More Good Drinks

Another episode in our series on winemakers who move into whisky: Sarah Elsom began what would become her whisky career, harvest hopping her way through vineyards of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grape. Perhaps it’s no surprise that the use of pinot noir and chardonnay casks have become an increasingly important part of Cardrona Distillery’s maturation and profile story. From a two cask experiment tuc...

Alcohol regulation is on the ballot - whether you realise it or not. Sam MacKinnon is one of my favourite people to talk to about the nitty-gritty of hospitality regulation, partly because he’s patient enough to explain how the pieces of the chain fit together, and partly because he never pretends the answer is simpler than it is. He’s General Manager of Public Affairs and Engagement at Hospitalit...

Look, there’s no two ways about it, the Negroni can be divisive. It’s blistering simple but paradoxically complex. It still has an air of “my friends told me this was cool” about it, when you see someone ordering for the first time. So talking with Kira Mance Freire about serving a few dozen Negronis a night, the magical Negroni menu, the reactions and joy of the dining abuzz with Italian love let...

About a year ago, I’d just finished up at a pretty serious whisky operation in Central Otago. But head out to the coast, you’ll find Victorian Oamaru and a pile of NZ whisky history, myth and legends. I’ll let you decide which is which. I just about fell over backwards to taste some remarkable liquid straight from the barrel, in a bondstore which has previously struggled to find it’s way, despite...

I sit down with Alex Hudson of WonderHorse and Neat (ad so many more) to trace a career built on service, discovery, and a distinctly Hamilton point of view. Alex’s style of service is bold, well-intentioned and he almost always has something to try for the first time. Perhaps it’s his own continual exploration of flavour. But he wants you to keep exploring and to drink better, including with bett...

Do you have one of the greatest jobs in whisky? This new series on the podcast will feature every few weeks, exploring some of the incredible people and unexpected jobs in the diverse whisky industry. And we start with Seamus Carroll runs the world’s biggest whisky club from a desk in Tasmania with a real flex of a cask sample collection behind him. Six years in as GM of The Whisky Club, I intervi...

I sat down with Vince Schiller for a thoughtful conversation about hospitality, creativity, and the power of community. Sure, Vince’s background in music and a life shaped by creative curiosity might have you believing you’ve got to be born ‘creative’ but we unpack how play is essential, everyone can practice creativity and the benefits for guests and industry. If you care about hospitality, commu...

Is this just a marketing gimmick? Absolutely not. When two Americans wandered into the Pōkeno distillery on their way back from Hobbiton and asked whether Matt Johns wanted to bottle a whisky in Middle-earth, he assumed they weren’t serious. But they absolutely were: a US creative agency holding the world’s only spirits licence for the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films — a licence so tightly held...

It's been over thirty years since Bill Lark talked Canberra into overturning a distilling ban that had stood since the 1830s, and in that time Tasmanian whisky has gone from legal curiosity to the closest thing Australasia has to a regional appellation. And there's a tight knit community of distillers who have built a whisky destination and profile to envy. Robbie Gilligan of Derwent Distillery jo...

The thing about Robbie Gilligan, is that it’s never just a quick chat. So over a dram of his outstanding Botrytis Cask, we unpack his proper origin story: a chance meeting on the Gold Coast, a Burns Night haggis in Hobart, and a walk-up introduction to Bill Lark that ended with a job offer. From there, the conversation moves through Robbie’s apprenticeship at Lark, the grain-to-glass years at Redl...

You need to know that in a time of calamitous headlines, it’s important to celebrate the milestones. And Hawthorn Lounge is just that. Originally meant to be a slow-burner of a pop-up (let’s build it for a few years, sell it and buy a house) it’s a Wellington institution that defies the rules of evolution by remaining exactly the same but always relevant. This month celebrates 20 years since Hawth...

The Great New Zealand Toastie Takeove r is back for its ninth year, and from 24 June until 5 August, 200-odd venues from Paihia to Dunedin will be arguing their case for the country’s best toasted sandwich. There’s whitebait in there this year. Veal. Prawns. Raclette. Somebody has gone paneer. It is, as always, an exercise in seeing how far a grilled cheese can be pushed before it stops being a gr...

There’s something uniquely special about learning what shapes the people who shape some of our most memorable moments. Hospitality is all about helping people to make connections, but sometimes the most interesting person in the room is not the loudest. Ryan Oliver is warm, gentle, and often finds himself a watcher before he’s a participant. This episode goes behind that reserve: an OE that starte...

