The 2026 Sloe Harvest Has Begun

There’s a short window each year when everything lines up — and right now, we’re in it.

Our sloe orchard has just reached that perfect point of ripeness, and harvest is officially underway.

We’re incredibly proud to say that we’re still the only Sloe Gin you'll find on bottle-store shelves in New Zealand growing our own sloes. It’s not the easiest path, but it’s the one that gives us complete control over flavour — right from the tree to the bottle.

Sloe gin is a traditional fruit gin made by steeping sloe berries — the fruit of the blackthorn tree — in gin over time. If you’ve ever wondered what a sloe berry is, it’s a small wild fruit rarely grown at scale in New Zealand, which makes this harvest something truly special.

Tree-Ripened, Not Rushed

Unlike commercially sourced fruit, our sloe berries are left to fully ripen on the tree.

That extra time makes a real difference. The fruit develops deeper flavour and natural sweetness, meaning we can use less sugar when crafting our Sloe Gin. The result is something richer, more balanced, and far closer to the fruit itself.

Not a Job for the Faint-Hearted

Harvesting sloes is… character building.

The bushes are dense, the thorns are unforgiving, and every berry is picked by hand. It’s slow work, and you definitely feel it by the end of the day — scratched arms and all.

But it’s also one of the most rewarding parts of the year. This is where the next vintage of Sloe Gin begins.

A Season That Will Shape This Year’s Sloe Gin

This year’s crop comes off the back of a wet summer, with the more settled, sunny days only arriving in the past month.

What that means for flavour is something we’ll only fully understand once the gin is steeped and matured — but that’s part of the magic. Like wine, each year tells a slightly different story.

No two harvests are ever quite the same, and that natural variation is part of what defines a truly New Zealand made gin.

Growing Year by Year

As the orchard matures, so does the harvest.

Each year we’re seeing more fruit, more consistency, and more opportunity to refine what we do. It’s a long game — but one that’s starting to really pay off.

From Orchard to Bottle

What we’re picking now will become next summer's Sloe Gin.

Sloe berries grown on blackthorn trees are rarely cultivated at scale in New Zealand. That’s what makes this harvest so unique — and why our Sloe Gin is truly a product of place.

There’s still a long journey ahead — steeping, resting, tasting, and blending — but it all starts here, with ripe fruit and a few scratched arms.