Pioneers and Visionaries - Reefton Distilling Co.

The last weekend of March 2025 saw Reefton Distilling Co. welcome over 120 cask owners to Reefton for their inaugural Moonlight Creek Whisky Legacy Event.

Having already made a name for themselves on the world stage, with the creation of their international award-winning Little Biddy Gin, Reefton Distilling Co. commenced production of their Moonlight Creek Single Malt Whisky in September 2022. In February 2025 their Moonlight Creek new-make spirit and young spirits achieved 2 x Gold and 2 x Best in category for New Zealand at the World Whiskies Awards.

Having announced the release of 100 Founders casks to market in mid-2023, this West Coast distillery has attracted the attention of whisky lovers from as far afield as Europe and the UK.

With cask owners made up of individuals and syndicates, including families, groups of friends, business owners, sharebrokers and top athletes, there are a raft of stories behind every cask from milestone birthdays to the birth of new babies, to corporate and legacy gifting. And just a really good excuse for groups of mates to get together once a year.

With all but a few of these coveted casks now sold, and maturing on site in Reefton Distilling Co.’s dedicated whisky warehouse, these Moonlight Creek ‘pioneers’ travelled to Reefton to celebrate all things whisky and the imminent release of Reefton Distilling Co.’s first ever single malt whisky to market.

A celebration of all things whisky

With many of the Reefton locals founding shareholders of the distillery, in true West Coast style, the town got in behind the event. Many of the local restaurants and cafés added a whisky theme to their menus including high teas, whisky mousse with gold dust and whisky pies.

The weekend included a range of activities designed to allow visitors to enjoy all that historic Reefton has to offer, from gold mine tours to a tour of the historic powerhouse regeneration project – which is restoring a significant piece of New Zealand’s history in ‘the town of light’.

Other activities included golf and whisky tastings, all while enjoying this beautiful historic town with its movie set good looks, nestled deep within the Victoria Forest Park.

With the weekend promising to be a celebration of all things whisky, it didn’t disappoint. Cask owners were able to network with their peers, meet and talk directly with Distillery Manager, Gareth Morgan and Founder & Chief Executive Patsy Bass, all while taking the opportunity to enjoy all things whisky and experience the promise of things to come.

A legacy event

The private event on the Saturday night, a Moonlight Creek Cask Owners Dinner, was attended by cask owners from near and far, and the Reefton Distilling Co. team.

Renowned chef Giulio Sturla (MAPU) and his team showcased the very best of the West Coast's seafood, game and produce with a degustation menu complemented by both household name Scotch whiskies and sensational Little Biddy Gin cocktails.

Founder and Chief Executive Patsy Bass frequently shares her 100 year vision and her goal to create a sustainable business with a positive impact on the local economy. Special reference to generating roles for young people is at the fore, and as she said, “this business is certainly about whisky and gin, however, it’s as importantly, about helping to regenerate a town, and providing jobs for the next generation, so that they might have a future on the Coast, stay here, and raise their families. It’s also about attracting new people to our region.”

Patsy thanked guests for making the journey to Reefton to participate in what will become a legacy event, adding “Having our Founder’s Cask owners join us here in Reefton, for what will now be an annual event, is a great privilege. Networking in this way allows us to keep our relationships close, we consider each and every one of you to be a part of our Reefton Distilling Co. family. Many of you are also shareholders, some from before we opened our doors.”

Patsy went on to add, “You are all firmly a part of our journey, and we hope that this weekend has not only given you an appreciation of how Moonlight Creek whisky is maturing, but also allowed you to see how your investment in Moonlight Creek whisky is helping to provide jobs for local people and in so doing, helping to keep our community alive and vibrant.”

Pioneers and visionaries

Reefton has always attracted pioneers and visionaries, it has a rich history defined by moments of innovation and entrepreneurship. In 1888 Reefton was the first town in the Southern Hemisphere to have a piped supply of electricity.

Reefton Distilling Co. have continued in the vein of those gutsy pioneers, setting up their distillery in this small West Coast town when many others were moving away from the region.

The distillery currently has 17 employees, including 7 students from the local school who come in after school and through the holidays to hand label each and every bottle. Their first student has now progressed to a full time role, becoming a distiller.

This positive impact on Reefton and the wider West Coast region hasn’t gone unnoticed.

In 2024 Reefton Distilling Co. came together with Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Waewae to honour the land, the people and the traditions of Te Tai Poutini/the West Coast. In recognition of the significant contribution that Reefton Distilling Co. have made to the region, Ngāti Waewae have gifted treasured pieces of their revered taonga Pounamu, which sit within a specially commissioned filter over which all water used to make Moonlight Creek Whisky and Little Biddy Spirits, flows. These premium spirits literally carry the wairua/spirit of this remarkable region to the world.

Ngāti Waewae have also gifted the distillery a magnificent, large Pounamu touchstone, sourced from Toaroha, a river which flows from high in the Southern Alps, into the Hokitika River.

As visitors to the distillery touch the stone and smooth it over generations, they will leave a little of themselves in the history of this iconic business. Adding to the rich history of the West Coast and paying homage to its pioneers and visionaries, both old and new.