The inspirational story of the Cardrona Distillery
'Ever since I was really little, I have dreamed big dreams. It's nice to imagine what could be, and leave it at that. But I've never been that sort of dreamer. I've always wanted to take one of my dreams, find just the right one-and turn it into something real.'
The Spirit of Cardrona is the story of how former dairy-farmer Desiree Reid-Whitaker took a risk to realise a dream of setting up a world-class distillery. Her quest to produce a single-malt whisky that would compete with the best whiskies in the world is classic story of Kiwi persistence, sacrifice and self-made success. It's also a modern-day tale of living off the land in the high-country.
The Spirit of Cardrona is an inspirational business story that will appeal to anyone who loves a bold, brave and brilliant entrepreneur.
Our water is drawn from Alvin’s well, named after Desiree’s father who built the well. Alvin’s well is fed by the flanks of Mount Cardrona itself. The water is sweet and plentiful – the first ingredient in making great spirits.
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The King of Grains - Cardrona’s barley is grown on the rich Canterbury plains, and then malted to Cardrona’s exacting standards. The malted barley is milled on site at Cardrona and then combined with Cardrona water in a Forsyth lauter mash tun.
The wort is slowly drawn off where the final ingredient, distiller’s yeast is added, and the magic of fermentation begins. From these early stages the distillery and the landscape stamp its character permanently into the spirit. Our fermentation is long, more than 70 hours, allowing the spirit's character to develop fully formed, before being captured in Cardrona's curiously small copper pot stills.
Classic cocktails with a Cardrona twist. Simple to make at home to enjoy an elegant tipple with friends.
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