Award-winning gin, artisan distilled in Whanganui
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Mountains to Sea Gin 700ml
Regular price $89.00 NZDRegular priceUnit price per -
Orchard Gin 700ml
Regular price $89.00 NZDRegular priceUnit price per -
Potager Gin 700ml
Regular price $89.00 NZDRegular priceUnit price per -
Whanganui Dry Gin 700ml
Regular price $89.00 NZDRegular priceUnit price per
Awards & Medals
Papaiti Gin Distillery
Our distillery is located in the small rural village of Upokongaro. Just a few kilometres north of Whanganui, Upokongaro sits opposite our Papaiti home and orchard, on the banks of the Whanganui river - Te Awa Tupua. It's easy to visit whether you are travelling by foot, bike, car or historic riverboat.
We are passionate about our hands-on, artisan approach to crafting gin and it is here in the distillery where all the magic happens.
Everything from mixing botanicals, distillation, bottling and distribution happens in this small but functional space.
Our cellar door is open for retail business and we do love welcoming visitors and telling our story. So if you're around, make sure to drop in.
Botanicals
Gin is incredibly creative. As long as juniper is the dominant botanical, you can pair it with just about anything. The real art to crafting gin is getting the mix of botanicals just right and it is the balance of botanicals that gives every gin its own unique flavour signature.
Whilst some botanicals, like juniper, just aren’t readily available in New Zealand, we're trying to use as many locally sourced botanicals as we can. Right now there’s a little bit of our home that goes into every bottle of gin that we produce, and we envisage that within 12-months all of our citrus and native botanicals will be able to be sourced from within the Whanganui region.
Mountains to Sea
The distillery sits right on the Mountains to Sea - Ngā Ara Tūhono cycle trail. It comes right through our car park!
We welcome every cyclist riding the trail (as well as those just doing shorter trips out from town) and of course the Te Araroa hikers walking past, too. We are right behind supporting the ever-expanding trail network in and around Whanganui.
If you've run out of water, come see us for a refill. If you’re having a bit of a mechanical we’ve got a few basic tools that might be able to help you out. Or if you’re just passing by and want to stop by for a chat, or to check us out, then come on in.
Generally, if the lights are on, someone is in and would be more than happy to chat or or help you out.
Gin Tales
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Blue Mermaid Cocktail Recipe
Serve When You’re watching the tide go out.You’ve got stories to tell, or someone to tell them to.Or you just want to feel like you’re somewhere far away.
Blue Mermaid Cocktail Recipe
Serve When You’re watching the tide go out.You’ve got stories to tell, or someone to tell them to.Or you just want to feel like you’re somewhere far away.
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How to make an English Garden Gin Cocktail
Serve when: You're barefoot on the lawn.There's no rush to be anywhere.You want to remember what slow feels like.
How to make an English Garden Gin Cocktail
Serve when: You're barefoot on the lawn.There's no rush to be anywhere.You want to remember what slow feels like.
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Pear Smash – A Quiet Afternoon Remembered
Serve When You’re unwinding in the late afternoon light.You want something simple and still a little special.You’re telling a story that doesn’t need to be rushed.
Pear Smash – A Quiet Afternoon Remembered
Serve When You’re unwinding in the late afternoon light.You want something simple and still a little special.You’re telling a story that doesn’t need to be rushed.
Let customers speak for us
Really enjoyed this class. Adrian was very informative and open in answering our questions. Recommend for a interesting afternoon.
Brought my mother, who is visiting from overseas, and had an amazing time. The gin tasting was great, and I loved the way Nikki took us through the stories behind the flavours of all the gins. Then we got to pick our own flavours, which was a blast. Again, Nikki was great - encouraging us to experiment but also providing guidance about what would go together and amount. The whole process was fun and fascinating and love that we each left with a special bottle of gin. Highly recommend!
Totally unsure what to expect, we were absolutely thrilled with our gin-making session.
From start to finish it was “our” gin that we were making and the bonus was that we absolutely love the finished article.
A group of 3, one Brit, two Americans! We had the best night in Whanganui, Nikki made us feel very welcome, explained everything in an interesting yet fun way!
We had no idea what to expect luckily Adrian was very knowledgeable and he made the whole experience interesting,hands on and fun. From our gin tasting on arrival to choosing our botanicals then onto the process of distilling we felt very included. We would recommend to anyone who has the chance to go. We came away more knowledgeable about the whole gin making process also clutching 2 bottles of gin made from our own botanicals.
Thankyou Adrian.
I love this with chilled water and a slice of lemon. Subtle flavours that suit when a scorching hot day is behind me and I need a 'sit and decompress' moment.
Nice product, presentation and service, from an old school colleague
I can't believe how smooth this gin is. That Double-Gold is well deserved, to me this is one of the best gins in the country.
This gin is so good I bought a bottle for my sister (a consummate gin lover) to try for Christmas. She loved it, I love it, we all love it. Such a clean tasting gin that with just a drop of nice water (not limey tap water), this is drinkable and smooth...add some mint and it really pops.
I love Papaiti Gin, they are one of my favourites!
What an excellent experience!
I booked this for my wife's birthday and it was perfect.
It was great to be just us and Adrian in a relaxed environment, talking Gin, learning about the botanicals and the process.
We love the Gin we created on the day too.
Highly recommend for anyone with even a slight interest in Gin or the distilling process.
Smooth flavor with a hint of salt. My favorite gin yet!
Was told about this amazing gin. Purchased extra for Christmas gifts and all delighted. Thank you . Everything about this gin is top quality
The imaginative, festive bottle promised much… and delivered more! I hope this limited release might become an annual Christmas treat. We drank it with Bundaberg Christmas Ginger Beer (match made in heaven!) and as a twist on our standard G&T. Very, very good!!
very smooth with good, simple flavor notes, nothing fancy (although there's nothing bad with that) and goes with everything at a very reasonable price. Plus goes towards a very good cause, def be buying more before it goes.
