High up in the Cardrona Valley of New Zealand’s Southern Alps sits Cardrona Distillery, brainchild of founder Desiree Reid. It’s tempting to think that the whisky itself takes its character and spirited blend of ambition and craftsmanship from the surrounding rugged alpine beauty – shaped by tectonic uplift and carved by glaciers through the millennia. Desiree traded her original plans to open a perfumery (2,500 damask roses around the distillery are testament to that) for whisky dreams after years of research in Scotland and the United States. In 2015, the first purpose-built kiwi whisky distillery fired up its stills and has since become the benchmark for premium New Zealand single malt.
Managing Director Henry Caulton and Head of Marketing Laura Power are kind enough to take time out to show me around Cardrona after a stunning and adventurous journey through this rugged, mountainous landscape – scenery that would not look out of place in the highlands of Scotland. The distillery’s team of over 40 employees, led by Master Distiller Sarah Elsom, operates 24/7 tapping the pristine alpine water from Mount Cardrona and barley grown on the fertile Canterbury plains to the southwest.
Scots-born distiller Islay Sherrington (yes, her dad is a big Western Isles whisky fan) joins us in the still room to introduce the two copper pot stills: Roaring Meg (wash) and Gentle Annie (spirit), named after past barmaids from the historic Cardrona Hotel, were imported from Forsyths in Scotland and are a familiar, pleasant sight to see here on the other side of the world.
The distillery makes 20-21 barrels a week. Islay takes us into the on-site warehouse where Cardrona’s double-distilled single malt matures in ex-sherry, ex-bourbon and Pinot Noir casks (filled from the local Fenton Road winery the same day they are emptied), developing a peppery, burnt toffee and citrus, deep-layered character shaped by the seasonal temperature swings of their 500 m asl mountain home. The resulting loss to the angels’ share is a fairly generous 3-4%.
This decade-old distillery already offers a range of expressions led by the flagship malt Falcon – which did not get its name by chance. The story goes that the day the pot stills were lowered in through the roof, a karearea – the New Zealand falcon – flew in and perched on the top of Gentle Annie’s lyne arm – a good omen now commemorated in the name of their whisky and emblem of the distillery. A portion of the proceeds from their special Kārearea Project edition whisky is donated to a local project to help protect New Zealand’s only native falcon.
Owned by Inver House (ThaiBev) since 2023, the distillery can now count among its stablemates Balblair, Old Pulteney and Knockdu, offering a worldwide route to market surely the envy of most distilleries of this size. Beyond whisky, Cardrona produces artisan gin, vodka and limited-edition liqueurs, welcomes visitors for tours, tastings and meals, sharing the warmth of its people and passion for fine spirits with enthusiasts from near and far. At time of writing, the distillery has just turned ten, and is preparing the first Cardrona 10-year-old single malt, which should be well worth the wait if you are lucky enough to get your talons on a bottle.
See the video of my visit at: youtube