Famed for falling from trees, having imbibed too much fermented fruit, the loveable kererū is undoubtedly New Zealand’s original drunk. Our human history of alcohol, however, is a relatively brief one.
Named waipiro (stinking water) by Māori, alcohol was introduced to New Zealand society by early European settlers.
Captain Cook is believed to be the nation’s first beer brewer, concocting a batch of booze on Resolution Island in Dusky Sound in 1773 to fend off scurvy. The brew, made using rimu branches, leaves, and molasses, was described as “very palatable” by some of Cook’s crew, with many able to “drink plentifully of it” (a far cry from the reviews of Lion Brewery’s attempted recreation around 200 years later, which ranged from “awful” to “revolting”). London-born Jewish trader Joel Polack was to establish the nation’s first brewery, in Kororāreka, in 1835.
However, according to Te Ara, early pioneers preferred spirits and fortified wines over beer, partly because of their potency, partly because of practicality for “beer was bulky and did not travel well”. Until well into the second half of the 19th century, consumption of wine and spirits was up to four times that of the UK, while beer accounted for less than half in comparison.
With many Scots arriving in Otago in the 1830s, a whisky distilling industry soon flourished, particularly in Dunedin, Oamaru, and Gore. Whalers and sealers notoriously had their own liquor stills too, but these were outlawed in the early 1840s, and over the following decades, a popular prohibition movement led to various legislative restrictions effectively closing down the spirits industry – and it didn’t really recover until well into the 20th century.
Under the stewardship of Aotearoa’s first modern distiller, Robert Logan, Dunedin’s Wilson’s Malt (also known as Willowbank and Lammerlaw) is credited with breathing new life into our whisky industry – though the resurgence was brief, and the distillery closed in 1997. Its stills were sent to Fiji to make rum, and in 2010, its remaining stock – around 500 barrels that had been kept in storage in an old aeroplane hangar – was bought by the Oamaru-based New Zealand Whisky Collection, who later began distilling their own, based on the original recipes. Now, a new distilling renaissance is taking root across the land – which also serves as an inspiration to it.
The diversity of whisky, says NZ Whisky Collection head distiller and general manager, Michael Byars, is vaster than most realise: “There are so many processes before bottling. Time is the biggest factor. As an ex-winemaker, it’s very similar to producing your top-end single vineyards continuously, 12 months of the year. Smelling and tasting through the entire process is imperative.”
Contrary to popular belief, whisky need not be at least five years old to be any good either.
“Every country and every region within the country has its own unique weather, and, as the wine industry calls it, ‘terroir’,” continues Michael. “New Zealand has a much warmer and humid climate than Scotland, for example, and can produce whiskies in half the time. We are also not bound by a ‘whisky law’, so have open hands to experiment to produce whiskies with exceptional character.”
“The climate of the subtropical North Island in particular has a massive impact on the maturation of our whiskies,” Matt John, founder of Pōkeno Whisky, tells Verve. “The angels are greedy here, and we can have evaporation rates up to 9% per year. This means that our single malts reach maturity early. The growing conditions and terroir for our barley also impact the profile, giving our whiskies an incredible sweetness.”
Contrary to popular belief, whisky need not be at least five years old to be any good either.
Boozy Benefits
Watching your weight? Clearer spirits like vodka, gin, and tequila are generally lower in calories – just be sure to mix them with a no-sugar mixer, or soda water.
Similarly, lighter beers tend to be kinder on the waistline than, say stout.
Dieting wine drinkers should swap their reds for dry whites.
Red wine, however, is generally richer in antioxidants, such as resveratrol, which may have heart protecting properties (when consumed in moderation – as with the rest of this list!).
Whisky contains just as many antioxidants as wine, as well as polyphenols which can decrease bad cholesterol, and increase the good.
Beer also contains a surprising amount of nutrients, including B vitamins, magnesium, potassium, and antioxidants.
Ancient Alcohol
- Our human ancestors might have begun consuming alcohol 10 million years ago – long before we learned how to brew – as a means of using up rotting, fermented fruit.
- Inconclusive cave art hints at humans imbibing alcohol around 30,000 BCE.
- Pottery was invented in China at least 15,000 years ago enabling any intentionally fermented drinks to be made and stored.
- Twelve-thousand-year-old grape seeds in a Greek cave could be attributed to wine consumption.
- Archaeological evidence suggests that fermented beverages made from fruits, grains, and honey were consumed as early as 7,000 BCE, enjoyed by civilisations such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, and China.
- Grape pips, skins and double-handle cups are the earliest concrete evidence of wine production in Greece in 4,000 BCE.
- By the 9th century BCE, beer was being brewed throughout South America.
- The following century, Homer writes about wine in The Iliad and The Odyssey. Around this time, wine is also being produced in Italy.
- The Greeks bring wine to France, via Marseilles, in 600 BCE.
- Around 500 BCE, beer and mead is being enjoyed throughout what is now Germany.
- By the 1st century BCE, thanks to the Roman empire, wine production and trade has taken root throughout the Mediterranean.
