Craft Your Signature Gin At Matahui Distillery
Create your perfect gin recipe from 20+ botanicals
+ Tutored tasting of our award-winning spirits & liqueurs
+ Take home your custom creation
Saturdays, Sundays
And selected weekends
Small Groups
Maximum ~12 people
Book 4+ days ahead
Your 2.5 Hour Gin Lab Experience Includes:
Everything you need for an unforgettable gin-making journey, from
botanical discovery to award-winning tastings
Master Your Recipe
• Sample 20+ individual botanicals
• Learn secrets from Master Distillers
• Create YOUR unique recipe
• Many botanicals grown on-site
Award-winning Tasting
• 3 premium gins (including Gold winners)
• 3 artisan liqueurs (Best in NZ!)
• Signature cocktail to finish
• Expert-guided tasting experience
Take Home Your Creation
• Your custom gin bottle (200ml/500ml/700ml)
• Digital recipe saved for reordering
• 10% discount on Cellar Door purchases
• Expert tips for enjoying your gin
Sustainable & Local
• Botanicals from our permaculture garden
• "From source to sip" experience
• Small-batch luxury spirits
• 100% natural ingredients
Your Gin Lab Journey
A hands-on, educational, and delicious 2.5 hour experience
Learn the art of gin-making from our passionate team. Explore our Flavour Library and taste over 20 individual botanicals, many grown right here in our Bay of Plenty permaculture garden. From citrus to kawakawa, discover how each botanical contributes unique flavours to gin.
Now it's your turn! Design your perfect botanical blend. Mix citrus, floral, spicy and unique New Zealand native botanicals. Our expert team guides you through the process, helping you understand how flavours work together and how to craft a gin that's perfectly tailored to YOUR taste.
Your unique gin is blended fresh on-site by our distillers while you relax in our permaculture garden or Cellar Door. Your recipe is saved digitally so you can easily re-order your custom creation any time. Take home your very own gin in your chosen bottle size (200ml, 500ml, or 700ml) ready to enjoy.
The grand finale! Enjoy a guided tasting at our Cellar Door. Sample 3 of our award-winning gins (including our Gold Medal winner) and 3 artisan liqueurs (including the Best Botanical Spirit in New Zealand). Finish with a miniature cocktail. Plus, enjoy 10% off anything you'd like to take home!
What Gin Lovers
Say About Matahui
"A welcoming host and hostess, who knew their business well, and were able to answer any questions comprehensively. Not too crowded, as the Distillery Experience has limited numbers. It certainly pays to book ahead so you don't miss out. The session was well structured and unhurried. It was very interesting to taste the different extracts in order to design your own signature gin. Paul is the magic alchemist who then mixes each individual gin for each participant to take home. We also really enjoyed tasting (and buying!) a selection of liqueurs and cocktails. Plenty of cool water and nibbles are available. What a nice touch to have the sample bottles available to take home for those who were driving."
Previous Guest
"An absolute gem of a place to visit.
Paul is such a wealth of knowledge and Josie did an amazing tasting with us. Don't hesitate about booking the Gin Lab experience, if you love Gin and want to learn more, it's a must-do experience and well worth it.
Thank you guys, we had an amazing time and will be back 🤩"
Lara, Previous Guest
"I got the gin lab experience for my partner as a birthday gift, and we absolutely loved it! Such a unique thing to do. Both our custom gins turned out really great, and they taste notably different from one another with our different recipes. The Matahui team are all very knowledgeable and friendly, and all of their spirits are delicious. We especially loved the lemon verbena gin and grapefruitcello, but you really can't go wrong here!"
