The Chronicle Q&A: Good Bones Distilling’s Vaughan Campbell

Vaughan Campbell's distilling journey began at the age of 18. Photo / Bevan Conley

Vaughan Campbell is the founder of Good Bones Distilling at the bottom of Durie Hill - the city’s only vodka distillery. As part of his process, Campbell uses surplus baked goods otherwise destined for landfill.

He won a varietal vodka bronze medal at this year’s New Zealand Sprit Awards.

Gin seems to be the go-to when starting out in distilling. What inspired you to go down the vodka route?

Gin is a very crowded market and I wanted to do something slightly different to try and break in. I went to a (Distilled Spirits Aotearoa) conference the other day and I think one liquor chain had 1150-something different kinds of gin.

I’m definitely keen to expand my product range though. I’m looking at launching some liqueurs and flavoured vodkas soon.

What do the next 12 months have in store for Good Bones?

There will be a lot of distilling and a lot of brewing. I guess I just take each day as it comes.

I’ve just released batch number five. So far, we’ve saved over 60kg of surplus goods going to waste. We’ve done rēwena bread and chocolate cake and the latest was bagels from Little Curious. That’s a great place and great bagels make great vodka.

Whanganui has been fantastic. I wait until all the bottles are gone before I release my next batch. I’m looking forward to seeing where we can go with this.

What advice would you give others who are looking to get started in the industry?

Join Distilled Spirits Aotearoa then come and talk to us. We’ve done it before and we’re always open to helping out.

Do you think the increasing popularity of boutique brewing and distilling is changing Kiwis’ drinking habits for the better?

One hundred per cent. People are drinking less alcohol and want it to be a better-quality alcohol.

Outside of manning the distiller, what’s your favourite thing to do in Whanganui?

Exploring our parks and beaches with the kids. There are a lot of things I think Whanganui does that a lot of other places don’t, like Kowhai Park, which is so child-orientated. My wife is from up in Northland and they don’t have anywhere near the same things for children as we do.

What’s on the playlist when you’re locked away at the distillery?

There are always quite a few podcasts. Outside of that, I’m into everything and willing to give anything a go.

What’s the best way to enjoy a tipple of Good Bones?

Rule number one, it’s however you like to enjoy your drink. I have it neat but also in cocktails. Lemon, lime and bitters is probably my favourite go-to.

Do you think Whanganui can become a hub for bespoke distilling?

Absolutely, I’d really like that to happen. There is a lot of collective knowledge here, whether it’s me or Papaiti Gin. We’d be really happy to help. It’s the same with breweries as well. The guys at Lads have been massive for me and you’ve got Roots Brewing as well. I think Whanganui is really coming into its own with a community of brewers and distillers. Creating some kind of hub would be another reason for people from out of town to come and visit Whanganui.

Which person from history would you most like to welcome to Good Bones and have a drink with?

That would be my friend John Hastings, who passed away a couple of weeks before Good Bones launched. He was really instrumental in me starting up. When he first tried my stuff he said “you know what dude, you need to start a distillery”. That was quite a few years ago. He even sat down and was working out a budget, which, I have to say, was pretty accurate. I would love to tell him that I did it.

What advice would you give 18-year-old novice distiller Vaughan Campbell?

Never, ever give up. You can get knocked down but never give up. There have been times when I thought I was cursed, that someone had thrown a curse on me and Good Bones. Everything was going wrong, even down to broken pallets of bottles. You can pick yourself off the floor many, many times but don’t give up, no matter how hard it seems. I think that goes for everybody.