Regional Guide: The Pacific Islands

In every way that you can imagine, the Pacific Islands are a far-reaching collection. From the quantity of archipelagos included, their geography spanning an entire ocean and with isles based in the South seas, though Polynesia and up-towards the US – the term covers a vast region. 

We’re not into local-geopolitics, what is mainland and who is in a trading sub-block - we’re into spirits and telling their story so for this mini-regional guide, the criteria for inclusion was to be an island in the Pacific. And from a drinker’s perspective, there’s an interesting story to tell. 

The islands have never been associated with the likes of rum in the same way similar sized islands the Caribbean are. Yet it’s made there and worth seeking out. The climate and the quality of sugar cane being grown in places such as of Fiji and French Polynesia have allowed local rum producers to create expressions packed with character. 

The latter’s history with it may surprise you too - sugar cane has been growing there since 300AD, with Polynesian cane varieties such as O’Tahiti one of the main sugarcanes to be cultivated in the world from 1820 to 1850 before being supplanted by hybrid varieties. Sugar cane now covers about 50 hectares spread across several islands and propelled by in-demand producers, the ambition there is to develop up to 300 hectares in the 10 years.

New Zealand is often forgotten about in the world of spirits, overlooked in the haste to celebrate the more readily exported, exciting brands from Australia. It’s a huge shame however, as they share an ability to create compelling brands with global appeal. If given a moment in the international limelight, they would find welcoming glasses the world over.  

Spin the globe and to an island on the other end of the ocean, Hawaii, and you’ll find a familiar story playing out in several island nations. 

In particular, it shares many of the same challenges of some of the “destination” islands of the Caribbean in how it deals with being defined by the tourist economy. As with elsewhere, for every opportunity that it creates, there’s issues and inequality that can arise from it too. For distillers on the island, being true to their roots and local identity while bridging the gap to what’s perceived (and sometimes forced on them) by outsiders is a fine line to walk. 

The drinks scene across the Pacific, the local cultures being manifested into distilled spirits and how those stories are being told makes it a fascinating region.

From our perspective, what we’ve seen is a lot of interpretations and amalgamations of Pacific culture and pacific brands, but there’s not been a breakthrough producer that's risen to represent the region. 

In some ways it’s an impossible task as each country is unique. However, there are countless examples of “flag-barer” distilleries all around the world who don’t necessarily capture everything about where they represent, just enough to offer a taste. For example, Australia is far more complex than Four Pillars, while India can’t be fully represented in just one gin either. And yet, they are lead brands that offer a glimpse and help place their respective countries on the map.

There isn’t one in the Pacific yet. Could you even name a Samaoan, Tongan or Polynesian spirits producer? Could you really state one New Zealand distiller that is head and shoulders above others in the country in international markets? 

And therein lies both the opportunity and the best way to understand the region’s spirits. It’s fractured into pockets. 

So many of the producers share transient ideas and methods of production that have voyaged over the seas for centuries - similar to Asia in some places and more akin to the US in others. Each spirit they make is a tile that reflects the complex mix of global and local economies as well as their cultures. It’s by appreciating each tiny one side by side that you can reveal the mosaic that they form and the full story they tell.

One thing's for sure, while there might not be that “lead” brand yet there’s a lot to see if you care to look for it.

There are several distilleries located across Hawaii’s main islands. 

If you’re keen to get into the spirit of the island as soon as you land - Hawaii Sea Spirit Organic Farm and Distillery is an easy drive from Maui’s International Kahului Airport.  

There’s a Farm Store, a Cocktail Café and guided personal tasting experiences which include a brief history and go into the processes of making their spirits (before a tasting of course!). It’s a great place to start wrapping your head around the island’s unique producers – in this case learning about the local sugar cane grown on the estate to their use of deep ocean mineral water from 3,000 feet below the surface.

Meanwhile, a brand that some on the mainland USA may have seen is the Kōloa Rum Company. Founded in 2009, they were one of (if not the) first licensed distillery on Kauai and named after the Hawaiian town where sugar production was first established in 1835. Between the single-batch Hawaiian rums and ready-to-drink cocktails there’s a lot to discover!

