at the Midleton Distillery in County Cork is based on a collaboration by a team of masters and apprentices in distilling, blending and maturation. It is owned by Pernod Ricard and overseen by Jameson’s Head Distiller, Brian Nation. Method & Madness also makes a range of whiskies.

Monkey 47 This gin’s origins trace to southern Germany’s Black Forest region, where it is still made today. Following World War II, a British commander in the Royal Air Force (Monty Collins) was living in Berlin and sponsoring an egret monkey while helping with the rebuild of Berlin Zoo. He later moved to the Black Forest and, finding an abundance of juniper, pure water and herbs, developed his gin recipe. It was unearthed years later alongside a bottle labelled ‘Max the Monkey – Schwarzwald Dry Gin’. The ‘47’ refers to the number of plant ingredients used in the gin’s distillation. 77

SPIRITS REPORT – GIN

The National Distillery Company

Roku

Tanqueray

This new Napier distillery is based in the historic Art Nouveau building formerly known as The National Tobacco Company in Ahuriri. It has a range of newly released gins and a vodka.

The premium gin brand from Japanese distillery Suntory (now Beam Suntory). Suntory was founded in 1899 and is the No.1 whisky distiller in Japan, known for its flagship single malt whisky “Yamazaki”, “Hakushu” and the blended whiskies “Hibiki”. In 2014, Suntory Holdings acquired Beam Inc. to create Beam Suntory, the world’s third largest premium spirits company.

Tanqueray was developed in the 1830s by Charles Tanqueray, a clergyman’s son who chose not to follow the family calling and instead opened a distillery in Bloomsbury, London. Its recipe used just four botanicals (juniper, angelica root, liquorice and coriander seeds), which are still used today to make Tanqueray. The brand is owned by Diageo.

A gin brand inspired by the ancient Spice Route. Its name (pronounced o-PEER) comes from a legendary region on the route. Opihr is distilled at the G&J Distillery in England’s north-west, which has been operating since 1761 and is the oldest continuous gin distillery in the world.

Rutte

One of the more recent gin offerings from London, this gin is named after one of England’s 18th century gin pioneers.

Pickering’s Gin

California’s St. George Spirits was founded in 1982 by master distiller Jörg Rupf. Regarded as a leader in the American craft spirits movement, the distillery’s portfolio has grown to include single malt whiskey, agricole rum, absinthe, gin, vodka, brandy and liqueur.

The first gin from New Zealand craft distillers Thomson, who had initially focused on whisky. Thomson was established by husband and wife team Rachael and Mathew Thomson in 2010. They initially blended whiskies and distilled single malt at their distillery in Riverhead, in Auckland’s north west, then added Victor gin to the range of spirits in August 2017. It won a Silver Outstanding medal at the IWSC the same year.

Scapegrace

Warner’s

Three New Zealand friends launched Rogue Society Distilling Co. in 2014 and its two gin expressions quickly became some of the top sellers in New Zealand, also garnering international awards. A trademarking issue with a US brewery meant Rogue Society had to change its name to enter the European market and in early 2018 its gins were renamed ‘Scapegrace’, which is an 18th century word for ‘rogue’, ‘free-spirit’ and ‘libertine’. Spacegrace Gold was awarded Best London Dry Gin at the IWSC 2018.

An English craft distilling company specialising in small-batch artisan gins. Warner Edwards operates from a 200-year-old barn on Falls Farm in the village of Harrington, Northamptonshire. It uses the farm’s natural spring water in its spirits.

Never Never Distilling Co. An Australian distillery company based in Adelaide. Its name was chosen to evoke the Australian spirit of adventure.

Opihr

Pickering’s was founded by two friends in Edinburgh and is hand-crafted at Summerhall Distillery, the first exclusive gin distillery to be established in the city in more than 150 years. It is based on an original Bombay recipe, said to have been dated 1947 and handwritten on a fragment of paper that resurfaced in 2013 when distilling at Summerhall began.

Portobello Road No. 171 Three friends (and former bartenders and restaurateurs) created Portobello Road No. 171 Gin in 2011. The trio had earlier bought the historic Portobello Star pub and converted the upstairs into a gin museum experience – the Ginstitute – where they developed their new Portobello Road No. 171 Gin.

Reefton Distilling Co. Launched in October 2018, Reefton Distilling Co. was founded by Reefton local Patsy Bass and is based in the historic West Coast town. Locally foraged botanicals are used in the range of gins. Reefton Distilling Co. also produces vodka, whisky and liqueur.

Reid + Reid Kiwi brothers Chris and Stewart Reid founded Reid + Reid Dry Gin in 2016, inspired by the thriving UK craft distilling scene. Based in Martinborough, they produce three gins and a dry vermouth.

Riot & Rose Jane Walkenhorst launched Riot & Rose with two signature gins. Each references an era in which gin was at the fore: the 1740s in the midst of the London gin riots, and the 1920s. Riot & Rose is based in Marlborough.

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The Rutte family first started distilling spirits in Holland in 1872 and still hand-makes its gins and genevers in the same room where founder, Simon Rutte, concocted his first spirits. It is the smallest distillery in Holland.

