Anyone who wants to taste the island’s newest gin product, Third Island Gin, will either have to buy it online or visit the island’s local bar to order a shot.
Rakiura Distilling director Jim Turrell said he and two friends, Dave Patterson and Ben Hopkins, developed Third Island Gin with its distinctly Stewart Island flavour through a process of trial and error.
Head distiller Mr Patterson had been making his own gin for many years, he said.
"The recipe itself was very much Dave’s work. He spent a long time perfecting that. I’m not entirely sure how and where he got started, but we were certainly fans of the product."
The trio believed they had finally cracked the magic formula after a lot of tinkering using locally foraged botanicals, such as manuka, rimu and horopito, to give the gin its unique flavour.
Juniper was imported, while the botanicals were sourced from a private land block.
But they believed a high-quality water supply was the other key ingredient which made the gin a success, Mr Turrell said.
He and Mr Hopkins thought Mr Patterson did a fabulous job with the blend.
"He made a gin that I think was as good any, and we just looked to scale that up," Mr Turrell said.
"Everyone said we were mad setting up a distillery on the island."
Building the distillery in a repurposed garage came with "lots of drama and challenges", especially with supply constraints during the pandemic.
"It was just magnified again because we were over on the island. So it’s been a pretty challenging time.
"But it’s been a lot of fun to be solving those problems.
"That’s where the magic happens.
The trio had been on a steep learning curve for the past three years while trying to increase their product batches to a commercial level.
Locals had given their seal of approval and support for the venture.
"Everybody has a comment. No-one’s shy of sharing an opinion down there.
"They love it. I mean, they’re pretty excited.
"I suppose there’s always that slightly underdog mentality that was coming from the island — we want to see the island do well.
"We’ve backed ourselves and taken a few risks and they’ve been hugely supportive ..."
The gin was 46.5% alcohol by volume and batches would be produced according to demand.
Marketing would target online shoppers, but plans to expand to the local and souvenir market were in place.
"We want to build that kind of iconic experience," Mr Turrell said.
— Toni McDonald
