1919 Distilling's Roots

Soren Crabb, 1919 Distilling Founder

The concept of starting a distillery had been a dream of mine for many years. With a passion for Rum & Gin, the dream had always been to create a brand of my own that people would love and want to be a part of, but what good is a dream if you haven’t got a roof to build it under? This is where the hunt for a distillery location began. To cut a long story short I settled on Auckland, the city that I have been happily calling home for the last 9 years, and built a distillery.

One thing that was important to me right from the start was embracing New Zealand’s history and the Kiwi can-do attitude. This philosophy or moral compass has shaped 1919 Distilling into the company it is today, and is reflected in our name, botanicals and bottle design.

How hard can it be to pick a name… well as it turns out its bloody hard especially when your first choice is too close to a trademarked name (mum and dad I now know why you chose my name from a book of names). It was this road block, the first of many, that left me sitting up one night in the flat with a seemingly never-ending cup of coffee researching New Zealand history. As it turned out, New Zealand had always been partial to a tipple or two, and in December 1919 the prohibition vote reached a tantalising 49.7%. No one knew it at the time, but this would be the closest New Zealand would ever get to introducing prohibition. Eureka! “1919 Distilling” was born in honour of the 50.3% of kiwis that stood up for their right to enjoy a tipple.

Fast forward to now, and we are on a mission to shed some light on a once-forgotten industry through hard work and determination. We can't do it alone, we need you! To share this page, like our photos or don’t… (but please do) and let your friends know that New Zealand now has a distillery of its own to be proud of.

We look forward to sharing our innovation, creativity and passion with New Zealand.

Cheers from 1919 Distilling.