Stephan Menzies was around a family bonfire when the idea to create distinctly New Zealand spirits came about. “A joke was made to turn the old glasshouse furnace into a still to make spirits. While the furnace never made it into the distillery, Karven Craft Distiller was born,” he explained. He began to research, develop and experiment with their first gin. Unified Brands developed the packaging for the first 100 bottles and were launched in early March this year. Karven Craft Distiller produces a premium New Zealand dry gin that is distilled by hand using a unique “gravity-flow” process. It contains eight organic botanicals which are sourced from orchards surrounding the distillery. Crafted in small batches of 100, each bottle is individually numbered and is created using high-quality GMO-free grain alcohol and pure NZ mineral water. It even won Outstanding Silver at the International Wine & Spirits Show this year in London. Now Menzies is looking into new product development and create more unique and exciting products for New Zealand and the world. The next project is a limited release of a vintage Syrah Grappa.
“We are concentrating on developing strong relationships with our customers and suppliers, working with them to develop successful business partnerships. We are flexible in our approach and are happy to work with our customers to meet their needs.”
Karven is currently available in a range of bottle shops, bars and restaurants around Auckland. They are also pushing their gin into Napier and Queenstown and throughout the rest of New Zealand.
