How Well Do We know People in our Community?

Reid and Reid, or otherwise Chris and Stewart are the owners of the Gin distillery in Martinborough.

Chris trained initially as a wine maker. Having finished his degree at the EIT in the Hawkes Bay he came to Martinborough to work at Ata Rangi, helping in the vineyard. He then worked vintages overseas in Oregon and at the Domaine Rion in Burgundy before being asked to be the assistant winemaker at Ata Rangi.

Meanwhile Stewart had completed his engineering degree and was positioned in Scotland working on wind farm developments.

The two caught up in Edinburgh where they became fascinated by the modern gin making techniques that were becoming popular. Botanicals were being added to create new flavours, a move away from the traditional London dry style. “We did a lot of tasting” laughs Chris.

“ When I came home I began experimenting in the back room. I wanted to create a quintessential New Zealand gin. The botanicals I chose after a lot of experimenting were Kawakawa, Horopito, and Manuka, and of course Juniper. Many New Zealand native plants have little flavour or have only a limited flowering season, so we wanted to use plants that were readily available all year around. Manuka has an oily floral character. Manuka and Kawakawa are known for their medicinal qualities and Horopito is quite peppery. When they are distilled the aromas are redolent of the smells one breathes in when you are walking in the New Zealand bush. Savoury and Peppery.

Just what we wanted. We call it the Native Gin and it is our signature style.

The back room was becoming a little small, so it was time to make a decision. We thought that a gin distillery in Martinborough would offer another choice to the wine market. We bought the block in Todds Rd, built the distillery, and purchased the equipment. 

By 2014 we had perfected the recipe. Gin making began in earnest. We were interested in the process of using waste products from lactose as a base ingredient. The New Zealand Dairy Board had been communicating with Ireland looking for uses for waste whey products. Both countries are historic dairy producers. They managed to isolate a yeast strain from the lactose. Once the whey is distilled there is no protein or lactose remaining just the alcohol. 

The great thing about gin making says Chris is that you do not have to mature the product for months or even years as you do with wine. You can distil every month and keep supplies at the level you require. 

One of our other brands is the Reverend Dawson Gin. He was our great, great grandfather. The name is a little tongue in cheek because the was the Secretary of the NZ Alliance, a lobbyist for Prohibition. However, on the positive side he was a great believer in Women’s Suffrage. His portrait hangs just inside the door of the tasting room.

Lyle Griffiths