Fizzy For Good Sh*t Tash sits down with Becs Caughey — the brand mind behind Cook and Nelson, importer/distributor of some genuinely excellent global products, and founder of Good Sh t Soda — to mark the launch of their new Apple flavour. Becs unpacks how Good Sh t became the world’s first pre- and probiotic soda, why fibre deserves “its full belt-singing moment,” and what four years of working wi...

Tash speaks with Mark Teague about the evolution of Tasmanian whisky, the stories behind its growth, and why Tasmania’s distilling scene has become such a compelling global reference point. Mark shares how a lifelong connection to Tasmania and a deep love of whisky led him into event organising, whisky advocacy, and a central role in Tasmanian whisky culture. The conversation explores the true his...

Wellington hospitality has a few genuine institutions left. Dee’s Place — basement bar, no signage, twelve seats at the bar, juicer running — is becoming one of them. This week Tash sits down with Devan Nesbitt, bar manager and day-one crew at Dee’s, to talk about how you build a bar that people actually want to drink in, when you’re the customer. Devan’s path runs through Matterhorn and Hawthorne...

Adam Chapman of Sunshine & Sons in Australia, joins the More Good Drinks Podcast to dive into his unique approach to rum distillation, safety, and education. With over 30 years in winemaking and a passion for teaching, Adam shares profound insights into spirit craftsmanship, sensory evaluation, and industry challenges. Why Adam? Well - he has a unique ability to call a spade a spade, and an unerri...

Rethinking Innovation and Authenticity in the Drinks Industry with Mikey Ball Dive into a compelling conversation with Mikey Ball, a product development expert at Woodward Street Distillery, as we explore what genuine innovation really means in the drinks industry. Discover how ancient techniques, authenticity, and storytelling shape truly original products, and learn practical insights on navigat...

Join me as Alice Newport, ambassador for James B. Beam Distilling and advocate for community and education within the spirits industry, shares her insights on evolving advocacy roles, building authentic communities, and balancing health with a demanding travel schedule. In this episode: * Evolution of advocacy and community engagement in the spirits industry over the past decade * The importance o...

It’s time to lock in some key dates for cocktail lovers and spirits producers alike. But first the big news: lots of award wins in for NZ distillers like Clarity, Awildian, Roots, Sandymount, Cardrona and Pōkeno… but right at a time when the fragile homegrown distilling industry is in more flux than ever before. Tune in to celebrate our smash hit Kiwi success stories before the NZ awards season ki...

Twelve years in the middle of nowhere: Ardnamurchan Distillery sits on the farthest West Coast of Scotland, where everything has to be thought through with exacting detail. Connal Mackenzie has been Sales Director at Ardnamurchan and Adelphi for eight years. He was in the warehouse the fortnight they didn’t see daylight, picking the casks that became the inaugural single malt. He came through Chri...

Nick Ravenhall doesn’t think he’s a New Zealand whisky maker. He’ll tell you that himself, in the same breath he uses to name-check Mat or Rach Thomson, Mark and Ro on Waiheke, and a list of others he’s careful not to leave out. But he is one of three ‘washed-up bartenders’ collecting awards and redefining the playing field in New World whisky. Woven Whisky landed back in New Zealand last month —...

Cory Evans is a really nice guy. Or he might just be Canadian. I invited Cory to get tiger-onesie comfy so we could unpack a few layers about what one of the stalwarts of New Regent St is like off shift and outside the bar. We learn about the trade he took up when he thought he was done with hospo, why he came and what he loves about Christchurch hospitality specifically. Along the way, maybe Cory...

Have you sat beside Cal Ross on the couch at Panacea? This time we turn the tables and get cosy unpacking the tension, struggle, triumph and the bonds as tight as family and tighter that accompanied every step of his journey to success this year. From defeat and nearly giving up to now being a double champion of Del Maguey and Scapegrace Uncharted - you won’t help but fall a little bit in love wit...

Want to know what’s like to get an email saying - well done, you came 51st in the world but it wasn’t quite enough? PJ opens up about a recent cocktail competition experience and we break down the lessons we’ve both learned about losing well. The TLDR: Meet the brief, champion the spirit, compete together not against each other and .. the power of the Edit. I hope you’ll love this chat and feel in...