A carrot grown in the volcanic soils beneath Mt Ruapehu helped us take home two trophies at the New Zealand Spirits Awards.
When you put it like that, it sounds a little unbelievable.
But that's exactly where the story of Straight Up Carrot Gin begins. Not in the distillery, not in the bottle, and certainly not on awards night. It begins in the paddocks around Ohakune.
Why Ohakune?
Ohakune has been known as New Zealand's carrot capital for generations. The fertile volcanic soils, cool alpine climate and fresh mountain air create ideal growing conditions, producing carrots with incredible flavour and natural sweetness.
When we started Ruapehu Distillery, we wanted to create a craft gin that genuinely belonged here. We weren't interested in making a gin that could have come from anywhere. We wanted every bottle to tell the story of this place.
That's why the carrot became our hero ingredient.
People often ask whether our gin tastes like carrots.
The answer is no.
The carrot isn't there to dominate the flavour. Instead, it adds texture, balance and a subtle earthy sweetness that brings the botanicals together. It's the ingredient working quietly in the background, helping everything else shine.
Local Ingredients, Local Story
The carrot isn't the only ingredient that connects our gin to this region.
We source horopito from nearby Horopito, one of New Zealand's unique native botanicals. Its gentle peppery warmth adds another layer of flavour while strengthening the connection between our gin and the landscape that inspired it.
Then there's the water.
More than half of every bottle is fresh alpine water. It's one of those ingredients that's easy to overlook, but without clean, pure water you simply can't make great gin.
Together, the carrots, horopito and alpine water create the foundation of what has become our award-winning New Zealand gin.
Bringing It All Together
That's when Nigella, our copper pot still, takes over.
Juniper and coriander are macerated before the still is fired up, and from there the vapour slowly makes its journey, up through the carrots and other botanicals, before finally becoming the gin that fills every bottle.
Every stage matters. Every small decision influences the next.
If you're curious about what actually happens inside the still, we've written another blog that follows the entire distillation process, from the first signs of vapour through to the final cut.
What the Two Trophies Mean to Us
Taking home two trophies at the New Zealand Spirits Awards, including the New Zealand Gin and Tonic Award and Emerging Product Award, was an incredible moment.
Not because the gin suddenly became any different.
It was exactly the same gin we'd been sharing with visitors in our tasting room and sending to customers around New Zealand.
The trophies simply recognised everything that came before them.
The volcanic soils beneath Mt Ruapehu.
The local carrots that inspired the recipe.
The native horopito.
The alpine water.
The patience to keep refining every distillation. And the perseverance and determination to see a dream come true of building a distillery.
For us, that's what these trophies represent.
They're recognition that a small distillery in Ohakune, inspired by its landscape and local ingredients, can produce an award-winning craft gin that proudly represents this remarkable part of New Zealand.
If you're planning a visit to Ohakune, we'd love to welcome you into the distillery. Join one of our distillery tours, see Nigella, and discover the story behind Straight Up Carrot Gin for yourself.