New distillery in the heart of Karangahake

Wayne Chowles from Waikino Hotel has started up a gin business. Photo / Rebecca Mauger

For decades, Wayne Chowles was put off gin.

A tale told by many teens ... he got into his father's gin when he was young, indulged in a heavy drinking session and paid the price by becoming very ill.

''I didn't touch gin again for decades, just the smell of it made me gag.''

Now he absolutely loves the craft of making gin, and drinking it too.

The new publican of Waikino Hotel has started Kaimai Brewing and Distilling Co, which makes and sells Eliza's Claim gold gin and dry gin.

Wayne, who has been a home-brew hobbyist for years, has captured the early mining history of Waikino and surrounding area in his gin.

The bottle label has a surveyors' map of the local mining claims. "Eliza" was believed to be a prominent mining figure in those early days and a mine was named after her.

Each batch is made with signature flecks of edible gold flakes, giving bottles a "snow globe" effect. Wayne describes his gin as having earthy, spicy flavours with rosemary and honey. The gold brand is the signature gin.

Wayne's background is also in the mining industry in his home country of South Africa.
His home-brewing enthusiasm started with beer, which evolved to fruit brandies. He prefers making gin to other spirits.

''With traditional methods of making spirits, the rules are more constraining and rigorous. With gin there's more room to move and you have more fun with it, there's more personal expression. The most important part of gin is the juniper, which gives gin its flavour.''

The gin is made in an impressive four-inch-flute Stampede Still at the hotel. Wayne makes it from scratch, including the base wine. Fourteen different botanicals are used and each batch takes months to create and age the spirit.

"Like cooking, it takes the botanicals a while to settle, to become flavoursome," he says.

Wayne believes the distillery is the only one in the region, with the nearest next operations being Thames and Tauranga. They're on their sixth batch and each batch contains approximately 40 bottles.

Eliza's Claim is starting small by selling at Waikino Hotel before branching out.

"This is my heart in a bottle.

"People are not only buying it, they're coming back to buy it. That's given me the confidence boost I need."