St. George

Seagers The London style dry gin first made by Seager Evans and Co, a London-based wine and spirits company established in 1805.

Silent Pool Distillers This English distillery is on Albury Estate in the Surrey Hills and takes its name from the nearby Silent Pool, famed as the place where a local woodcutter’s daughter drowned while trying to escape the advances of King John in the 13th century. A group of friends built the distillery in disused buildings on the banks of the spring-fed pool where the awardwinning gin is made.

Sipsmith Craft distillers Sipsmith made their name in 2009 when they became the first traditional copper gin distillery to open in London in nearly 200 years. Their gins found early success with trade and consumers and in 2017 Beam Suntory took a controlling interest in the brand with plans to accelerate global growth. Sipsmith also makes a barley vodka.

Thomas Dakin

Victor

Wheadon’s A family business on the island of Guernsey that makes premium artisan gin distilled in very small batches, using seasonal infusions inspired by the maritime environment. The gins are produced in traditional copper stills in the cellar lounge of the Bella Luce Hotel in St Martins by proprietor Luke Wheadon.

White Sheep Co. Sam Brown launched this New Zealand brand in early 2019, using sheep’s milk as the basis for his gin, vodka and cream liqueur. White Sheep Co. uses small batch fermentation and a traditional copper still. White Sheep Co. won Bronze for its gin and Gold for its vodka as well as the Trophy for Best NZ Vodka at the NZ Spirits Awards 2019.

Whitley Neill This English brand inspired by Africa was created by Johnny Neill, an eighth generation Neill family member and whose family had a tradition of gin distilling that dated back to 1762. The symbol on the label is Africa’s distinctive baobab tree.

SPIRITS REPORT – GIN

Le Gin de Christian Drouin is made by a house specialising in French calvados and uses 30 apple varieties alongside rose, lemon and ginger. Gabriel Boudier Saffron Gin 40% ABV, 700ml RRP $69.99 Tickety-Boo

Le Gin de Christian Drouin 42% ABV, 700ml RRP $68.99 Hancocks

Elephant Strength Gin 57% ABV, 500ml RRP $94.99 Federal Merchants

The distinctively earthy aroma of saffron sits alongside piney juniper in this vibrant gold gin. On the palate it has a rich spiced flavour with an underlying earthiness, spice and a hint of sweetness.

Made by a house specialising in French calvados, this unique gin has a luxurious aroma that calls to mind caramelised apples and rich fruit. It incorporates 30 apple varieties and complementary aromatics such as rose, lemon, ginger and cardamom. On the palate the juniper is subtle, while the sweet apple flavour continues with a hint of delicate rose, underlying warming spice and a soft finish.

A stronger expression of the Elephant London Dry Gin, this version amplifies the aroma and flavours of the botanical blend.

G’Vine Floraison 40% ABV, 700ml RRP $75.99 EuroVintage

Made with grape spirit at a 16th century family estate in the heart of Cognac country, G’Vine Floraison aims to capture springtime in the vineyard. Its signature botanical is the flower of the grapevine, which exists for just a few days before maturing into a grape berry. These flowers are handpicked, macerated in the grape spirit and then distilled before being blended with nine botanicals. Its floral aroma has an almost vanilla sweetness. The flavour is rounded and smooth, leading to a warming finish of liquorice, ginger and nutmeg. G’Vine Nouaison 45% ABV, 700ml RRP $75.99 EuroVintage

Created as a richer, intensely aromatic alternative to dry gins, G’Vine Nouaison Gin uses a range of fruit, aromatic and spice botanicals with its grape distillate.

GERMANY Elephant Dry Gin 45% ABV, 500ml RRP $79.99 Federal Merchants

A subtle juniper aroma with herbaceous notes. A complex but smooth palate of floral, fruit and spice flavours. Elephant Sloe Gin 35% ABV, 500ml RRP $79.99 Federal Merchants

Fresh sloe berries are combined with Elephant Dry Gin to create a rounded, lightly sweet and fruity gin with a warm red hue. It has a rich fruit aroma with a slight note of marzipan, while on the palate it is slightly sweet with intense fruit flavours.

Monkey 47 47% ABV, 500ml RRP $89.99 Pernod Ricard

An array of 47 botanicals go into this gin, which has its origins in southern Germany’s Black Forest region. Aromas of freshly crushed forest floor herbs sit alongside the juniper. On the palate there are herbaceous flavours with rounded warmth from the spices.

HOLLAND Rutte Celery Gin 43% ABV, 700ml RRP $84.99 Hancocks

The Rutte family has used celery in its gins since it began distilling in the Netherlands in the 1870s. This is a light, citrusy gin distilled from seven classic gin botanicals, including its signature celery. It is dry, with a hint of lemon and a fresh celery note.

DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019 79

SPIRITS REPORT – GIN

ITALY Ginarte 43.5% ABV, 700ml RRP $79.99 EuroVintage

Inspired by art, this gin is made with plants used by Renaissance artists to create coloured pigments for their painting, such as Calamint, safflower, mignonette, rubia and indigo. Other botanicals include angelica, lavender, hibiscus, elder flowers, pine buds, mountain pine and pine needles to produce a clean and complex gin.

