With modern gin consumers on the hunt for new and exciting flavours, New Zealand gin is well-positioned for success on the Australian market.
National Liquor News sat down with George Grbich, author of the Guide to New Zealand Gin and co-owner of The Gin Club, to talk about what New Zealand gin has to offer for the Australian market.
For Grbich, the biggest appeal of New Zealand gin is its point of difference compared to other international offerings.
“You have all of the classic international brands that are available all around the world, but what New Zealand and Australia have done quite well is incorporate local botanicals into classic gins,” he said.
Grbich has also noticed that distillers are becoming more knowledgeable in their use of native botanicals, which has led to an increase in quality.
“There has been some development in the industry, and I think a lot of Kiwis have learned to incorporate those botanicals a bit better and make them work with the classic gin botanicals now, instead of having them be the hero, or having the flavours be abrupt and aggressive. Now, native botanicals are complementary to the whole profile of the gin,” he said.
“That’s a nice point of difference for Australians, who might be looking for classic gins with that slightly different edge from their neighbours next door.”
Emerging trends
Another benefit for the Australian market is that flavour trends in New Zealand gin are broadly similar to those in Australia.
“Honestly, when it comes to trends, New Zealand is probably six months to a year behind Australia, but there are certainly a lot of similarities,” Grbich said.
In particular, Grbich is seeing tastes shift towards contemporary gin.
“Strongly botanically-flavoured gins seems to be replacing a lot of the confectionery and fruit-driven gins,” he said.
In addition, consumers are seeking out new products and producers.
“The consumer trend seems to be that new is always better. They’re not so interested in what the world’s best London Dry is, they just want to know what is new, what they haven’t tried before,” Grbich said.
Australian consumers are demonstrating a similar trend, and this search for the new provides an opportunity for New Zealand gin to succeed on the market.
Quality and esteem
Like the Australian distilling industry, New Zealand producers have received a number of awards on the international stage.
“One great thing about New Zealand’s gin market is that many of the products have won big international awards, which is quite cool for a small country. There’s a high level of product being made here,” Grbich said.
Grbich also said that the craft distilling industry benefits from the renown of New Zealand wine.
“Being a country that makes a lot of award-winning wine means that we have that craft industry already.
“For example, Strange Nature is a gin made from Sauvignon Blanc spirit, capitalising on New Zealand’s number one alcohol export. That’s going global now, and it’s done really well at the IWSC awards,” he said.
In coming years, Grbich expects the New Zealand gin market to consolidate, which will come with an increase in overall quality.
“We had an over peak in New Zealand gin, and now we’re at a plateau, so what I think we will see is some distilleries dropping off, but a higher level of product on the market,” he said.
“A lot of distilleries in New Zealand are laying down rum and whisky as well, so that will get a lot more people drinking local spirits.”
Craft pricing
One barrier that consumers are seeing with New Zealand gin is its higher price point.
“Hopefully, prices can start coming down so consumers can start with a more affordable price. I would say that most prices are towards $74.95 or $84.95, and for a lot of people, that’s very much in craft territory,” Grbich said.
However, Grbich believes that there are still a number of consumers willing to pay more for a unique product.
“Both countries have a lot of international gins available on the market, and they both have a pretty high saturation of local products that are pushing hard for a small section of the market. Like Australia, a lot of those local gins come at a higher price as well, but I think the creativity and difference you can get from local gin is important in that higher price point,” he said.
While the number of New Zealand gins currently available on the Australian market is small, the unique botanicals and high-quality products coming from our southern neighbours show a potential for growth, especially as the Australian gin market matures.