If you are not into hiking, but your companions are, let them loose on the Koko Crater Trail while you take a tour round Island Distillers. Or go up as a group earlier so that there’s time on your way back! They make rum and the popular Hapa Vodka but try the Okolehao – a unique local spirit made from root beer with a cool backstory.

According to Hawaiian legend, alcohol was first made there in 1780's by English sailors as a beer from fermented roots of the ti plant in. In 1790 an escaped Australian convict brought distillation to Hawaii, using the ti root beer to produce Hawaii’s only indigenous spirit, Okolehao. Hawaiians soon added sugarcane to the recipe, softening and improving the flavour. ⁣By the era of King Kalakaua, Okolehao was prized as a royal libation and this recreation of Hawaiian Okolehao aims to celebrate the island's distilling heritage.

A walk through the pineapple fields that surround Haliimaile Distilling gives you an insight into what their flagship vodka Pau Maui is made from; Maui Gold Pineapple. The extra sweet variety is perfect for fermentation due to its high sugar content and through an exacting process, the team distil it to an extent that the vodka is crisp and clean. 

Top of our list to try from them is their Fid Street Gin. It’s crafted from eleven botanicals locally sourced in Hawaii, deliberately marrying the typical components of a classic gin with a unique local accent. It looks cool too.

Maui Brewing Company is one of the largest craft breweries in Hawaii and as of 2019, they started making spirits too. The White Whiskey is made from mixed bill of malted barley and local Maui corn, and will no doubt become delicious whiskey in time, but the Amaro is what has us excited right now. It’s produced with Maui grown orange peel and bitter orange, lemon peel, gentian root, sugar cane and red hibiscus… 

The fact that they have a gin too and you’re only one step away from a local Negroni!

FIJIAN RUM PRODUCERS

Fijian rum is known in rum circles not for the brands that are made there, but for what they sell into stock traders and that go into blends. This isn’t a slight on their quality, rather, the legacy of a business model that suited the island’s big producer. The two brands we’ve got marked out as “must highlights” for this regional guide are the South Pacific Distillery and the Distillery CO Fiji.

The first, South Pacific Distillery, was for many years the only distillery on the island and whose model was to send bulk rum abroad. Most of it anonymously makes up blends from other brands but there are several examples of limited-edition single cask rums that have been purchased and sold via independent bottlers. 

The Isles of Fiji from Plantation and Holmes Cay Single Cask Rum Fiji 2004 are two examples of this. Locally, don’t expect to see these expressions available, or indeed even visible but they are worth seeking out if you can in the UK, as they give a sense of the distillery style. 

However, when you are on the island you can find their Bounty Rum dotted while producers such as The Rum Co. of Fiji contract their production there and through their extended range, you can also get a feel of the style of rum being made at the distillery.

The Rum Co. range is split into Ratu and Bati brands. Between the numerous expressions in each you’ll find examples of young and old – some way over 8 years old, either column or pot (or a blend of both), unfiltered and filtered (through the likes of coconut shell carbon), as well as some creative use of casks and oak chip finishes. 

On the other side of the island The Distillery Co Fiji is a multi-spirit producer who also makes a white rum. Theirs is distilled on a hybrid still from fermented Fijian molasses derived from sugar cane that is grown across the islands. The rum’s fruity tropical taste is a delight and makes for an excellent Daiquiri – so snap it up and get shaking that very evening!

They also turn this cane base into vodka too, and even redistil it with botanicals to make Blue Turtle Gin. They place the attention on the traditional herbs they use such as Kava, native ginger, ugly lemon, fresh curry leaf and numerous others, but for us, it’s the sugar base spirit that permeates through the mix which defines the profile. It's a very interesting to try neat as well as in cocktails.

Unfortunately, neither distillery is open to the public. 

Just like other archipelagos in the Pacific, French Polynesia is made of many small islands. There are some 130 islands in total. They are tiny in terms of the land they make up – at most twice the size of metropolitan London but spread across a swath of ocean five times as large as France. 

It’ll come as no surprise then, that each will have its own specific micro-climates, cane varieties and more, meaning that the region’s spirit producers have a lot of local terroir to tap into. As a result, Polynesian rum (or Rhum as they spell it) has been experiencing a renaissance and is honing a distinct identity - so much so that it is now trying to obtain its own geographical indication.

