Island Original Gin

A stunning, award winning small batch gin distilled on the Great Barrier Island of New Zealand using local Manuka & Bush honey. This Island Gin is citrus-forward, complimented by gentle juniper, coriander and floral notes. Well balanced, refreshing, lovely in the mouth.

• Distillery: Madame Distiller
  
• Type: Gin
  
• Region: Great Barrier Island, New Zealand
  
• Alcohol: 43.2%
  
• Volume: 700ml
  
• Other: 100% sustainable NZ glass, organically certified Macedonian juniper
  
• Goes with: Ice, premium tonic, fresh citrus &/or mint garnish
  

Island Gin has been crafted in copper pot stills, using locally harvested Island honey with organically certified Macedonian juniper berries and triple-filtered rainwater. Island Gin's unique and instantly recognisable bottles are designed to reflect a Kina shell and are all made in New Zealand using a sustainable glass production process.

This fabulous boutique gin from Great Barrier Island is as beautiful as it is delicious and will impress any gin-lover. Treat someone special to a gift, its perfect for corporate gifting too. Get delivered direct to your door. Buy right here in our online liquor store.

ABOUT

“For nearly 20 years I’ve spent long dreamy summers on Great Barrier Island in a modest beach shack with 2 solar panels and a 12 volt battery. It was there in my tiny kitchen I started playing around with mixing G&T’s using lemons foraged from a tree I once stumbled across on a bush walk which I later found was said to seeded from an early shipwreck. With time on my hands, I ventured further and began experimenting on a small alembic copper pot still with other local ingredients.

After many trials with the aid of willing tasters, who nicknamed me ‘Madame Distiller’, I settled on a blend of Great Barrier Manuka and bush island honey as the key note and this is the profile signature of the first original Island Gin.

I like to think of it as the spirit of Great Barrier Island, made by hand, by nature and by a community like no other”.

SUSTAINABILITY

"While I was initially only focused on distilling my own gin for friends and family, as I began working on making Island Gin a reality, I started to consider the whole packaging process. It would have been easy just to buy a generic bottle off the shelf from a supplier in Europe, which is what the majority of distillers do, but given that Great Barrier Island is a precious, pristine environment with 68 % owned and protected by The Department of Conservation, it didn’t feel right.i.e a manufactured bottle from half way around the world, that would take many months to arrive was clearly not a good environmental choice.

So I approached the major glass manufacturer in Auckland, New Zealand, Visy Glass, who I knew produced bottles made from recycled glass. They have been an incredibly supportive partner in Island Gin – persevering with my Kīna-shaped bottle design and agreeing for the first time to produce such a small run. This is new territory for Visy Glass too – as the bottle run explores packing glass in between colour changes, in this case Sea Green to Arctic Blue.

A key element of the design was to create a design that would not only be instantly recognisable, long after the labels had washed off, but also something that people would want to treasure. So I spent a long time conceptualising a bottle that was not only a beautiful object, but one that could be re-used as a water or olive oil vessel — even a vase.

But it also had to be pragmatic, particularly where it was important that it was not likely to slip during bar service and so the Kīna inspiration meant that the dimples could deliver that great tactile feel and therefore easier to use, in bars, at home or on the beach.

Finally, I am playing around with one more unique use for the bottle. When you have finished with the bottle, you are able to return it, and with the help of my friend, the renowned glass artist Ruth Allen, the bottles are then transformed into a cocktail carafe.

I call that sexy sustainability.“

Arohanui

Andi Ross

Madame Distiller

• Bronze - 2023 NZ Spirits Awards
• Bronze - 2022 NZ Spirits Awards
• Double Gold - 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition
  
• Silver - 2022 SIP Awards
• Bronze - 2020 NZ Spirits Awards
  
• Silver - Best Design Awards
  
• Silver - Pentawards London