Graham Norton's gin on it's way to New Zealand

Comedian Graham Norton's gin is made from a combination of 12 botanicals. Photo / John Allen

Good things take time and a new gin, created by talk show host and winemaker Graham Norton, has started its slow journey to New Zealand.

Norton - who is already in partnership with New Zealand winemaker Invivo & Co - has just bottled and shipped his own Irish Gin in collaboration with the Kiwi company.

Norton's range of wine with Invivo & Co has been a huge success and Tim Lightbourne, co-founder of the company, said producing a gin flowed on from that.

"We were working with Graham on this year's wine blends. At the end of a three-hour tasting and blending session, someone suggested we celebrate with a round of martinis," Lightbourne said.

"It was over the martinis that Graham introduced the idea of an Irish gin and a plan was born to create one."

Rob Cameron and Lightbourne from Invivo & Co searched for a suitable distillery to produce the gin with Norton.

They teamed with West Cork Distillers near Norton's West Cork home and produced a gin made from 100 per cent Irish grain.

The gin is made from a combination of 12 botanicals including lemon peel, orange peel, elderflower, rose hip, and fuchsia flowers.

Lightbourne said the growth and popularity of gin meant it was the right time to launch in New Zealand.

"The gin category has been booming for the past few years and shows no sign of slowing down" Lightbourne said.

"We think the time is right to bring something different to the gin aisle and the selection of botanicals that Graham has handpicked and blended make for a truly unique drop – just like Graham himself!"

The Irish distillery produced a limited run of 35,000 bottles of Graham Norton's Own Irish Gin, which launched in Ireland this month.

The gin was packaged and shipped to New Zealand this week. It will be in stores when it arrives and clears customs in May.

Norton's partnership with Invivo & Co - previously known as Invivo Wines - started three years ago and saw him personally stomp his own Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc on the set of his TV chat show.

In 2014 the company produced 14,000 bottles of the Graham Norton range.

This year more than three million bottles were produced with sales in New Zealand, Australia, the UK and Ireland, the United States, Norway, Denmark, Hong Kong, and Japan.

Invivo & Co is also in partnership with Sex and the City actress Sarah Jessica Parker.