One prominent maker is Laurent Masseron who spent years researching cane varietals and growing conditions in a quest to make authentic Polynesian rum. In the process he became a proficient coconut oil producer and even a certified bio farmer. 

Thankfully for us drinkers though, Le Domaine Pari Pari began production of spirits in 2015 and T Rhum has been made exclusively on the island of Taha'a (around 230 km from Tahiti), using native cane species to the region that were specifically chosen (and now cultivated) for the profile they bring to his spirits.

Mana’o Rhum’s current production merry-go-round showcases a slightly different approach to making rhum on the island and the challenges involved. 

Cane is sourced from three islands several hundred kilometres apart: two hectares in Tahiti, one hectare on the atoll of Rangiroa and five hectares on Taha’a. These are each pressed local to their respective harvests, fermented and after which they sail for a day to be distilled on a column still in Tahiti. Once made, they are dispatched back to Domaine du Vin de Tahiti on Rangiroa where they are stored and aged.

While this is soon to be consolidated (which is why you can’t visit in person) – it offers some insight into how hard it is form Polynesian producers to achieve scale. There isn’t that much viable land to grow hundreds of acres of crop, and a multi-island source of cane is the only way many can harvest enough fresh juice. 

That said, in doing so, you can also see how the distillers are being creative with what they chose to blend together, and when they chose to keep the sources separate and display the origin of micro cultivations. Mana’o’s range showcases this with its two white rums, which are worth trying side by side to compare. 

Other producers in the region showcase another aspect of Polynesian rum’s appeal; the relative anonymity of it all. The websites are basic, often non-existent and of course, in French so the casual US or UK drinker is always going to switch off as it’s not immediately available to them. 

If you can park the snob in you though, you’ll find that none of that matters to what they make and what it tastes like. Many of them are great spirits, just not particularly polished nor digitally savvy brands. Father and son Distillerie Huahine Passion showcase this creative, small batch charm particularly well.

The more you look for them the more you can stumble on. Take Tamure Rum, founded in 1992 and one of the pioneers in the reintroduction of Tahitian rum. They are hugely important to the entire region’s rum history but have little or no digital visibility despite being one of the four major distilleries to produce rum from pure sugarcane juice.

Their range is vast, complete with a few gems in it, and where the use of both column and / or pot stills have allowed them to create a versatile set of flavours. They were also critical in creating the foundations for local cane varieties to be replanted and celebrated through distilled spirits. The original founder is considered “the godfather” of Tahitian Rhum by many. And yet, you’ll never really see Tamure on shelves unless you actually go to Tahiti. 

The lack of digitally savvy brands actively engaging with the global drinker comes up time and again, even for those with an international footprint. Take the likes of Manutea, a big producer with a mature ranges with an active fan base abroad. Their rums are evolving into something quite special and they are not shy of a few experiments either – there’s even a pineapple-wine-cask-finish in the works. And yet, try googling around to see if you can find their site and how many people are talking about them… 

It's clear that there's a while to go before Tahitian Rhum is a thing but it is happening, and all these names mentioned here are on the up. 

In particular, the move to obtain a GI speaks volumes of the ambition of Polynesian producers, who are busily looking to build exports to France and other markets. Such a status may help along the way but irrespective of sales - it’s an exciting plan too as a GI would allow them to protect the uniqueness of the rums while upholding quality standards. 

It seems eminently possible as well, given they can meet many of the stringent demands of such a denomination. Namely, they can meet the need to tightly define and control the type of sugar cane used. In their case, there are seven noble varieties, three modern varieties, and a wild one (which bears little juice).

Through the clever use of botanicals, Gin is a spirit that can allow distiller to capture a sense of regionality. Moreover, Gin as a category has evolved to such a point that to even compete on shelf, let alone stand out, it’s imperative for producers to also look the par and to bring their story to life through the way they are presented. 

When it come to some of these compelling, unique ingredients, New Zealand has a lot to harness while the producers based there are adept at conveying this in visual terms too, giving you a sense of the country’s style well before you take your first sip. 

