New look distills sustainable ethos

You may have noticed that the Dancing Sands Distillery and tasting room (located in Commercial Street) is now boasting a new look – driven by founders Sarah and Ben Bonoma’s desire to “put sustainability at the forefront”.

Since early March, the five one-of-a-kind flavours are now released in new look recycled glass bottles made in Auckland, New Zealand. The distillery is the first in the country to move their bottle production to New Zealand on a commercial scale. Marketing manager Erin Parry tells The GB Weekly that “moving our bottle production from Europe back to New Zealand will remove 15,000 kg of carbon emissions from our production cycle every year”.

Dancing Sands were motivated to reduce their carbon emissions when they started exporting to the United Kingdom. The fact that they were importing bottles from Europe, filling them in Golden Bay and then sending them right back to where they came from did not sit well with them, and led to Sarah contacting New Zealand’s only glass bottle manufacturer. This began an 18-month process to design and produce a custom glass bottle.

It hasn’t always been an easy path to take, says Sarah. “We knew that moving bottle production to New Zealand and using recycled glass was the right thing to do, but it has been a long road to bring our goal to fruition with many hurdles along the way. To be honest, it would have been easier to go offshore for bottle production, but we knew that we had to stay the course and make it happen.”

Sarah says, “We knew Golden Bay was a bit of a tricky location when we established the distillery in 2016, but that its remoteness is what gives way for pristine natural beauty that continually provides inspiration for our innovative flavours.” With that in mind, the brand is leading the way with cleaner, greener raw materials and manufacturing processes, helping to keep New Zealand’s treasured, natural spaces as pristine as possible for future generations of Kiwis to enjoy and draw inspiration from. books, iPhone/iPad Apps and much more on our store.

The look and feel may have changed, but the core products remain untouched. So far, the feedback has been “extremely positive”, says distillery manager Dave Pedersen.

Locals and visitors to the Bay can enjoy a free tasting of Dry Gin, Sauvignon Blanc Gin, Sun-Kissed Gin, Barrel-Aged Gin, and Wasabi Gin at the cellar door Monday–Saturday, 10am to 4pm. If you are a local, don’t forget to ask for the “locals” discount.

AGM NOTICES

KOTINGA Hall AGM, Wednesday 12 April at the hall, 6.30pm. Please come and support your local facility.

GB Animal Welfare Society Inc (ex-SPCA). Ph Carol Wells 525 9494, 8am-5pm weekdays.

ALCOHOLICS Anonymous, open meeting, all welcome. Thursdays 7pm, 94 Commercial Street. Hall behind the Catholic Church. Ph 0800 229 6757.