Launch of our New Unsweetened Pink 45% alc/vol Raspberry & Hibiscus Gin

Well I hope that everyone is doing ok and managed to stay fit and healthy over lockdown.

Like so many, I have always been flat out and when lockdown happened and I was effectively furloughed it kind of came as a blessing in disguise giving me much needed time to catch up with myself after a very busy 2019 and let me evaluate the direction I wanted to move with our craft distillery and the new products that I wanted to bring to you.

Those that know me know that I had never been a fan of sweet pink gin. In fact, as a purest I will avoid anything that is fake, dosed with sugar and tastes plain ol nasty. As many of our fans had strongly “hinted” it was time I though this through and gave them something pink. So the gauntlet was thrown down and as the dust settled, I took it as a challenge to make a pink gin that I actually liked. One that I would be proud to sit on a shelf next to our very fine Dry Gin.

I’m a total sucker for raspberries! They remind me of stopping over at my aunties house in Hamilton on the way back from our summer holidays at Lake Taupo in New Zealand as a kid. It was literally a race for me to scoff those lovely sweet berries before the birds came in and stripped the bushes.

I figured that the raspberries would get on really well with the fijoa we grow here at the distillery and I could balance out their sweetness with hibiscus flowers which are somewhere between raspberry and rhubarb in their own flavour profile.

After a couple of small test batches, I had the flavour profile of our new pink gin nailed down and I was over the moon. It was pretty tasty neat, however I wanted to see if a single serve could stand up to the tonic and it well and truly did with notes of raspberry, hibiscus a little rhubarb and spice punching its way through to a well rounded mouthfeel and no burn. A ripper of a success I say and well worth the 14 botanicals that go into this drop.

When I made a G+T it was a 50ml serve on Raspberry & Hibiscus Gin - 100ml Indian tonic water - Lots of ice - Garnished with fresh raspberries and a sprig of garden mint for a delightful aromatic, I was literally in heaven.

This first batch is limited to around 90 bottles and carry our new Koru motif which has been embossed into the wax which seals the bottle. The Koru is synonymous with my Kiwi heritage and symbolises new life, strength and new beginnings. It resembles an unfurling fern frond (say that after a few G+T’s) haha!

This incredible Gin went on to win 2 gold stars from the Guild of Fine Food in their Great Taste awards