What are the current trends in the distillery industry?

Julien Delavoie NO. 8 DISTILLERY

“Craft gin from New Zealand continues to dominate the spirits market, driven by high demand from customers and the hospitality industry. However, wholesalers that support the industry are starting to become overwhelmed due to limited shelf space. The high number of new products introduced each year, in comparison to the market size, makes sales volume harder to predict. New Zealand whiskey and rum are also beginning to experience growth and innovation, but they still remain in the shadows. It's expected that there will be a surge in rum popularity over the next few years. But, creating high-quality aged dark spirits takes time, and it may be a while before they hit the market. It's very exciting to see the results over the next three to five years.”

Luke Jones HONEST

“The popularity of craft spirits has been an exciting development in the distillery industry, with many New Zealand producers embracing this trend. Consumers are increasingly looking for quality drinks that are not only crafted with care and attention but also have a unique taste and story behind them. It is also becoming increasingly important for distilleries to consider their environmental impact when producing spirits. Many producers are taking steps to reduce their carbon footprint and conserve energy by using renewable sources and implementing energy-saving measures.”

Justine Schroder MT. FYFE DISTILLERY

“Over the last couple of years, the industry has grown exponentially and gin in New Zealand is now at a saturation level. Although this makes for a challenging business to be in for the distiller, it actually brings with it the most amazing flavours, choices and selections for the consumer. Distilleries have to be clever, have to find that point of difference and have to keep ahead of the game.”

Matt Bridge LUNATIC AND LOVER

“We are still seeing a lot of that flavour experimentation and variation that was championed by the gin distillers and is now crossing over to other spirits. There's a huge amount of choice on the shelves right now and distillers are looking to capture the consumer's attention with ever more intriguing and creative ingredients. The other thing that I think we'll start to see a lot more of is smaller distilleries with a sustainability focus becoming much more of a bakedin part of their business rather than a nice-to-have, added extra. I think we're fast reaching a point where many consumers will almost expect this as a given.”

Chris Barber

The Bond Store

“There has been a lot of growth in the number of New Zealand distilleries and locally made products on the New Zealand market. This is great to see, and it feels like we have reached peak gin and are now seeing some new whisky and vodkas coming through. Sustainable practice is now the norm.”

Paul Schneider COROMANDEL DISTILLING CO.

“The current market trends in the distillery industry are a continuing strong growth of small independent producers taking up a growing market share. This appears to translate into the consumer being interested in 'boutique' spirits.”

“I can confidently say the following about the current market trends there are both “bad news” and “good news” in this regard. The bad news is that the majority of the brands continue to pay attention exclusively to marketing tricks for growing sales, rather than the quality of the spirits. The good news is that in New Zealand there is a niche trend and a market demand for locally produced artisan spirits handcrafted in small batches.”

Alex Kirkchuk PUHOI ORGANIC DISTILLERY