SPAIN Gin Mare 42.7% ABV, 700ml RRP $75.99 EuroVintage

Spanish citrus and herbs are at the heart of this gin, which combines Arbequina olives, thyme, basil and rosemary in its creation. It has rich aromas of citrus, fennel and juniper, with a soft, rounded juniper-led flavour and a finish of intense botanicals and spice. Larios 12 40% ABV, 1L RRP $44.99 Beam Suntory

A citrus-dominant blend of 12 botanicals, among them orange, mandarin, tangerine, lemon, lime, orange blossom, graperfruit and clementine. A delicate citrus aroma with subtle juniper notes leads to a palate of intense citrus and juniper with slightly spiced character from the nutmeg and coriander.

Larios Dry Original 37.5% ABV, 1L RRP $34.99 Beam Suntory

St George Terroir Gin 45% ABV, 750ml RRP $85.99 Proof & Co

A blend of classic gin botanicals, creating a juniper aroma with a hint of citrus. Clean and dry on the palate with a balance of juniper and citrus, and a lingering citrus finish.

A lush and aromatic gin inspired by San Francisco’s wild surrounds and using local Douglas fir and California bay laurel. Notes of sage and with a hint of citrus alongside classic gin botanicals.

Larios Rosé 37.5% ABV, 1L RRP $44.99 Beam Suntory

CANADA

An intensely sweet strawberry aroma leads to a palate of fruit sweetness and subtle citrus with a lingering sweet finish.

USA St George Botanivore 45% ABV, 750ml RRP $85.99 Proof & Co

A vibrant gin with floral, herbaceous and citrus characters thanks to the array of botanicals used, including bergamot peel, Seville orange peel, Citra hops and fennel seed.

Empress 1908 42.5% 700ml RRP $79.95 The Premium Liquor Co.

Made using butterfly pea blossoms, this indigo coloured gin transforms into vivid violet when tonic or citrus is added. Its juniper aroma is underpinned by a savoury warmth from the butterfly pea, cinnamon and ginger. The palate is juniper-forward with fresh grapefruit balanced by delicate rose.

COLOMBIA Dictador Colombian Aged Gin Ortodoxy 43% ABV, 700ml RRP $66.99 Glengarry

There’s a richly complex aroma to this gin, which is aged in rum barrels, adding sweet and spiced characters to the mix. It’s smooth and rounded on the palate, offering fresh citrus and spice, which linger on the finish. Dictador Colombian Aged Gin Treasure 43% ABV, 700ml RRP $77.99 Glengarry

This aged gin is based on a unique Colombian fruit called ‘limon-mandarino’ a tangerine-lemon hybrid. It has a zesty citrus aroma that develops into luscious ripe citrus on the palate with a fresh finish.

For distributor details see Distributor Index on page 92. 80 DRINKSBIZ 80 OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

DISCOVER Warnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s FARM-GROWN GIN CALL: 021 145 5871

SHANNON@LONGCLOUDWINES.CO.NZ

WWW.LONGCLOUDWINES.CO.NZ

SPIRITS NEWS

A Midsummer dream from Hendrick’s HENDRICK’S MASTER Distiller Lesley Gracie has created a new limited edition Hendrick’s gin, entitled ‘Midsummer Solstice’. It’s the first release from her experimental distillery, which Hendrick’s has dubbed the ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ and says will offer future releases inspired by the botanicals, distillates and experimental liquids that Gracie has collected from around the world over the past 20 years. Midsummer Solstice features an array of floral essences inspired by high summer and is a bright take on the Hendrick’s house style with zesty juniper underpinned by orange blossom and an exotic ripe character. Hendrick’s Midsummer Solstice will be offered for a limited time. RRP $89.99 Federal Merchants

SHOWCASE

The Legacy of Jack Daniel’s The second release in the Jack Daniel’s Legacy Edition series is now available from New Zealand distributor Hancocks and features a label that was first used more than a century ago. The whiskey pays tribute to one of the earliest versions of the distinctive black Jack Daniel’s label and the Tennessee distillery says the original version included a “medicinal use only” disclaimer, indicating it was used sometime in the early 1900s when whiskey was occasionally advertised as having medicinal properties. While the new release label doesn’t include this disclaimer, it does feature other original elements like the rope and anchor, which are symbolic of Jack’s unmoving confidence and three stars to symbolise the state of Tennessee. Available to order through your Hancocks account manager from October 2019. Hancocks

Jack Daniels – Legacy Edition 2 43% ABV, 700ml

Aroma: Soft ripe fruit with green apple peel and warm oak. Taste: Caramel, vanilla, and toasted oak bring a rich mouth-feel that leads to a peppery spice. Finish: Toasted oak and warm brown sugar ensure a smooth, fond farewell.

