Garage grog business looks towards export market

What started as a garage grog business has expanded into a range of four premium liquors that is soon to enter Asian export markets.

When Warkworth man Chris Toms fell on hard times he couldn’t afford his daily tipple so he set up a still in his garage, brewing what his friends called Matakana Moonshine.

His mate Mark Hobin says that when Chris first started distilling, it was pretty hard hooch.

“It was pretty rough stuff with hints of bourbon, but it improved considerably over time. I told him that if he could make larger quantities, I could sell it,” he says.

Mark is now hawker-in-chief of the pair’s Matakana Moonshine business, which produces an Amber Lightening southern-style whiskey, honey whiskey, a gin and a premium vodka.

He says they were able to take the operation out of the garage after finding a local producer of a crisp, clean distillate, which forms the base of the beverages. The source of the distillate is a closely guarded secret.

Mark says Chris also has a unique way of infusing the whiskey drink with manuka timber to extract the tannins and the colours. This gives it a distinctly local flavour.

Since going commercial, they have replaced Warkworth tap water with Kaiwaka spring water, bottled at the base of the Brynderwyns.

The pair sent some samples to the San Francisco spirit awards on the off-chance that our Yankee cousins might enjoy a drop. The next thing they knew, they were among the winners – taking silver and bronze.

“That’s when we really knew we had something good,” Mark says.

Their spirits are sold as house pours at several establishments, such as Auckland’s Little Jimmy restaurant and the Lumsden Freehouse.

Now, they are working on a new slick-looking bottle to market the product in South

East Asia. Samples have gone down well in Malaysia and Singapore.

Mark speaks Indonesian and has experience in marketing and sales. He was the New Zealand representative for Japanese bathroom brand, Toto.

Although the idea of moonshine isn’t as well received in Asia, Mark believes he can market it as a premium product, especially the whiskey infused with Waitemata honey.

Mark says anyone can have a go at distilling, since New Zealand is one of the few places it is perfectly legal to do so.

“You can do it for anything from $100 if you’re on a tight budget. You can buy premade kits, or just some buckets and hose.”