Hokonui moonshine still makes public debut

In days gone by, the location of Southland’s moonshine stills was a secret distillers would take to their graves.

Fast forward 150 years, and this week the Hokonui Heritage Centre Trust unveils its fully operational distillery wing, bringing the once secretive art of making moonshine into public view.

This week, the Trust hosted a St Andrews Day event combining a book and CD launch, a fundraising auction and a ‘first peek’ at the Hokonui Moonshine Museum’s new distillery wing.

The distillery wing is part of stage one of the Maruawai Cultural Precinct project. The first stage also includes a refresh of the moonshine museum.

Gore District Arts and Heritage Curator Jim Geddes said the Trust was delighted that after several years of off-site contract production of ‘Old Hokonui’, it was now in a position to produce Southland’s celebrated spirit on-site and in full view of the public.

“A fully operational distillery wing had been a project aspiration since the early 1990s, but licensing, availability of distilling technology suitable for a public space, and project capital had always proved elusive.”

The distillery wing is fully glazed on the inside so that visitors will see the process in action. Visitors can buy the spirit from the Gore Visitor Centre, which is front-of-house for the moonshine museum.

In keeping with the theme of the wider precinct, the still itself is very much a work of art, Mr Geddes said.

Designed by contract distiller Steve Nally of Invercargill, the still has been fabricated by Rivet of New Plymouth, a company made famous by its work on Taranaki’s Len Lye Centre. The still also utilizes fittings crafted by Southland glass artist Phil Newbury and features a complex computerized operations system, which digitally introduces viewers to the various phases of the distillation cycle.

As for the finished product, Mr Geddes said the museum was fortunate to have a recipe handed down from a McRae family member.

“Over the years, our contract distiller has worked with and refined aspects of the original McRae process. The new distillery will continue this process, utilizing Southland ingredients.

“Locally grown barley will be processed and put through the still with spring water sourced from the Hokonui Hills. Other local flavouring agents, including honey and native flora, will give the resulting spirit a unique taste.”

Interesting, the local barely is a variety called ‘Laureate’, which has led to a unique partnership between the Trust, the Eastern Southland Gallery, New Zealand Poet Laureates, and Arts Foundation of New Zealand Visual Art Laureates.

Prominent artists and writers will be hosted at the East Gore Art Centre (the Gallery’s print studio) to design, print, compose, and hand-edition labels, packaging, and point-of-sale material for themed spirit runs.

Wellington-based poet Jenny Bornholdt and artist Gregory O’Brien are the first laureates to be engaged.

Mr Geddes said Tuesday’s function was an opportunity to acknowledge the funding agencies that enabled the Trust’s aspirations to become a reality.

Special guests include the Minister for Regional Development Hon Stuart Nash, who will represent the main funders of the distillery, Kanoa – Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit, along with Hon Rino Tirikatene, the MP for Te Tai Tonga.

Representatives of Ministry for Business Innovation & Employment, local funding partners, Runanga and project donors were also invited. The great-grandson of Hokonui matriarch Mary McRae will be at the function, as will author Bill Stuart, who will launch the reprint of the 1982 McRae history The Satyrs of Southland.

“We also made a limited number of tickets available for interested members of the public.”

Mr Geddes said there was a sense of satisfaction at reaching this milestone.

However, it was tempered with a degree of frustration that Covid-related cost escalations for the wider building project had significantly eaten into the moonshine museum’s display and fit-out budget.

“While we are thrilled to see the distillery wing complete, the Trust is conscious more fundraising is required to complete the full visitor experience, both inside and outside the museum.

“Consequently, an official opening for the whole facility is a little way off,” he said.