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Great minds meet in new release Legent Beam Suntory has launched bourbon Legent in New Zealand – a unique collaboration in which Kentucky distilling tradition meets Japanese blending excellence. Legent (pronounced ‘‘leejent’) was created by Fred Noe, seventh-generation Master Distiller of Jim Beam (and Beam’s great-grandson), and blended by Shinji Fukuyo, Chief Blender of Suntory, the founding house of Japanese whisky. It is created from a Kentucky Straight Bourbon using the Jim Beam classic family recipe and is then aged in wine and sherry casks before being blended with more Kentucky Straight Bourbon. “It’s a flavour profile never before tasted in New Zealand and we are ready for this premium bourbon experience,” says Ben Andrews, Marketing Manager at Beam Suntory New Zealand. Legent has a classic bourbon character rounded out by rich notes of fruit and spice from its cask ageing. Beam Suntory says Legent has come to market during a time of strong whiskey category growth in New Zealand and is a unique offering for both frequent bourbon drinkers and those looking to try something new. Legent can be served neat, on the rocks or in a classic or new-age bourbon cocktail. RRP $99.99 (700mL). Beam Suntory

SPIRITS NEWS

Tickety-Boo partners with The Kyoto Distillery DISTRIBUTOR TICKETY-BOO is bringing gins from Japan’s first dedicated artisan gin distillery, The Kyoto Distillery, to New Zealand. The multi-award winning Ki No Bi gins are made in a dry style with a distinct Japanese accent, thanks to the use of native Japanese botanicals and premium teas. Ki No Bi translates as ‘The beauty of the seasons’ and the range is inspired by tradition and distilled, blended and bottled in Kyoto. The Kyoto Distillery was founded by industry veterans Marcin Miller and David Croll in 2015 with the sole intention of creating the finest gin possible with a focus on Japanese botanicals. Ki No Bi Kyoto Dry Gin launched in the Japanese market in October 2016, creating a new category for Japanese premium gins, and is now exported to 20 countries around the world. Locally grown ingredients include yellow yuzu, hinoki chips (Japanese cypress), bamboo, ginger, gyokuro tea from the legendary Uji region and green sanshō (Japanese peppercorn).

N E W Z E A L A N D S M A L L B AT C H G I N

Kevin Rowe, Managing Director of Tickety- Boo Liquor Ltd says they’re thrilled to be the New Zealand distributor for The Kyoto Distillery. “The multi-awarded distillery is producing some of the most creative gins the gin world has seen. Japan has an outstanding record for producing crafted products of the highest calibre and the Kyoto Distillery is definitely strengthening that reputation. This is an extremely exciting addition to the Tickety-Boo Liquor Portfolio.”

Medals for Kiwi distillers at IWSC New Zealand distillers came away with a range of medals at the 2019 International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC), and those awarded included newcomers Indiginous and Black Collar. Black Collar was the only distillery to earn a Gold Medal, scoring 95/100 for its Black Collar Vodka. Black Collar Distillery owner, Jonathan Mclean, says they’re thrilled with the Gold. “After last year’s silver medal at San Francisco, we really wanted to improve the vodka further and win a Gold. We’ve achieved that and we’re very happy.” Full results at iwsc.net

Tickety-Boo

Gold Medal

Black Collar Vodka

Silver Medal

J uno Extra Fine Dry Gin VDKA 6100 Dancing Sands W asabi Gin

Bronze Medal

Black Collar Gin Black Collar Rum Dancing Sands Dry Gin Indiginous Dry Gin K oakoa Limoncello Lighthouse Gin Hawthorn Edition Scapegrace Classic Scapegrace Gold

www.curiositygin.com

@curiositygin

SPIRITS NEWS

Vodka Russkaya – the taste of Russia RUSSIA’S FAMED Vodka Russkaya is now available from Q Liquid. Established in Moscow in 1967, the brand is regarded as a benchmark for Russian vodka. It is produced and bottled in Russia using Russian ingredients, and carries the Appellation of Origin ‘Russian Vodka’. Vodka Russkaya is crystal clear with a touch of wheat in the aroma. On the palate it is smooth, light and zesty with a soft finish. Vodka Russkaya 700ml RRP $29.99, 1L RRP $39.99

SHOWCASE

Curiosity Gin reveals new look Found in the finest of bars, Curiosity Gin has rebranded with an exciting new look and bottle design. The New Zealand gin has been made by small batch distillery The Spirits Workshop in Christchurch since late 2016. The new Curiosity logo has been on display at the distillery for the past few months and the new bottles and branding are now ready for shelves around the country. A larger 700ml bottle has been added to the portfolio, featuring a sleek contemporary look that plays visually on the name Curiosity and represents a big step forward for this great little gin brand. While the bottle appearance has changed, the awardwinning Curiosity Gin

inside remains the same – with Recipe #23, Curious Dry, Negroni Special, and Pinot Barrel Sloe. As well as a rebrand, Curiosity Gin is also about to start production in a new still, which is 10 times the capacity of the current operation. The extra capability will not only cover growth in its gin business but allows The Spirits Workshop to start making and barrelling whisky again for the first time since moving to the new distillery in Sydenham. Meanwhile, their first batches of 3-year-old Single Malt will be ready for release in December this year and the team is excited to bring a new New Zealand whisky to the market. thespiritsworkshop.co.nz For Off-Premise trade enquiries please contact Matt at Premium Liquor matt@ premiumliquor.co.nz For On-Premise please contact Antony at Curiosity Gin ants@thespiritsworkshop.co.nz

