Greatness comes from small beginnings. In 2019 we left steady careers to back ourselves and make gin, in small batches, in Geraldine.
The name's a clue to how we think. A humdinger is something a bit special — and there's nothing smaller, or more important, than the bee that pollinates the botanicals a good gin leans on. That's who we tip our hat to.
We prepare every botanical by hand and let the flavours infuse slowly. It's the slow way, and it's the point. That care was recognised in 2026, when we were named Sustainable Distillery of the Year at the NZ Small Batch Gin Awards — here's how.
ENGINEERING & PROCESS
A professional engineer, Andrew looks after the technical side of the distillery — the still and equipment, process optimisation, business improvement and compliance. If a batch can be made more consistent or more efficient, that's his happy place.
PRODUCT, RECIPES & EVENTS
Saskia leads product and recipe development — every new gin and seasonal release starts with her — and looks after building the team and running our events and festivals.
WEARS A MILLION HATS
In addition to running in-store tastings & sales at the cellar door, Bridget manages social media, does bottling & labelling and processes online and wholesale orders. While originally hailing from the mighty Waikato she's now fallen for the beauty and slower pace Geraldine offers.
PRODUCTION EXTRAORDINAIRE
Joy brings unwavering energy to the distillery, handling everything from bottling and labelling to preparing citrus and keeping production humming smoothly. With an eye for detail and a genuine love for the craft, she helps ensure every bottle that leaves Humdinger is something we’re proud to share.
Bee-utiful Botanicals
Juniper leads every Humdinger gin — it has to; it's what makes gin taste like gin.
Around it we build each recipe with botanicals chosen for flavour, not filler: as many New Zealand-grown as we can, balanced with a few quality spices from a specialist trader in the UK.
The one crop we grow ourselves is the sloe, from New Zealand's only sloe orchard.
Our charming distillery is located in Geraldine, a quaint town bursting with vibrant energy, and nature on its doorstep making it the perfect backdrop for Humdinger Gin. Less than two hours from Christchurch, our hive is alive with inspiration and humming with activity. We love sharing our journey and passion and we invite you to come visit. Alternatively sign up to our newsletter to be kept up to date on our latest news and releases.
We invite you to come visit or join a guided distillery tour.
