On the outskirts of Brussels there is a very old tradition of making beer by fermenting it spontaneously with microbes from the air. Rustica is our own take on these Spontaneous beers and was fermented entirely with the cocktail of microbes taken from the Waikanae wind.  Much like a baker making sourdough bread we captured the wild and produced something complex and tasty. Try it like the Belgians do with some ripe pungent cheese and cured sausage.

6% ABV

Hastings Distillers was formed in 2019 by Kate Galloway and David Ramonteu, an inspiring couple with a background in winemaking and an artistic philosophy of production. Their award winning spirits are inspired as much by artists such as Tolstoy, Steiner and Tuwhare as by their scientific backgrounds in winemaking. The pair created the wine brands Alluviale and DaDa in a prior lifetime, before travelling through Europe and decided to marry distillation with therapeutic herbs. The result is a range of spirits using foraged, organic and biodynamic botanicals, pure organic spirit and water. Learn more about their story, taste the products and take some home from a visit. 

Biogro Certified 

Hastings Distillers commitment to organics is shown in their Biogro certification, ensuring all aspects of their production (botanicals, alcohol, water, packaging) has been checked, audited and certified by New Zealand’s largest certification agency. 

Packaging

The transparent seal on their bottles is made from environmentally friendly, compostable cellulose. The bottles themselves and label paper are made by long established European manufacturers under EU environmental regulations.

‘London Dry’

Historically, the term London Dry relates to the production methods. This dictates that the Gin must be made from pure 96% ABV neutral spirit of agricultural origin, all botanical flavour must be imparted through distillation and nothing can be added after, the Gin must be dry. While their Gins adhere to the law governing this term, they are a modern, unconventional interpretation of the classical style.

Tasting note: A complex and perfumed Gin containing 38 botanicals. Batch distilled in our 150L Arnold Holstein still and cut to strength with Kaweka spring water. Top notes of lime leaf, white currant, cedar, mango and floral hints. Exotic spice brings warmth and persistence to the palate.

Serving note: Perfect for an exotic Gin and Tonic or on ice as a sipping Gin. Used in cocktails, Albertine adds an ethereal dimension.

All Hastings Distillers products are certified organic with BioGro New Zealand. 

Lunatic & Lovers vision is to distill the finest botanical rum this world has ever tasted. Are they mad to imagine they can? Or would it be greater lunacy to assume they cannot?

BOTANICALS:
Orange Peel, Roasted Dandelion & Burdock Root, Horopito, Mairehau, Nutmeg, Pimento, Bay Leaf,
Orris Root, Cacao Nib, Coffee Bean, Green Cardamom.

TASTING NOTES:
Aroma: Bright citrus at first with a noticeable but well integrated spicy oakiness. Less herbal than the silver.

With time the earthier notes come through and a definite roasted coffee note.
Palate: The wood sugars have played their part and have married beautifully with the warm orange and oak. Baking spices dominate the mid palate with a pleasing silky mouth feel. This develops into coffee, chocolate and generally ruminess that combine with wood tannins to give richness and structure. Pleasant lingering heat on finish.

APPEARANCE:
Light gold, similar to a Fino Sherry or an aged Chardonnay.

Made from riesling hand-picked from the same vines multiple times in late autumn, choosing only the most beautifully noble botrytic fruit on each occasion. Further hand selection was done in the winery retaining only the best berries. These were gently pressed and a small amount of very rich juice at 45 brix was obtained. It was allowed to settle and the clarified portion was then fermented over many months at low temperatures in order to help retain its special aromas and flavours. The juice was so concentrated that when the fermentation stopped it still had a rich, natural sweetness. It was made in the style of an Alsatian Selection de Grains Nobles or a German Trockenbeerenauslësen.

The wine is a bright lemon-gold colour. The abundant aromas and flavours evoke impressions of ripe cantaloupe melon, mango, pineapple, lychees, and manuka honey. On the palate, the wine is rich and unctuous. Underneath this, however, there is a streak of minerality and fine acidity that keep it fresh, lively and refined, drawing out its lingering after flavours.

Source - Pegasus Bay

Winery's notes...

A stylish Hawke's Bay blend that has chartered our way, a wine with a strong character and a strong following. Blended from the best blocks from our estate, we use a variety of clones, each block fermented then matured in oak barrels as stand alone parcels. After 12 months initial maturation, each barrel was tasted and scored with only the best making the cut for The Navigator. Softly concentrated with deep and dense aromas of plush red fruits, cocoa, spice and cedar, the palate is medium-full bodied with rich and succulent flavours. 

The long finish and fine tannins make this an ideal accompaniment for your beef dishes, richly flavoured foods and cheeses. 

Merlot 34%, Cabernet Sauvignon 31%, Cabernet Franc 19%, Malbec 16%

Typically fresh aromatics of quality Hawkes Bay Chardonnay are evident including citrus, white flowers and stone fruit. These are complemented on the palate by a creamy richness from aging on lees. Roast hazelnut, almond and hints of gunflint result from the indigenous fermentation in barrel.