Q Liquid

SHOWCASE

New Cuban rum Black Tears lands in NZ A new dry spiced rum from Cuba has arrived in New Zealand, with distributor Tickety-Boo excited to bring the unique product to market for The Island Rum Company. Black Tears is the first ever dry spiced rum from Cuba to be made available to consumers worldwide. It is distilled from molasses sourced near Cuba’s northern coast and spiced with coffee and cacao, which have flavoured the history of Cuba itself. Black Tears is also infused with ají dulce – a sweet chilli pepper that is one of the most distinctive tastes in Cuba’s cuisine. The irresistible, bittersweet taste of Black Tears – and its low sugar content – sets it apart from other spiced rums and makes it completely unique within the spiced rum category. Bucking the trend of sweet, vanillabased rums that dominate the spiced-rum markets, Black Tears offers notes of coffee, tobacco and cacao for a more authentic taste. Its complex flavour makes it ideal for mixing in long drinks and cocktails where it adds more drama and depth to traditional rum drinks. The origins of the rum’s name are rooted in Cuban music, specifically a song about love and loss called ‘Lagrimas Negras’, directly translated as ‘Black

84 DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

Tears’. According to local legend, a young woman sobbed black tears of sorrow into a vat of rum, giving it an otherworldly taste. Black Tears is the result of passionate craftsmanship, with an emotional blend of Cuban rum, seductive spices, love and loss. “Cubans express themselves in everything they do,” said Adele Robberstad, CEO of the Island Rum Company. “When they create a spirit it’s an expression of their emotions. When people around the world taste Black Tears, they will want to express themselves, too.”

Black Tears serving ideas Its signature serve is 50ml Black Tears with 150ml tonic, served in a highball over ice and garnished with an orange slice and habanero pepper. There is also a range of recipes that show off the spirit’s versatility, including The Double Black, Chocolate Mojito, The Black Tear and The Black Cuban. Find out more at blacktears.com Black Tears is distributed by Tickety-Boo Liquor. 09 377 7597 sales@tickety-boo.co.nz tickety-boo.co.nz

SPIRITS NEWS

National Distillery Co. launches NZ Hemp Gin NEW NAPIER spirits company, The National Distillery Company (TNDC), is releasing a Hemp Gin as part of its new range. TNDC launched in July with two gins – Verdigris NZ Dry Gin, and Adorn Beauty Gin, and is adding Hemp Gin, Aquifer Vodka and Adorn Rose Beauty Gin in late October/ early November. The distillery is housed in the historic former National Tobacco Company building in the port of Ahuriri. It has been distilling its products at Juno Gin in Taranaki since June, but distiller Blair Nicholl says their new 1300L still is expected to be operational by Christmas, and there are plans to open a tasting room alongside this. He says they are planning to launch the brand across the main regions in coming months.

Blush and 1919 team up New Zealand distilleries Blush and 1919 Distilling have formed a partnership, combining their shared expertise and basing themselves out of 1919’s distillery in Auckland’s East Tamaki. Chris Thomas and Elliot McClymont launched Blush in late 2017 and went full-time on their brand in early 2019, while Soren Crabb started 1919 Distilling in 2017. The trio met at a gin festival and after hitting it off, decided to join forces. McClymont says the two brands still exist separately, but combine to form a complementary portfolio. “The products don’t compete. Blush is a bright, fruit-forward gin offering, whereas 1919 is a classic gin with a Kiwi twist.” The distribution remains in-house and McClymont says they’re enjoying the hands-on nature of it and building customer relationships. “We very much take a personal approach and we’re quite proud of where we’ve gone with it.” He says there are new offerings in the works from both brands and they can see lots of potential in the partnership. “We’re really excited about what the future holds – we’re three quite creative guys working in symphony.” blushgin.co.nz 1919distilling.com

nationaldistillery.nz

SHOWCASE

New gins for summer from Long Cloud Following their biggest 12 months on record, Christchurch-based boutique distributor Long Cloud are adding some new products to their already impressive portfolio for summer. With exponential growth in the gin category locally, and the continued thirst for new and exciting versions of this on-trend sprit, Shannon Dimbleby and her Long Cloud team have enjoyed a great year with UK distilleries Chase, Warner’s and Rock Rose, along with local favourite Broken Heart. Long Cloud has also had great success with a selection of local wineries like Tony Bish, Doctors Flat, and Walnut Block, as well as local brewers Three Boys Brewery. Long Cloud have taken great care with the selection of their portfolio, seeking out distilleries and brands that produce quality craft products that will engage the New Zealand consumer. “These brands have certainly hit the spot with the New Zealand market,” says Long Cloud director, Shannon Dimbleby. “They all have great stories and are made by good people that we enjoy dealing with. They also all produce quality product and are continually innovating.” With the festive season and summer on the doorstep, Long Cloud have three new

86 DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

Rock Rose Summer Edition Gin (Caithness, Scotland)

From the northern tip of Scotland, comes the summer release from the small but much-awarded Dunnet Bay Distillery. Rock Rose Gin, with its unmistakable white ceramic bottle and wax seal, has been a welcome addition to many a store’s boutique gin shelves. Rock Rose Summer Edition Gin is distilled with ingredients sourced from the local area to produce a fresh, citrusy, summery spirit. Hemp Gin (Sydney, Australia)

releases that will inspire gin fans around the country. Warner’s Strawberry & Rose Gin (Northamptonshire, England)

Northamptonshire-based distillery, Warner’s, have released what they describe as a “gloriously luscious summer spirit”. Every bottle contains 25% strawberry juice, married with delicate fresh rose. This new gin follows their original and ever popular Rhubarb Gin, and summer favourite Elderflower Gin. Warner’s Strawberry & Rose will no doubt prove to be a popular summer tipple.

