News
Awards, new releases and stories from the still room in Geraldine, plus guides to getting the best from your gin.
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Three new cocktails (and the bundles to make them at home)Three new Humdinger cocktails have landed on the site — Pink Pop, Citrus Breeze and Sloe-Nade-o — each with a ready-to-mix bundle that brings everything to your door. Here's how...
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How to Plan Your Work Christmas Do in GeraldineSkip the same old restaurant booking. Here are three ways to turn the work Christmas do into a proper Geraldine adventure — starting at the distillery.
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Doing More With Less: Humdinger Named Sustainable Distillery of the YearNamed Sustainable Distillery of the Year at the 2026 NZ Small Batch Gin Awards. Here's how "doing more with less" works in our Geraldine still room — 188% solar, water...
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A Humdinger of a Result at the 2026 NZ Small Batch Gin AwardsSix entries, six medals at the 2026 NZ Small Batch Gin Awards — back-to-back Gold for Dry Gin, Gold for our orchard-grown Sloe Gin, Silver for Citrus, Bronze for Pink,...
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How Contract Distilling Works in New Zealand: From Brief to BottleThinking of putting your brand on a bottle? Here's how contract distilling and private-label spirits actually work in New Zealand — brief, recipe, sample, bottle.
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The 2026 Sloe Harvest Has BegunThere’s a short window each year when everything lines up — and right now, we’re in it. Our sloe harvest has begun, with fruit ripened on the tree to deliver...
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Festival Season with Humdinger GinFestival season means road trips, great people and plenty of cocktails. This year we’ve travelled across the South Island — from Hanmer Springs to Arrowtown — pouring samples, mixing drinks...
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An Easy, Welcoming Stop in Geraldine — Everything You Need in One PlacePassing through Geraldine? Our cellar door is an easy, welcoming stop where you can discover your new favourite gin and pick up everything you need — from tonic and mixers...
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Humdinger Gin Gift Boxes — Thoughtful, Local Gifts Made in GeraldineNew Zealand-made gin gift boxes from Humdinger — Beehive sets from $53 and build-your-own boxes from $79, packed by hand in Geraldine and shipped NZ-wide.
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Crafted for Your Brand: Custom and Corporate Gins by HumdingerLooking for a unique corporate gift or branded collaboration? At Humdinger Gin, we offer competitive pricing for corporate orders and can craft something truly yours — from custom gin recipes...
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How Does Our Sloe Gin Keep Getting Better?Great fruit, maturing trees, a refined base gin and a perfected soak — here's why each vintage of Humdinger Sloe Gin from our Canterbury orchard keeps getting better.
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Humdinger Merchandise: The Perfect Companions for Your GinFrom a six-bottle jute bag to jiggers, pourers, garnishes and gift cards — the Humdinger extras that make gin at home (and gifting) easy.
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Limited Release Gins: Seasonal, Special & Always a HumdingerLimited release gins are where Humdinger pushes flavour boundaries — from citrus-bright summer editions to richer winter sips, plus one-off collaborations and custom gins. Once they're gone, they're gone.
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Now Pouring More Than Gin – Distillery Tours Have Arrived at HumdingerDiscover Humdinger Distillery in Geraldine with a guided tour. See how our gin is crafted, savour a tasting, and browse our welcoming Cellar Door. Book your visit today.
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A New Chapter for Humdinger Gin: Our New Distillery in GeraldineWe’re excited to announce that on the 3rd of January 2025 we officially moved into our new distillery on the main street of Geraldine! This move marks a huge milestone...
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The Adventure in the Glass: Our Family's Story, Since 1879In 1879, a seventeen-year-old apprentice sailed from London to Auckland with three shillings and a trade in his pocket. Four generations later, his great-great-grandson founded Geraldine Distillery — the home...
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Mastery and Innovation in Every BottleAt the 2024 London Spirits Competition our Sloe Gin was the top-scoring sloe gin in the world — one of four Silver medals for Humdinger that year.
