Ruapehu Distillery was proud to be featured in the Ruapehu Bulletin over Easter, as part of the vibrant Taste festival in Ohakune.

Easter in Ohakune is always a busy one, but Taste brings something extra. It’s where local food, drinks, and people come together.  A weekend that showcases exactly what makes this place tick.  Up at Kings the Beer Fest was in full swing, and the Junction Market was a hive of activity in the morning that featured about 20 stall holders and their local goods.  

Being included in the Ruapehu Bulletin wasn’t just a nice moment. It was recognition of what’s building here in the region.  A growing scene of local producers doing things differently and doing them well.

At the centre of it for us was Straight Up Carrot Gin.

Distilled in Ohakune using locally grown carrots from the surrounding volcanic soils, it’s a gin that surprises people in all the right ways. Bright on the nose, silky on the palate, with a subtle earthy sweetness and a gentle peppery lift from our New Zealand native pepper tree, horopito. It’s a reflection of where it’s made.

Taste gave us the chance to put that in front of a wider crowd. Locals, visitors, long weekends, good conversations. The kind of setting where people are open to trying something new and remembering it.  

Crumpet took things up a notch, crafting a lineup of Easter-inspired cocktails using Straight Up Carrot Gin that turned a few heads and won over plenty of palates. Bright, playful, and seriously well balanced, each serve leaned into the gin’s natural character while adding a fresh Easter twist. Alongside it came a selection of thoughtful gin-side tapas; small plates designed to complement, not compete by bringing out the earthy sweetness and subtle spice in every sip. It was one of those combinations that just worked, where good ingredients, good people, and a bit of creativity came together and made something worth talking about.

The reaction said it all.

Being part of Taste Easter Ohakune and featured in the Ruapehu Bulletin reinforces what we’re building at Ruapehu Distillery.  A spirit that is local, lively, and a little unexpected.

If you didn’t make it over Easter, the experience doesn’t stop there.

Our Ohakune distillery tasting room is open, offering tastings, tours, and a chance to see where it all comes together from carrot to glass to taste the adventure in every sip.

Come and taste what everyone’s been talking about.