Stratford distiller Stuart Greenhill and his partner Jo Stallard, owners of Fenton Street Arts Collective try the award-winning gin. Photo/ Margie Coplestone.
Stratford distiller Stuart Greenhill and his partner Jo Stallard, owners of Fenton Street Arts Collective try the award-winning gin. Photo/ Margie Coplestone.
When it comes to making gin, Fenton Street Arts Collective has the right recipe to make it award-winning.
Stratford distiller Stuart Greenhill sent two bottles of gin to the London Spirits Competition in March and both of those bottles won awards.
"We just sent two bottles of the gin that were on the shelf. Everyone gets the same quality of well-distilled gin."
The Pioneer gin was two points away from winning gold, and the 1564 Venus and Adonis also won silver.
"This was particularly encouraging as the international judges awarded medals based upon three distinct areas: taste, value and presentation. Most competitions judge simply on taste."
The Pioneer gin was inspired by Stuart's research for his upcoming book Father of the Sons.
"I'm researching pioneer farmers out east Taranaki. I was visiting Puke Ariki for research and discovered a 1908 photograph of Stratford's main street. It wasn't fog that smothered the street but smoke from the burning of the bush."
Thirteen botanics including local kawakawa, horopito and tarata along with local bush honey and smoke from manuka make this gin unique in the collection, Stuart says.
The 1564 Venus and Adonis gin is inspired by William Shakespeare's poem of the same name.
Fenton Street Arts Collective manager Amelia Lett says the gin tastes excellent.
"The poem tells the story of Venus, the goddess of love and her unrequited love and attempted seduction of Adonis, an extremely handsome young man, who would rather go hunting. He refuses her despite her continued attention. Venus dreams that Adonis is killed by a boar and rushes out to warn him but was too late."
Stuart says the characters are represented through botanics mixed to capture the essence of the poem.
"Venus is represented with rose petals, miro berries and caramelised orange. I have used rimu to reflect the prickly Adonis, medicinal kawakawa to help him 'get better' and dandelion root, as his head is buried. Dandelion root and miro berries reflect Adonis."
The 1564 Venus and Adonis gin also won silver at the 2022 New Zealand Spirit Awards. The Beast with two Backs gin, inspired by a quote in Shakespeare's Othello, also won silver at the awards.
He says the Shakespeare inspired gins are special and boutique, due to the limited supply of local flora.
"1564 has miro berries from Wharehuia and The Beast with Two Backs has pohutukawa stamens, the only edible part of the flower. Othello is symbolised by North African spices, nutmeg, turmeric, liquorice, coffee beans and caramelised oranges. Desdemona is reflected by pohutukawa stamens, a New Zealand symbol of womanhood. A percentage of sales of our Shakespeare gin goes to Stratford's Shakespeare Trust."
Stuart is pleased with the gin's success.
"It is very satisfying that a provincial distillery such as ours has international recognition along with our national awards."
Fenton Street Arts Collective manager Amelia Lett says she is honoured to work for Jo and Stuart and is rapt with the success.
