Tī Kōuka Forest Gin — New Zealand in a Glass Some gins taste like somewhere. This one tastes like here. I came across Sandymount Distillery's Tī Kōuka Forest Gin and was immediately drawn in — a gin built entirely around New Zealand's native bush. Kawakawa, horopito, mānuka, harakeke seed, tarata, and tī kōuka bark. Not a botanical list so much as a walk through the Waitākere Ranges. At 42% ABV it's approachable without being timid, and the profile is unlike anything you'd find in a London dry. This is unmistakably, unapologetically Aotearoa. On the nose it's sweet, mossy, and fragrant — freshly cut grass and a hint of apple on a still morning. The palate opens up with confident aniseed and smoky mānuka, before horopito brings that signature gentle pepper warmth that creeps in and settles rather than bites. The finish is long, herbal, and surprisingly buttery. As I said when I first tried it: drinking this is like walking through native New Zealand bush and somehow tasting the forest at the same time. My 3-in-1 method: Straight — nose the forest, let that mānuka smoke and aniseed settle on the palate On ice — the horopito pepper softens beautifully, the buttery finish lingers longer With tonic — East Imperial is my go-to; let the native botanicals do the talking Sustainably made, thoughtfully crafted, and deeply rooted in this land. Tī Kōuka Forest Gin is a gin I'd hand to anyone who thinks they don't like gin — and watch them change their mind. New Zealand craft distilling with its boots firmly in the forest. Stunning.