The Cambridge Distillery Co.

Words by Charlotte Graham

From laundry room experiment to sleek gin distillery, The Cambridge Distillery Co, is now the newest addition to Cambridge’s Alpha Street.

James Coote, a Rowing NZ coach, and Will Rendell, a Westpac banker, are the co-owners of the distillery. The pair met in 2018, having both moved to Cambridge from Auckland. Will explains that, for James the frequent commute down to the Karapiro rowing facilities was not ideal with a young family, while Will and his family “wanted to maximise the New Zealand lifestyle” with somewhere down to earth. James and Will both have young kids. It was during afternoon pickups from daycare that they got to know one another.

During COVID, foodie and wine lover James came up with the idea to distill gin. Will says, “It was a bit of a COVID cliche. I got pretty tired of making sourdough and then James put out that he was going to buy a still and I was in […] I just thought it sounded like a bit of fun.” Neither pictured it being more than a fun pastime.

The first gins were “pretty awful,” admits Will, and they quickly realised that with spirits “you have to show restraint.” The laundry didn’t last long, and they soon upgraded to Will’s garage. In 2022, they started to supply their Knocknaveagh Cambridge Dry gin to Cambridge Fine Wine. Soon after, the search for more space began. They landed upon the Alpha Street store and opened the doors of their tasting room in February 2024.

James and Will juggle full-time jobs and the running of the new business. From paperwork to distilling, bottling and labelling, James and Will do it all. Their hard work is paying off, with their range of gins now in over thirty retail stores and restaurants across New Zealand. Recently, they have also won several awards at the World and Australian Gin Awards, and the New Zealand Spirit Awards.

Enter their distilling room and you will find an array of botanicals, surrounded by various equipment to macerate, distill, age and bottle the gins. Local botanicals are favoured, such as grapefruit from Cambridge’s streets and Douglas Fir collected from lake Te Koo Utu. As Will goes over the process, he details how “the fruit they use has a heavy influence on the flavour outcome of the gin. So, by sourcing locally they are creating a regional gin, using regional flavours.”  As they say, the proof is in the tasting.

Beginning with the Cambridge Dry, Will explains that this is their signature gin. Reminiscent of wandering down Cambridge’s citrus lined streets, this gin is imbued with notes of cardamon and grapefruit. The addition of tonic brings this gin to life as the citrus of the tonic bonds with the edgy grapefruit, bringing out its sweetness and a hint of chamomile.

The Knocknaveagh 1862 is a blend of classic and modern. This gin is born out of an antique chemistry book recipe and has been tinkered with to provide a deeper botanical presence than a traditional subtle gin. The first sip suggests warm evenings, summer salads and friends. If you enjoy gin and tonic, this is your kind of gin. It needs no fancy accompaniments as its notes of cucumber, orange, and lemon myrtle hold their own.

If you love black jellybeans, you will enjoy their Alpha Street gin—the odd ball of their range. Made to recognise the opening of the Alpha Street distillery, this gin hints at winter night cocktails. At the forefront are notes of juniper, star anise, orange and myrrh gum, giving it a richer spice flavour than their other gins.

The Knocknaveagh Black Label London Dry is a classic. Subtle and clean, its main notes are citrus and juniper. This gin has several underlying botanicals, such as lemon, orange, macadamia, thyme, cardamom, lavender, angelica, and coriander. It sounds busy, but each botanical is layered so one never overpowers the other.

James and Will also make Limoncello with the neutral spirit used in their gins. With less sugar than the average Limoncello, the Citron Violin is refreshing rather than sickly with a zesty punch behind it. 

Amid busy schedules, the pair’s passion shines through as “they are doing this because they enjoy distilling and enjoy representing the Cambridge area,” says Will. The plan for the future is to keep producing gins that combine “refinement and boldness […] to create an authentic gin that holds its flavour when mixed in cocktails.”

Their brassy branding is designed by New Zealand rower Jackie Kiddle, who is off to the Olympics later this year with James. The funky drawings capture the essence of the distillery: prominent botanicals and gin with an attitude.

www.thecambridgedistillery.co.nz