What began as a university assignment, a passion for high quality gin, and one man’s passion to push the boundaries soon became an obsessive desire to craft a truly unique gin. When hemp recently won legal approval for use in food and drink in Australia (after years of being banned), gin aficionado Andrew Kerrigan had his ‘eureka’ moment and became the first Australian to turn this superfood into a super gin. Hemp magically combines with the other botanicals to produce a very different savoury-style gin. All new releases will be available late October from Long Cloud Wines & Spirits. longcloudwines.co.nz 021 145 5871 shannon@longcloudwines.co.nz

SPIRITS NEWS

SHOWCASE

Innovative Stoke IPA Whisky

Toast the season with Single Malt Scotch Whisky Galore’s Stephen Le Petit explains its rise in popularity Dried raisins, sultanas and dates, fruit mince tarts, toffee and dark chocolate – perhaps a shopping list for a Christmas feast, but also some of the signature flavours found in one of Scotland’s most celebrated whisky styles: sherry-cask matured Single Malt Scotch whisky. The clear, colourless spirit that is originally filled into large sherry casks at distilleries around Scotland is transformed over years of slow maturation. From a rich golden hue to intense, dark mahogany, the inviting colour of these whiskies shows the cask’s striking effect on aroma, taste and appearance. Over the past 10 years, sherry-cask matured single malts have seen an

explosion in popularity; consumers are crossing the more traditional regional lines (Highland, Speyside, Islay etc) and are instead seeking out the distinctive flavours these whiskies have to offer. While these barrels are filled at many distilleries around Scotland, the most famous producers of this style use sherry casks almost exclusively. From the creamy, butterscotch tones of Glenrothes, to the rich Christmas spice of Glenfarclas or Benromach’s malty, dried-fruit and subtle peat-smoke tones, these whiskies make for an excellent choice to stock, sell and taste this upcoming festive season.

Each drop divine.

Nelson brewery McCashin’s has released an innovative new product distilled from its Stoke IPA beer. The new Stoke IPA Whisky is aged for two years in reconditioned Pinot Noir oak barrels. The company says the new release taps into its McCashin family heritage and history of Kiwi ingenuity. It says distilling the Stoke IPA beer brings out its honey and citrus undertones, while the oak maturation a mellow woodiness with lightly spicy aniseed notes. McCashin’s Brewery

whiskygalore.co.nz

Pure New Zealand mountain water. Botanicals—fresh, local, hand-selected. Freeing mother nature to become spirit through artistry in the copper still.

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SPIRITS NEWS

Jumping Goat to support Farm Africa KIWI-MADE LIQUOR brand Jumping Goat is to donate 10% of its annual gross profits to rural Ethiopians in an agreement with international NGO Farm Africa. The agreement will support Farm Africa’s women-led goat rearing programme, with a guaranteed minimum of NZD$10,000 to fund more than 300 goats for female farmers in Ethiopia’s South Omo region. Jumping Goat’s cold brewed coffeeinfused vodka and whisky liqueurs are launching into the UK, Europe and USA

this year. Director Callum O’Brien says the agreement with Farm Africa is an opportunity to give something back to where it all began. “We’ve been jumping from strength to strength all over the place for nearly six great years now, and have seen fantastic growth of sales due to the high quality and crafted nature of our product. Sure, we like to have a bit of fun but we also really care. Jumping Goat warms the heart and opens the eyes and Farm Africa is a great fit.” Federal Merchants

SHOWCASE

Juno Gin’s Quest for the Divine When Jo and Dave James established Juno Gin, they asked themselves, “How can we make a gin experience that is divine from start to finish?” How can the processes of grower-tostill and still-to-glass produce something truly divine? For the award-winning Juno Gin, it comes down to four essentials: 1. A Truly New Zealand Gin After decades living abroad, Jo and Dave chose to return home to Taranaki to build their distillery. This quintessentially New Zealand environment of mountainmeets-sea proved ideal with access to pure mountain water and an abundance of exceptional local growers. 2. Allowing Nature to Shine At Juno Gin, fresh has always meant best. This is why they look to nature for cues on what flavour profiles are abundant and ready to be captured in the copper still. This process is repeated every quarter with a new gin each season. Highlights from their 2019 collection include tangelos and red clover flower for Summer, honey and lemon for Winter, and yuzu and pink peppercorns for Spring. 3. Giving Back Nature is further put in the spotlight through Juno’s commitment to sustainability: roof rainwater is captured for cooling processes, distilling by-products are re-purposed by local brewers and chocolatiers, and, most notably, this year Juno sparked a nationwide campaign with Massey

