A slice of history.

Our story starts with co-founder Kate. Rambling through thick bush several years ago, she came across some kauri gum which she carefully wrapped and took home, a concept taking shape in her mind. Inspired to learn more about the towering natives, Kate began researching the history and lore of New Zealand kauri. Particularly fascinating were the stories of the many Dalmation gumdiggers who left their homeland in search of the ’new gold,’ travelling across the world to work in the swamps of Northland, in really tough, damp conditions. We can only guess at the ignis fatuus encountered – or imagined – as they toiled.

Kauri (agathis Australis) is one of the largest and most ancient trees in the world, living for 2000 years or more. Māori called kauri gum kāpia, chewing it like gum, using it to start fires and mixing the soot with fat to use in moko.

Hopeful prospectors would use a spear to find kauri gum – these golden orbs, left in the soil and swamps of Northland by giant kauri over thousands of years. Evenings were spent cleaning the gum, before selling to storekeepers or gum merchants to be made into varnish. From 1850-1900, kauri gum was Auckland’s main export.

By the 1890s, it was getting harder to find gum in the ground and prospectors turned to rash means to acquire it, sometimes cutting trees to make them bleed. With prices dropping, by the 1940s the gum industry was coming to an end.

With Aotearoa’s kauri forest now largely cleared for farming, sadly less than one percent remains and even that is under threat of kauri dieback disease. Spread by tiny soil-borne spores that attack the roots and trunk, the damaged tissue can no longer carry water and nutrients to the canopy. Thousands of trees have been lost.

For more information on the state of our Kauri forests and how to take care of them, please visit the Kauri Protection website.

Making I.F.

The base

Our gumdigging forebears - many of whom came to New Zealand from Dalmatia - went on to establish some of the first wineries, west of Auckland.

So to develop I.F., we sought an organic sauvignon blanc from which to create the base. Babich embodies the story well - a family-owned winery whose founders had dug for gum before turning their hand to wine. True pioneers.

The base spirit was created by distilling organic Sauvignon Blanc wine. From a starting point of 13% alcohol, we concentrated and purified through distillation to reach a final alcohol of 92%. Compared to neutral spirit which must be ~96%, this base retained characters typical of Sauvignon Blanc with notes of quince, Turkish Delight, citrus and rose.

Wine based spirits are normally used to produce brandy, Armagnac and Cognac. Young wine is distilled to between 70-80% alcohol and left to age in oak barrels for a number of years. Turning this around, the base wine was aged prior to distillation. Once distilled the resulting high purity base enabled us to make the gin without the requirement of long ageing to soften and refine it. This allows I.F. to be enjoyed straight away or cellared for many years to come. A small amount of time with French oak has given I.F. its golden hue, subtle toasted notes and ability to age gracefully. Symbolically it is the alchemical marriage of the great Māori and Celtic cultures - the mighty kauri tree and the venerable oak.

Botanicals

We soaked our selection of botanicals in our base, redistilling it to produce I.F.

There are 10 botanicals in total: juniper, the quintessential gin ingredient, and black cardamom to convey the smell of peat fires. Kauri gum gives lifted citrus, resin and sandalwood notes. Quince and citrus echo the flavours of the base alcohol and kawakawa fruit - pungent and slightly medicinal. These combine to evoke the aromas of our native New Zealand bush.

The Gum

The gum used in I.F. is both fresh foraged gum alongside gum that is thousands of years old, kindly provided by the Kauri Museum in Matakohe. The gum was ground by Kate and David’s son (who promptly grew 2cm in a month). An intriguing phenomenon occurred during distillation when the gum reformed into lumps - small golden nuggets resembling coral. We feel that while the ‘corpus’ is left behind, the spirit of the gum is transferred into the gin and that those who enjoy it are imbued with the energy of these majestic, ancient trees.

We imagined I.F. as a premium sipping gin paying homage to some of New Zealand’s hardiest pioneers. Imbibe the essence of native trees which lived thousands of years ago.

Sip slowly.