Medal for Karori’s Chemistry Gin

A Karori gin that supports women in science has won a silver medal at the prestigious International Wine and Spirits Competition in London.

With a score of 92 out of a possible 100 points, Chemistry Gin was among the top-scoring New Zealand gins.

Founded by two women including a scientist, Karori Drinks Company launched Chemistry Gin just six months ago.

Chemistry’s 2023 IWSC Silver joins its Gold from the Women’s Wine and Spirit Awards, awarded in November 2022, also in London.

“We’re absolutely delighted that our gin has scored among the best in New Zealand – and the world – at what is widely considered the most prestigious spirits competition,” Chemistry Gin co-founder Marie van Drimmelen says.

“Six gins were awarded a Gold Outstanding medal this year, as well as 42 gins receiving a Gold medal, 251 receiving a Silver and 489 a Bronze medal,” the IWSC noted.

With a score of 92 Chemistry Gin was among the world’s top 45 London Dry gins in this year’s competition.

Dr van Drimmelen, a medical biochemist, is the “chemist” in Chemistry Gin.

In the wake of the 2020 lockdown, she turned her love of flavours as a talented home chef and instructor in the Wellington Community Education Centre, to creating a London Dry Gin.

Two years later, Chemistry Gin was launched.

Co-founder Laura Bruce credits Ben Leggatt at Elemental Distillers for helping them operationalise their innovative recipe, which uses sustainably sourced botanicals.

In July 2022 Ben, together with Soren Crabb of 1919 Distillers, scaled the recipe to its macrodistillation – and now awardwinning recipe.

Chemistry Gin is unusual among New Zealand gins in that it uses a vegan base alcohol, resulting in one of New Zealand’s few vegan gins.

“We had the opportunity to choose a base spirit that wasn’t derived from dairy, which meant our gin would be vegan,” Marie says.

“That was an easy decision, so we’re pleased that Chemistry is also vegan-friendly.”

Chemistry is blazing another trail as the first New Zealand gin bottled in 100% post-consumer glass.

“Sustainability was key for us,” Marie says.

“We chose a beautiful bottle

– but chose it based on its environmental credentials first, and beauty second.

“We also sourced a glass stopper, so that our customers’ Chemistry bottles can be infinitely re-used.”

Sustainability was also key to the recipe development. Marie selected only widely available botanicals that could be sourced sustainably.

This, she says, was to ensure that Chemistry “treaded lightly on the planet”.

Its main botanicals include Sichuan peppercorns, sage and seaweed.

Chemistry Gin’s wins at IWSC and the Women’s Wine and Spirit Awards join numerous medals the gin has won for its branding and package design.

Chemistry’s design team, SingleDouble in Auckland, won Gold at the New Zealand Designers Institute “Best Awards” in October 2022 – only four weeks after the gin’s launch – and a slew of medals have followed.

SingleDouble took a coveted “Black” award at the World Brand Design Society Awards in January, one of only seven packaging designs worldwide to win the accolade.

Chemistry Gin is available online from its website www.chemistrygin.com and at fine retailers in