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University to establish New Zealand’s first locally-grown commercial juniper. 4. Flavour that Sings The ultimate end goal is making a G&T or martini or humble hot toddy as divine as possible. The all-black bottle plays a key role here in avoiding flavour damaging light strike and, in just two years, Juno Gin has accumulated a host of international awards for flavour and bottle design. This

year, they picked up Silver at the London Wine & Spirits Competition (for their signature Extra Fine Gin) as well as Gold at the NZ Spirits Awards (for Summer 2019). Juno Gin, Aotearoa’s goddess of gin. Juno Gin’s 2019 Seasonal Four-Pack: Women of Spirit is available now. junogin.co.nz

100% SHERRY CASK MATURED SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY info@whiskytrade.co.nz whiskytrade.co.nz

OPINION – SPIRITS

Dominic Roskrow

UK-based world spirits expert Editor - Whisky Quarterly

Which gins are in? Dominic Roskrow braves his local to undertake some highly scientific research in the name of gin trends… THE PUB in our local town had a gin festival last month. Nothing special about that, you might think, except that our local town is rough. Very rough. And the roughest place in that very rough town is the pub at the centre of it. It’s full of balding, ageing, overweight men who talk very loudly and whose every other word begins with ‘f’. The reason it survives is probably because its only competition has the word ‘cock’ in its name. If you’d told me even four years ago that this pub was having a gin festival, I’d have laughed and told you it was more likely that Leicester City would win The English Premier League. Ladies and gentlemen, the gin tide is definitely in. It can go no higher. And it’s just a matter of time before the serious culling begins. Think of it like a huge marathon, with hundreds of competitors jostling for position around the world. They’ve been battling for shelf space, bunched tightly, trying to hold their own. But now the flabbier, less fit ones are feeling the pace and starting to lag, and up front the more serious contenders are looking to break free. So what brands, if any, have earned the right to remain on the over-crowded gin shelf? For those of you unaware, this has not been a vintage summer in the Northern Hemisphere. It started with a heatwave taking temperatures to 40°C and above pretty much everywhere in Europe except the United Kingdom, where Mother Nature seemed to have imposed a hard Brexit somewhere in the English Channel. It has been followed by a hotchpotch 90 DRINKSBIZ OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019

From my findings, these are the features of gin that look good going forward: Pink gin. It doesn’t matter if it’s strawberry, cherry, raspberry or rhubarb, gin looks pretty in pink. Perhaps the pick of the bunch is Pinkster, which was launched six years ago, before the current gin boom. The big name brands, particularly if they come in pink (see above). Gordon’s Pink is a shoo-in. Bombay Sapphire isn’t in pink, but see ‘Colourful bottles’ below.

Ladies and gentlemen, the gin tide is definitely in. It can go no higher. And it’s just a matter of time before the serious culling begins. summer that has been variously wet, warm, windy and utterly inconsistent. I don’t know, but I suspect that those piles of charcoal bags and disposable barbecues outside every garage, supermarket and convenience store will still be there come Christmas. Needless to say, it hasn’t really been gin and tonic weather. But I have taken it upon myself to do some research to identify the heroes and zeroes in the world of gin (which is why I know what the inside of our town pub looks like).

Colourful bottles. N othing new here - standing out on the shelf has always been important. The stand-outs here are the English gins from Whitley Neill, Mediterranean gin Mr Hyde, and D.Benham’s Sonoma Dry from California. Flavour (Fourth! And out of four!) Controversial this, but my non-scientific research has concluded that with gin, it’s a victory of style over substance. You may argue that pink gin is only as popular as it is because the flavours are perfectly suited to a refreshing summer long drink served in a glass that is bigger than the average goldfish bowl. Maybe. But its continued popularity despite the dodgy Northern Hemisphere summer undermines that theory. So there it is. Pink gin is in. Wonder what headline the Editor will put on this column. Crying laughing face emoji.

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DISTRIBUTORS DIRECTORY

Distributors 1919 Distilling

Cardrona Distillery 03 443 1393 cardronadistillery.com

03 572 8200 sales@foleywines.co.nz

09 522 9684 marisco.co.nz

Accolade Wines

Chia Sisters

Garage Project

McCashin’s Brewery

021 024 22067 1919distilling.com 03 520 6011 accolade-wines.com

Beam Suntory

021 167 0707 chia.co.nz

Coca-Cola

0800 69 23 37 beamsuntory.com

0800 262 226 ccamatil.co.nz

Beverage Brothers

The Crater Rim

03 390 1377 beveragebrothers.co.nz

03 359 1148 thecraterrim.co.nz

Black Peak Wines

DB Breweries

021 026 38870 blackpeakwines.co.nz

Blackenbrook Vineyard 03 526 6888 blackenbrook.co.nz

Blush Gin

021 119 5613 blushgin.co.nz

The Bond Store

info@thebondstore.co.nz Thebondstore.co.nz

The Boneline

03 314 8699 theboneline.co.nz

Brandhouse

0508 468 688 brandhouse.co.nz

Broken Heart Spirits 03 442 0819 brokenheartspirits.com

Bureaucrats Gin

021 243 4424 bureaucratsgin.co.nz

Foley Wines

027 535 0917 garageproject.co.nz

Giesen

03 319 5897 emporiumbrewing.co.nz

Epic Beer

0800 212 337 epicbeer.com

EuroVintage

0800 388 766 eurovintage.co.nz

Federal Merchants

0800 846 824 federalmerchants.co.nz

Felton Road

03 445 0885 feltonroad.com

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jane@riotandrose.com riotandrose.com Sawmill Brewery 09 422 6555 sawmillbrewery.co.nz

