In this feature, you can discover everything you need to know about The National Distillery Company and the fantastic craft gin they created just for Craft Gin Club members, NDC Heritage Gin - Craft Gin Club’s April 2023 Gin of the Month!

Including a look at how NDC Heritage Gin is made, the perfect serving suggestions for NDC Heritage Gin and lots of information on other The National Distillery Company gins, this is the one-stop place to find out everything you need to know about one of New Zealand’s best gin distilleries.

Take a look…

NDC Heritage Gin

Distilled in New Zealand

40% ABV

How is NDC Heritage Gin made?

NDC Heritage Gin is made by The National Distillery Company (NDC), which was founded by friends Ricardo Reis and Blair Nicholl.

Inspired by the Art Deco architecture of Napier and their distillery, a building that was once The National Tobacco Building, Ricardo and Blair developed this uniquely Kiwi gin to celebrate New Zealand’s tradition of welcoming modernism while honouring the majesty of the natural world and its incredible larder.

They chose local ingredients like New Zealand coriander, which has a vibrant flavour unlike anything else, and Meyer lemons, which are a hybrid breed of citrus fruit that falls somewhere between a lemon and a mandarine in flavour. Both are perfectly balanced with more traditional London dry botanicals like juniper and cassia bark.

The full NDC Heritage Gin botanical list: juniper, hand-peeled Meyer lemon, New Zealand coriander seed, angelica root, orris root, liquorice root, cardamom and cassia bark.

Those carefully chosen botanicals are then distilled together with a base spirit made from whey (a byproduct of turning milk into cheese), which was chosen as a way to pay homage to New Zealand’s booming dairy industry.

The resulting liquid is a zesty, vibrant London dry gin with an incredible New Zealand flavour profile.

Ricardo, Blair and their team then bottle the gin in a beautiful bottle and adorn it with an Art Deco label to complete the process.

Where is The National Distillery Company based?

The National Distillery Company is based in Napier, on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island.

What does NDC Heritage Gin taste like?

On the nose, piney notes of juniper are enhanced by a fresh pop of citrus from the hand-peeled Meyer lemon and coriander seed. This carries onto the palate, complemented by the sweetness of liquorice, with cassia and cardamom coming through mid-palate. A lemony, spiced note lingers long on the finish.

How do you serve NDC Heritage Gin?

Our favourite simple serve suggestion for NDC Heritage Gin is to mix it with Hartridges Indian Tonic Water and garnish with orange and allspice. Find the perfect NDC Heritage Gin and tonic recipe at this link!

NDC Heritage Gin is also fantastic in cocktails like Craft Gin Club’s Kiwi Cooler. Mixing NDC Heritage Gin with Marlish Sparkling Raspberry Spring Water and Kiwi Cooler Cocktail Syrup, it makes for a bright, refreshing cocktail that’s fruity, bubbly and vibrant in all of the right places. Find the full NDC Heritage Gin cocktail recipe here!

What other gins does The National Distillery Company make?

NDC Verdigris Gin

A fine mix of piney juniper and bright citrus tones balanced with New Zealand flaxseed to give it a rich and deliciously moreish base, this unique craft gin won Gold at The Gin Guide Awards 2020 in the “Contemporary Gin (Over 42%)” category. No gin collection would be complete without this award-winning tipple.

NDC New Zealand Dry Gin - 44% ABV

A London dry gin like no other, this fabulous tipple is juniper forward, with hints of Hawks Bay lemon, coriander and New Zealand Orris Root. Made with three times the average amount of botanicals it’s bursting with flavour and oh-so-quaffable.

NDC NZ Native Gin - 44% ABV

This unique award-winning tipple is distilled using botanicals native to New Zealand, like peppery kawakawa and sweet karamu, to make it a truly special craft gin. It is not to be missed!

NDC Old Navy Gin - 58% ABV

The National Distillery Company’s Navy strength edition, this stunning and heady craft gin is citrusy and juniper-forward and full of delicious complexity. It’s a must-try for any gin fan!

Where can you buy The National Distillery Gin?

The National Distillery Company gins are available to buy in the UK on the Craft Gin Club website. Internationally, The National Distillery Company gins are available to buy on The National Distillery Gin website here.

NDC Heritage Gin, from The National Distillery Company, is also available to buy as part of Craft Gin Club’s April 2023 Gin of the Month box.