Cardrona sits at the foot of the Cardrona mountains in New Zealand.
Cardrona prides itself on the attention to detail they bring to the production of its whiskies. They are a "grain to glass" whisky producer that is fastidious in every step of the process from the mountain water they use to the varietals of barley they use in their mash, to the way they grind said mash all the way through to the hand-picked oak casks they use to age the spirit.
Cardrona was started in 2011 by Desiree Reid. At first, it was just an idea: Desiree wanted to put New Zealand on the whisky map. She knew that she wouldn't achieve her dream by creating a "me too" product, so established the core value of attention to detail in the production of her whiskies.
Desiree set off on an educational pilgrimage before starting her distillery to learn from the best, including mentorship from the former head of distilling at Maker's Mark, Dave Pickerell.
Desiree, literally, sold the farm (she owned a large family farm at the time) to see her dream through in 2013 and established the distillery. Her first spirits were produced in 2015.
Fun fact, the water used to make the whisky is drawn from "Alvin's well", named for Desiree's father who dug the well at the foot of the moutains.
Cardrona produces a comprehensive range of spirits including an outstanding range of single malt whiskies, gins, liqueurs and vodka (under the Reid brand).