It’s sweet but layered, and floral but in a way that leads you to honey, not to perfumery notes. What defines Cardrona’s raw spirit character? And how does your production setup contribute to it?Ĭardrona’s new make spirit is rich. You can’t help but want to be a part of Cardrona Distillery when that’s the story you’re a part of. This place was built from the ground up that takes a lot of grit and confidence in yourself and the people that engage along the way. Her’s is of an incredible woman one who sells a successful farm and travels the world absorbing knowledge, in pursuit of a passionate career. Right now, our grounds and maintenance manager, Chris, is out shoveling snow so our visitors can access the front door!īeyond the extreme beauty of Cardrona, it is Desiree’s story that attracts people to work here. You may find it paired with a dish or my favorite, as a boilermaker a dram paired with a beer.ĭistilling in New Zealand’s rural Southern Alps is presumably not for everyone can tell us about the team at the distillery? The beauty of the way the industry is heading right now is that you may discover whisky in a highball or a beautifully balanced cocktail. I promise you, there is a whisky out there that will pull you in. If you can’t get past the smoke, understand that use of peat is a stylistic decision and one that you may need to work up to. If it’s too hot for you, add water and let the dram reveal itself. Whisky can be seductive, elegant and layered. Those curious about whisky are often introduced to an aggressive spirit that has them retreating back to what they know. The take home is that so do other styles AND other (just as romantic) sipping situations.
Related The Ethical Cellar Goes to Lyon, FranceĪnd what about those perceptions of whisky as that hardened and fiery spirit best for fireside winters and bracing seas? Is whisky making a gentler, more nuanced affair than many think? Whisky is absolutely a reflection of place. Then, of course, there is the maturation the spirit ages in a permeable vessel for years, breathing in the essence of the land it is resting in. Terroir is also the people and the nuances of a place.
Perhaps even more so because it dives into a deeper meaning of the word, beyond growing conditions unique to a single year and soil type. Does it have a place in whisky?Ībsolutely. In the wine trade, terroir-the notion that the land makes the wine-is everything. It felt like the right move and still does. Distillation was something new, but it felt like a natural extension, or side step, while remaining connected to celebrating raw materials and working with oak. There was such buzz and excitement among the people working on site. I hadn’t quite lined up my next move and visiting the building site that was Cardrona Distillery, in late 2015, was enough to completely tilt my world on an axis. When a world-class distillery is being built down the road and you’re already fermentation obsessed, there’s no way you’re not going to check it out.
My path to distillation was one of good timing. But vineyards drew me to Central Otago over my hometown of Dunedin. So, how did you end up distilling whisky?Ī: My family always drew me home between harvests. You studied viticulture and chased harvests from country to country before returning home to New Zealand.