Here are a few that have caught our attention over the years.

Produced in the heart of New Zealand's internationally recognised wine region, Elemental Distillers is a Marlborough based craft distillery that was founded by Ben Leggett and Simon Kelly. You can arrange to see their undeniably cool micro-operation that’s constructed from three up-cycled shipping containers if you are there – well worth it for the creativity of it all.

The gin’s available quite widely though so there’s plenty of opportunities to try some if you can’t. The use of organic Motueka hops, foraged gorse and Kawakawa berries is how the duo bring in a sense of place into their flagship Roots Dry Gin, but this is taken up a notch in their Navy strength where they also add hemp seed from Hawke's Bay and Giant kelp from Akaroa.

Talking of Hawkes Bay, The National Distillery Company is based there and offer tours and tastings of what’s fast becoming a huge range of gin. The distillery is positioned on the corner of Ossian Street, in a 1930’s Art Nouveau landmark building. 

Where to start with at least a dozen gins to pick from…? Try the Verdigris Gin for starters as that’s definitely worth a sip but the NZ Native Gin has us curious given its focus on bringing in sweetness from Karamu and a peppery nip from kawakawa – which are two interesting botanicals to discover irrespective of whether you like the gin overall.

Probably the best-known Gin brand in New Zealand is Scapegrace (formerly known as Rogue Society). 

After years being contract made, they recently announced that they are building a giant new distillery, head office and food and drink hotspot located on the picturesque shores of Lake Dunstan, which is just 45 minutes from Queenstown. 

Central Otago region is famed for its Pinot Noir, but soon, not only will Scapegrace gin and vodka be made there, they will also build a considerable whisky operation onsite. 

There’s a bit to wait before you go see it in person, mind, with the ribbon cutting only slated for November 2023. Thankfully, you’ll find the gins in bars across the county and take our word for it, the higher proof Scapegrace Gold edition is world class.

On the different end of the scale spectrum, Juno Distillery is tucked away in the heart of New Plymouth, Taranaki, and offers tours that don’t disappoint. 

The distillery is the handiwork of husband-and-wife duo Jo and Dave James and through their limited editions and seasonal variants you’ll discover both interesting gins and get a sense of the people behind the process.

Another gin to look for is Dancing Sands Sauvignon Blanc Gin, which takes New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (so famous for its bursting passionfruit, lime, and green apple flavours) and incorporates it into their gin. 

It’s not a grape infusion, rather, through a special distillation technique they process the wine into a distillate all-the-while preserving its vivid profile, and blend this aromatic spirit into their Dry Gin.

It’s an innovative way to take one of the country’s most iconic wines into gin and shows the creativity of the team and their ability to capture a sense of wonderlust in what they do.

One of the most compelling gin ranges in its ability to present regionality is Little Biddy. It’s made by Reefton Distilling Co, a modern distillery housed in one of Reefton’s original buildings which has been carefully restored to accommodate a sizeable working distillery, tasting bar and retail store. 

The gin is robust and delivers a cracking G&T. The clever use of native toatoa brings fresh, vibrant tannic character while tarata, horopito, rimu and Douglas fir build a complex mix of spiced citrus and warm resinous pine. 

From compelling to taste, to something that is nigh-on impossible not to simply long for; Island Gin. Island Gin is crafted “off the grid” on the remote Great Barrier Island, a precious, pristine environment, which is 68% owned and protected by The Department of Conservation.

It combines organic juniper with locally harvested island honey and other special island flora. So far, so cool, but let’s just step it up again. That beautifully tactile Kina inspired bottle (kina is a type of sea urchin and traditional Māori food endemic to New Zealand) is made of entirely reclaimed glass sourced from across NZ and blown by manufacturer out there, vastly reducing the footprint of each bottle. 

Last but not least – while they are not a well-known gin brand, we’d be remis in an article about Pacific Islands to not reference Ariki Spirit, a gin that literally bills itself as the spirit of the Pacific. 

It’s named after hereditary members of the nobility - and Ariki are known on other islands of Polynesia as Ari’i (Tahiti) and Ali’i (Samoa, Hawaii), as people who carry great prestige. A nice gin and an apt way to toast the region.