Glengarry

The National Distillery Company

Seifried Estate

Negociants

thespiritsworkshop.co.nz

0800 733 505 glengarry.co.nz

Hancocks

Hidden World

Emporium Brewing

Riot & Rose

03 547 5357 mccashins.co.nz

Mineral

Denzien Urban Distillery

03 477 1812 emersons.co.nz

0800 946 326 quenchcollective.co.nz

021 183 2356 mineralwine.co.nz

0800 699 463 hancocks.co.nz

Emerson’s

Quench Collective

03 344 6270 giesen.co.nz

0800 746 432 db.co.nz

021 285 1551 denizen.nz

Marisco

0800 212 337 hiddenworldgin.com

Independent Liquor

0800 420 001 independentliquor.co.nz

Indiginous

027 470 6445 indiginous.nz

Invivo Wines

0800 468 486 invivowines.com

Lavender Hill

09 412 5275 lavenderhill.co.nz

Lion

0800 107 272 lionco.com

Long Cloud Wines & Spirits

021 145 5871 shannon@longcloudwines. co.nz

hello@nationaldistillery.nz nationaldistillery.nz 0800 634 624 negociantsnz.com

ParrotDog

04 384 8077 parrotdog.co.nz

Peckham’s Cider 03 543 2959 peckhams.co.nz

03 544 5599 seifried.co.nz

The Spirits Workshop Sprig & Fern

03 544 8675 sprigandfern.co.nz

Thomson Whisky

021 626 636 thomsonwhisky.com

Tickety-Boo Liquor

Pernod Ricard

09 377 7597 tickety-boo.co.nz

Pete’s Natural

0800 864 894 tohuwines.co.nz

Premium Liquor Co.

0800 505 656 villamaria.co.nz

0800 655 550 pernod-ricard-nz.com 021 324 166 petesnatural.co.nz 09 975 7432 premiumliquor.co.nz

Proof & Company

022 350 9288 proofandcompany.com

Q Liquid

09 636 7730 qll.co.nz

Tohu

Villa Maria

Whisky Galore

03 377 6824 whiskytrade.co.nz

Whitehaven

021 738 315 whitehaven.co.nz

Wine2Trade

021 180 0253 sue@wine2trade.co.nz

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LAST ORDERS – JACK CORNES

A singular focus As Hawke’s Bay winemaker for Sacred Hill, Jack Cornes knows every character and crevice of his vineyards and this shows in the new Single Vineyard range he has helped to create. He talks about starting out in wine and why the new range was such a pleasure to work on. What drew you to working in the wine industry? Wine has always been a significant part of my life. Ever since I was young, at family dinners my Grandpa would always proudly say; “My boy, the best wine for a rib roast is a robust French Claret”, and he would offer me a small glass. Years later, I had the chance to holiday in the south of France in an old medieval village full of cobblestone paths, old men playing pétanque, delicious cheese and old ladies drinking Rosé. I was captivated by the lifestyle and history, which was the beginning of my winemaking journey.

Where have you worked previously? I’ve mostly worked at wineries around Hawke’s Bay, including Esk Valley, Clearview and Elephant Hill, along with others. I also had a stint on Vancouver Island – fantastic place! What are some of the highlights of your time at Sacred Hill so far? Creating our new Single Vineyard range. One of the most rewarding challenges in winemaking is to craft a single vineyard wine as it allows the opportunity to really practise the romance of our craft.

I’ve really enjoyed seeing how my babies develop and giving them gentle encouragement occasionally to shine as they mature. What stands out about these three new single vineyard releases from your point of view? They really are world-class wines. I love the opportunity you get with single vineyard wine to showcase the natural expression of the land; each wine is richly textured with a unique flavour profile which can be traced directly back to the vineyard it came from. Do you think Syrah is still seen as a ‘rising star’ for Hawke’s Bay, or has it cemented itself more as one of the region’s key wines? Without a doubt Syrah is one of the region’s key wines! We just need to showcase our Syrah to the world of wine consumers. Do you have favourite varietals to work with/styles of wine to make? I think life, well definitely my life, is very ying/yang! I dearly love Chardonnay, but then the likes of Syrah will come along and influence me. Is there any news around new plantings/future plans at Sacred Hill that you can share? With Chardonnay at an all-time high we are looking at where else we can plant and get some amazing fruit from… watch this space! We’ve heard great things about the 2019 vintage in Hawke’s Bay – how are things shaping up in the winery now? It’s a magical time. The wines have been ageing gracefully for a number of months and are now really starting to shine and sing. The team is busy tasting and working on possible blends for later in the year when the time comes to put blends together in the cellar – it’s a really fun time of the year!

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