Alison, Previous Guest
4.9/5 stars from 200+ Google review
Award-winning Spirits You'll Taste
All crafted right here in our Bay of Plenty micro-distillery
Trophy Winner
Best Botanical Spirit in
New Zealand
Fennel Liqueur
NZ Spirits Awards 2024
Double Gold Medal
Grapefruitcello
NZ Spirits Awards 2024
Gold Medal
Summer Garden Gin
NZ Spirits Awards 2025
Silver Medal
Adventurers Gin
NZ Spirits Awards 2024
Silver Medal
Winter Garden Gin
NZ Spirits Awards 2025
BOOK Your Gin Lab Experience
Select your preferred date and bottle size. Sessions fill fast!
Secure Payment
via Rezdy
Full Refund
up to 14 days before
Small Groups
(max 8~12 people)
Award-Winning
Distillery
Add a Seasonal Platter
Enhance your experience with our delicious seasonal platter featuring the finest New Zealand artisan ingredients and fresh produce from our gin garden. $29pp
Available as an add-on when booking your Matahui Experience
Perfect For...
Date Experiences
A unique, hands-on date
that you'll both remember
Friends Day Out
Create something
together and make
memories
Birthday Celebrations
Make their day extra
special with a custom gin
experience
Hen Parties
Fun, creative, and
everyone gets a custom
bottle!
Team Building
Corporate groups up to
50 (private bookings)
Gift Experiences
Give the gift of gin-making
with our vouchers
Planning a private event for 10-50 people?
Frequently Asked Questions
Every Saturday, Sunday and selected weekdays. You must book at least 4 hours in advance, but we strongly recommend booking earlier as our small group sessions (~10 people) fill up quickly, especially on weekends.
Absolutely not! Our Master Distillers guide you through everything step-by-step. Most of our guests have never made gin before, and that's part of what makes it such a special experience. You'll learn the art from experts who are passionate about sharing their knowledge.
You select your bottle size when booking:
- 200ml (perfect for trying) - $95pp - approximately 7 drinks for two people
- 500ml (our most popular) - $130pp - approximately 17 drinks for two people
- 700ml (best value) - $150pp - approximately 23 drinks for two people
Yes! Your unique recipe is saved digitally, and you can easily reorder it anytime from our website here. Many of our guests love returning to their favourite creation or experimenting with a new recipe on their next visit.
Yes! Every Gin Lab experience includes a comprehensive guided tasting at our Cellar Door. You'll sample 3 of our award-winning premium gins, 3 artisan liqueurs (including the Best Botanical Spirit in New Zealand), and finish with a signature cocktail. Plus, you'll receive 10% off anything you'd like to purchase and take home.
You'll love our Gin Lab! Many guests are surprised by the incredible flavours they can create when they understand botanicals. Plus, you'll also taste our award-winning liqueurs during the Cellar Door experience. The educational aspect means you'll discover flavour combinations you never knew you'd enjoy.
All participants must be 18+ and will be creating and tasting alcoholic products throughout the experience. For guests who are driving, we provide sample bottles to take home so they can enjoy the tasting later.
Wear comfortable clothes and closed-toe shoes (no heels or sandals) as you'll be working in an active distillery environment. We recommend layers as temperatures can vary between the distillery and outdoor areas.
Yes! Groups of 10-50 people can book private Gin Lab experiences, perfect for corporate team building, hen parties, birthday celebrations, or special events.
If you cancel 14 or more days before your experience, you'll receive a full refund. Cancellations made within 14 days of your booking date are non-refundable. We understand plans can change, so we encourage you to book with confidence knowing you have this flexibility.
Our Flavour Lab is accessible via a wheelchair-friendly ramp. However, we currently don't have a wheelchair-accessible toilet. We're working on expansion plans to make all facilities accessible. If you have accessibility concerns, please call us at (07) 282 7652 so we can ensure the experience will work for you.
Ready to Create Your Signature Gin?
Small group experiences mean intimate, hands-on learning.
Sessions fill fast - especially weekends.
Choose Your Experience:
All include: Gin-making workshop + Award-winning tasting + Take-home bottle
270 Matahui Road, Aongatete
30 minutes from Tauranga | 10 minutes from Katikati