Our Wairarapa region is one of the most recent dark sky reserves, designated in January 2023. It’s yet another privilege of living in this incredible place.
Late last year, Global award-winning Master Distiller Peter Warren joined forces with our distillery manager John Goss to discuss the brief to create a recipe for one of our most distinctively beautiful gins yet. An original filtering process was also devised, using stones from the Waiohine river which winds its way down from the Tarauas, past Greytown.
Dark Sky Reserve gin is a premium London Dry, crafted with yuzu, local lemons, grains of paradise, star anise and pure Tararua mountain water. All gins go through multiple iterations and when we gathered to taste the very last version, we were all unusually quiet in our response. It was a standout; we had not tasted a gin like it; Dark Sky Reserve seemed to force us to stop, think and analyse what we were tasting. We all agreed that Dark Sky would not be a typical release for our little distillery.
Enjoy as a martini with a good dry vermouth and a twist of lemon or add a light Indian Tonic to taste and plenty of ice.
Tasting notes:
STAR ANISE Adds a sweet, licorice-like note; aromatic and slightly spicy, giving a warm, exotic edge
GRAINS OF PARADISE A peppery spice with hints of citrus, cardamom, and ginger
YUZU A Japanese citrus fruit with a tart, floral flavour; more complex than lemon, with notes of mandarin and grapefruit
LEMON Bright, zesty, and familiar, enhancing the freshness and sharpness of the gin, balancing the spice and sweetness
