A burst of freshness that hits the palate straight away, our Manuka is hand-picked locally. Gaining international acclaim for the health benefits of Manuka oil and Manuka honey, we chose to use the leaves and twigs from the tree in our gin. It is prolific grower and a scrub like tree, growing to be about seven to twenty feet tall.

Cardamom imparts a smoky, warm, and spicy flavour with hints of citrus and floral notes. The third most expensive spice in the world after saffron and vanilla, cardamom is painstakingly difficult to harvest. The plant can reach up to 20 feet in height and blooms over a long season, requiring the picker to return again and again to the same plant to harvest individual fruits.

Outside of gin, it is used to reduce stress and boost the immune system.

The fruit of the coriander plant (known as cilantro in the Americas), is markedly different from its leaves once dried. The drying process causes the fruit to undergo a chemical change, shedding the instantly recongisible taste of coriander. What’s left behind is woodsy notes of thyme, the rich perfume of geranium, and the bright, floral, citrus flavour of linalool.

The plants are bred differently, pending on if they are to be used for their leaves in cooking or for their seeds.

Adding to the overall spice profile, black peppercorns provide a slight tingle on the tongue. We crush the peppercorns and soak them in neutral grain spirit prior to distilling, in order to hydrate the fruit. Pepper gets it spicy heat from piperine, which resides in the outer fruit and seed. In comparison to chili peppers, peppercorns have approximately 1% of the spice.

It is one of the world’s most traded spices and is common in cuisines across the world.

The Almond serves a dual purpose in our gin: to provide a smooth, silky mouth feel and an unmistakable honeyed sweetness. The almond is not actually a nut, it is technically a fruit with a dry, hard shell. Closely related to the apricot and peach, they were cultivated in China twelve thousand years ago and their way to Greece by the fifth century. They prefer the Mediterranean and West Coast of the USA climate, with mild winters and long, dry summers.

The anchor of our gin, providing the classic and timeless taste loved by gin drinkers. Junipers take two to three years to mature. Harvesting them is not easy: a single plant will hold berries in every stage of ripeness, so they have to be handpicked several times a year in order not to damage the still unripe berries. The harvesting process is low-tech: workers take a stick and bang on the branches to dislodge only the ripe berries and then they are spread out to dry.

The berries contain a-pinene, which imparts a pine or rosemary flavour, as well as myrcene (found in hops and thyme), and limonene, a citrus flavour common in many herbs and spices.

Provides a burst of refreshing flavour at the end of the taste profile, to round out our gin. The dried root lends a natural sweetness and distinctive flavour. It grows best in deep valleys with full sun, and is harvested two to three years after planting. Although similar in taste to anise and fennel, botanically the two are unrelated. We chose liquorice root over both star anise and fennel because of the subtly of the flavour when used in small amounts.

Outside of gin, liquorice is favourite in candies as well as a flavouring agent in tobacco.

Angelica roots adds a grounding, earthy taste that sits on the back of the palate near the after taste. Related to parsley and dill, it is mostly poisonous in the wild with few varieties safe to eat. It can grow up to six feet tall and makes a striking statement with its large, finely toothed leaves and white umbel-shaped flowers. The root is harvested in the autumn and contains a high number of desirable compounds: citrusy limonene, woodsy pinene, and herbal notes.

Outside of gin, it is used for herbal teas.

Bright, fresh, and aromatic New Zealand picked strawberries provide a sweet, cotton candied fruit flavour.

Although technically a vegetable, the pink stalks of rhubarb are often treated as fruit, featuring in baked desserts like pies and crumbles. Rhubarb on its own is extremely sour but when sugar is added, it takes on a tart / sweet flavour profile and balances perfectly with strawberries.

The leaves of rhubarb are poisonous.

You probably have not tasted real wasabi before. It is not as hot as the artificial pastes and has much more plant flavour. Wasabi titillates the back of your mouth and nasal area and has a hit but does not linger.

Wasabi root is incredibly fickle and loses its pungency within 15 minutes of being grated.

A tube of ‘Wasabi Japanese Horseradish’, commonly found in supermarkets / sushi bars contains: horseradish, lactose, sorbitol, corn oil, salt, water, artificial flavour, xanthan gum, turmeric, artificial colour. Not a shred of wasabi at all!

Harvested from north of the Otago Harbour from free-floating rafts of the kelp that has been ripped from the seabed by natural wave action. The kelp is hand-harvested, using sustainable practices, rather than farmed. They provide a briny sweet taste that creates a long salty tail to our gin.

Seaweed provides a range of nutritional benefits, along with great taste. Kelp contains high levels of calcium, iodine, thiamine, vitamin B12 and Omega-3 fatty acids. Additionally, the kelp harvested contains over 70 vitamins, enzymes, minerals, trace elements and proteins.

Horopito grows throughout much of New Zealand. Horopito is also known as ‘bush pepper’ as the leaves have a hot peppery, citrusy taste and can be used as a seasoning on food, similar to black pepper.

Freshly picked New Zealand oranges provide an underlying sweetness and balance to our gin. We use the whole orange sliced to add the essential oils that live in the peel.

The mystical properties of the world’s most expensive spice is commonly used in health, religion and cooking, it was the natural choice for us to create a unique gin experience. Three crimson threads are handpicked from the crocus flower to form Saffron, this means it takes approximately 150,000 crocus flowers to generate 1kg of Saffron.

Used throughout history, Saffron has had many different uses including, a cure for insomnia, textile and hair dye, and an odour neutraliser.

The beautiful pink rose buds are sourced from Iran where the soil quality gives each flower an exceptional perfume, providing a delicate flavour and soothing taste when used in food and drinks.

For the chocolate taste that lingers perfectly on the palate, we chose a dark chocolate sourced from the husk of the Cocoa bean. Rich in antioxidants and vitamins the husks are considered a by product obtained when the cocoa bean is toasted and crushed. The Cocoa bean initially has a bitterness to it’s taste but once processing is complete this makes way for a delicate chocolate aroma, and a taste that varies from bean to bean, and husk to husk.

This botanical hails from South Africa and is refreshing in taste and aroma, with sweet and woody notes. The tea has a copper-red earthy colour and it’s naturally caffeine free. It is a source of a natural antioxidants.

It is also known as Rooibos tea, which is “Red Bush” in Afrikaans.