A Bay of Plenty distillery using ethanol distilled from New Zealand’s grass-fed dairy industry has won a gold medal and 99 points at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London. George White, co-founder of Clarity Distilling Company, says the whey base, a byproduct of the dairy industry, is the point of difference the company built its brand around.

“A lot of people actually don’t disclose the base of their spirits. We specifically wanted that as our marketing point,” he says.

The whey delivers a texture that grain and sugar cannot, co-founder Stephanie Downer says.

“It has a very silky, smooth mouth feel.”

Downer says the company’s Navy gin, a 57.5% spirit that has won international awards, is judged neat.

“It’s incredibly smooth across your palate, so it doesn’t feel like you’re drinking such a high ABV spirit.”

White says the sustainability story carries weight offshore.

“We are using a byproduct of a byproduct, which for us was a sustainable part of it.”

They say the India Free Trade Agreement is opening channels that were closed for years.

“This free trade agreement for us has opened it up, and people start asking questions about, well, why can’t we access New Zealand?”

A Chinese importer called overnight, and samples were sent this morning.

White says demand is strongest among younger drinkers in China and India, markets forecast to lead global spirits growth over the next five years.

“People drink less, people drink smarter, but people drink quality.”

CountryWide CONNECT with Andy Thompson & Sarah Perriam-Lampp is our daily rural show livestreamed from 11am-1pm. Visit country-wide.co.nz on how to watch/listen or download the CountryWide CONNECT mobile app, available on Apple iOS and Android.