Sloe by name, Slow by Nature

The Sloe Gin story

Sloe gin starts its story in the hedgerows of the British countryside. Sloe berries are the sour, blue-black fruit of the thorny blackthorn shrub, a member of the rose family Rosaceae — too astringent to eat, but magical once steeped in gin.

New Zealand's only sloe orchard

At Humdinger we grow our own — over 1,000 blackthorn trees in Canterbury, making ours New Zealand's only sloe orchard. The tiny fruits are harvested each autumn at the first frost, picked by hand by the whole team. Nothing is imported: every sloe in the bottle was grown on site.

Sloes aren't traditionally grown in orchards, so we're continually refining drainage, irrigation and tree spacing — and each season the harvest gets better.

A true once-a-year vintage

Because the sloes ripen just once a year, our Sloe Gin is a genuine seasonal release — steeped after harvest and bottled when the flavour is right. The current vintage took Gold at the 2026 NZ Small Batch Gin Awards. When a vintage sells out, it's gone until the next harvest.

How to drink Humdinger Sloe Gin

Traditionally neat, and delicious over ice. Soda water makes a taller drink while keeping that rich sloe flavour — and in winter, try it gently warmed in our Mulled Sloe Gin.

Feeling fancy? Shake it into a Sloe Gin Fizz.

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Taste the orchard: shop Humdinger Sloe Gin.