A fusion of unique and rare elements, and clouded in secrecy, Signet is the culmination of a lifetime's experience. A blend of our oldest whisky and spirit matured in a selection of the world's finest casks, this undoubtedly is the richest whisky in the Glenmorangie range.

Of course, whilst the exact secrets of its production are known only to our whisky creators, we can tell you that Signet's melting sweetness and explosive spiciness is, at least in part, caused by our unique roasted 'chocolate' barley malt and the 'designer casks' made bespoke for Glenmorangie from American white oak. Non chill-filtered

J.M.R & Co - One of the finest and oldest cocktails, dating back to the 1800's, combines whiskey, vermouth and bitters.

Serving suggestion: Chill, serve in a chilled martini glass with a cherry.

Created by Jim McEwan from whisky matured in a multitude of different American oak casks, and chosen to represent the classic, unpeated distillery style. Bruichladdich's new signature bottling is made with 100% Scottish barley.

Nose: Elegantly sweet with honeyed barley, boiled sweets and orange petals. Wafts of sea air and a splash of sulphur.

Palate: Red apples and white grapes, with touches of sweet cinnamon and brown sugar. Still softly coastal.

Finish: Mineral-rich malt, with toffee and more honey.

Auchentoshan's Noble Oak is a 24 year old Lowland single malt. Oak is at the fore of this one's flavour profile - particularly robust and intense for a Lowland expression

50.3% ABV l 700mL

Ginarte is the Italian premium gin dedicated to the art world.

A refined gin with a unique flavor produced with 13 selected botanicals. The juniper berries, strictly picked in Tuscany, are infused in pure wheat alcohol at 65% and then distilled in vacuum discontinuous alembic, because the vacuum reduces the boiling point of the infusion ito preserve the more delicate aromas.

Together with juniper, we selected plants that have a particular link with art. Elements such as the Calamint, safflower, mignonette, rubia and indigo were in fact used for the creation of colored pigments by the most important Renaissance painters, In addition, herbs such as angelica, lavender, hibiscus, elder flowers, pine buds, mountain pine and pine needles complete the botanicals and contribute to produce a clean and complex gin at the same time.

The juniper berries

Picked only in select areas of the Apennines of Tuscany, the juniper berries are infused in 65% pure wheat alcohol and then distilled in a discontinuous vacuum alembic still to preserve even the most delicate of its aromas.

The botanicals of the art

Calamint, Safflower, Mignonette, Rubia, Indigo

These rare and precious botanicals are infused separately in 55% pure wheat alcohol and then distilled, separately, in a small, non-vacuum, discontinuous alembic still.

the other botanicals

Wild celery, Lavender, Hibiscus, Elderflower, Pine buds, Mountain pine, Pine needles

These plants are infused, all together, in 55% pure wheat alcohol. The resulting infusion is then distilled in a small, non-vacuum discontinuous alembic still.

The darkest and most intense whisky in the extra-matured range, Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban has spent 10 years maturing in American white oak casks, before being transferred into specially selected ruby port pipes from the Quintas or wine estates of Portugal.

Extra maturation in these port pipes develops Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban into a voluptuous spirit with a complex balance of sweet and dry flavours and an intriguing contrast of smooth and crisp, cooling textures. Non-chill-filtered for additional aroma and mouthfeel.

Windspiel - Theheart of this creation is the spirit of discovery. It drove Fridericus Rex to bring the potato to Germany and inspired us to produce a gin from it. Classic juniper berries, lemons and coriander combined with our potatoes cultivated in rich volcanic soil results in a traditional gin aroma with a mild, delicate flavor. To give it a special character, cinnamon bark and lavender as well as other botanicals have been added - according to a secret recipe of the master distiller. Dedicated to the great passion of Fridericus Rex: "Greyhound".

Great Central Otago Pinot Noir from the most experienced viticulturist-winemaker team, brothers James and Matt Dicey. This pair have produced this wine with a blend of grapes grown on the Inlet Vineyard (60%) and Black Rabbit Vineyard (40%).

The wine is fleshy and full bodied with bright fresh fruit flavour to the forefront of each succulent sip; indigenous yeast fermentation took place with 2% whole clusters, 98% destemmed and 23 days on skins followed by ageing of 12 months in barrel, 21% new oak. 

The wine contains 14.3% ABV and was bottled unfined but filtered. 

The new Dicey Wine brand is the brainchild of the well experienced Dicey brothers, Matt and James, whose parents were among the pioneers of viticulture and winemaking in Bannockburn, Central Otago, when they co-founded Mt Difficulty Wines. 

The Oude Groseille à Maquereau Verte Tilquin à l'Ancienne is a spontaneous fermentation beer obtained from the fermentation of frozen green gooseberries in young lambics, blended with 1, 2 and 3 years lambic to reach a final concentration of fruits of 260 grams per liter. Unfiltered and unpasteurized, this beer is refermented in the bottle.

5.5% ABV