New Zealand vodka is toast of the town

Spirits producer and exporter 42Below has taken out one of New Zealand's top export awards.

Export New Zealand named 42Below as The New Zealand Emerging Exporter of the Year 2005 at the NZTE Export Awards held in Christchurch last night, in recognition of phenomenal growth since it started exporting.

"Designed with export in mind, in just two years, 42 Below has achieved brand recognition worldwide, is regarded as one of the best vodkas and requested in key outlets stretching form Australia, the Pacific, Singapore, Japan and the USA to the UK, Europe and Iceland", Bob Walters, CEO, Export New Zealand, said.

42 Below is produced using spring water and a secret recipe – in five distinctive varients – pure vodka, passionfruit, feijoa, Manuka honey and kiwifruit.

It has made inroads into a number of prestigious markets, including The Ritz Hotels in London and Paris, and Raffles in Singapore.

42 Below CEO Geoff Ross said he envisioned a product to leverage off the back of New Zealand's clean and green image. "The core value of the vodka is its purity", he said.