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In The Press (The Actual Press Too!)The South Canterbury town of Geraldine is known for its award-winning food producers and cheesemakers — and now it's known for one of the most popular clear spirits of the...
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The Perfect Pair: Mastering Mixer Magic with Humdinger Citrus GinComplement or contrast? How to pair Humdinger Citrus Gin with the right mixer — and how to make the perfect Foghorn cocktail.
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The Blushing Spirit: Tracing the Journey of Pink Gin from Past to PresentFrom a Royal Navy mix of Plymouth gin and Angostura bitters to today's berry-led pours — the history of pink gin, and how Humdinger Pink Gin gets its flavour from...
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Our Journey to Craftsmanship and Authenticity in Every Bottle of Humdinger GinHow Andrew and Saskia Lewis started Humdinger Gin in Geraldine in 2019 — a refurbished Arnold Holstein still, hand-picked sloes, Gisborne citrus and the awards along the way.
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Summer Time GinLooking for the perfect gin garnish? From classic citrus and herbs to vibrant summer fruits and warming spices, our favourite garnish ideas will help you elevate every glass of Humdinger...
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Sloe Gin TimeFrom our 2022 release: our Sloe Gin went live online on Wednesday 12 October, after the 2021 vintage sold out in three days. Here's what makes it so good.
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Every Still Has a StoryWhen an opportunity arose to buy an Arnold Holstein still right here in New Zealand, just as we were considering options for increasing our capacity, it felt like the right...
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Local Botanicals in our Local GinWhere a botanical is grown changes how it tastes. Why we use New Zealand botanicals wherever we can — from Canterbury barley to Gisborne citrus and our own sloes.
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Sloe by name, Slow by NatureWhat are sloe berries? Inside New Zealand's only sloe orchard — over 1,000 blackthorn trees in Canterbury, hand-picked each autumn for our gold-medal Sloe Gin.
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Winter Gin Cocktails: a Cranberry G&T and a Gin Hot ToddyGin isn't just for summer. Two easy winter serves: a Cranberry G&T with homemade cranberry syrup, and a warming Gin Hot Toddy made with our Barrel Aged Gin.
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Gin Cocktails deserve beautiful glassware, Humdinger explains whyThe right glass lifts the aroma and keeps your drink at its best. Here's when to reach for a copa, a highball or a Martini glass.
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Humdinger Gin wins more awards on world stageHumdinger Dry Gin and Citrus Gin each won Bronze at the 2022 International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC).
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How to store gin at homeWhat's the best way to store gin at home? Keep it cool, out of direct sunlight, tightly sealed and upright — here's why, plus whether gin goes off once opened.
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What is gin made from?Gin is a neutral base spirit re-distilled with botanicals, led by juniper. Here's how we macerate, distil and proof small-batch Humdinger gin in Geraldine.
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How to make a Gin CocktailThree easy gin cocktails to make at home: a classic Dry Gin Martini, a honeyed Bees Knees with Citrus Gin, and a Negroni made with our Barrel Aged Gin.
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Humdinger Gin Getting Media AttentionHumdinger was included in The Urban List NZ's roundup of the best artisanal gins in New Zealand — plus how we like to serve our gin in summer.
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New, Old StillWe're the proud new owners of a 30-year-old, 220-litre Arnold Holstein copper still — with a column on top of the pot, the design we think makes the best gin.
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Barrel time can really push gin in new directionsHumdinger is pushing gin into bold new territory with our limited-edition Pinot Noir Barrel-Aged Gin. Rested in a European oak Pinot Noir cask from Matua Wines, this release layers bright...
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Bourbon Barrel Aged Gin, just in time for ChristmasSo what is a Bourbon Barrel Aged Gin? Our 2021 limited release rested a blend of our Dry and Citrus gins in a Barton 1792 bourbon barrel for three months....
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Three Easy Summer Gin ServesThree easy summer gin drinks to make at home — a zesty Foghorn, a crisp Gimlet and a sparkling Sloe Gin Fizz — plus the perfect Humdinger G&T.
