Drive along the road from New Zealand’s Queenstown to Wānaka in the winter, and snowy ridges of mountains rise either side of the Cardrona river. This area has seen many phases; originally a gold rush settlement, Cardrona turned to farming in the 1920s before the snow and challenging terrain contributed to the decline of the area by the mid-20th century. Marks of those years remain — the valley is a mix of tussock grassland, exposed rock, and scattered shrubs, with patches of farmland divided by fences and tracks. One of the most famous buildings in town — in all of New Zealand, if you ask the locals — is the Cardrona Hotel. Dating back to 1863, it is one of the last remaining gold rush-era buildings left. Today, many of the town’s visitors and workers are here for two things: snow and spirits. While much of New Zealand is encountering a demographic crisis, Cardrona is bucking that trend: population has steadily risen since the dawn of the 21st century, and today the thriving village showcases that New Zealand can stand up there with the best on the world stage.
Nobody is better placed to tell the story of Cardrona than Mary Lee. When she arrived in the 1960s there was not even a pub, and she estimates that the village was home to around 60 people. Her husband John Lee was a local whose family had been in the region since the 1920s, when parcels of farmland had first been cut up and allocated to settlers. “It’s hard to believe that it’s only been 57 years,” she explained, gathered at the village’s distillery with her family, including her granddaughter who was working a summer job there at the time. “Nobody knew where Cardrona was!” In fact, the village was so small that friends and relatives didn’t always stop when they drove through, struggling to recognise it.
Together, John and Mary Lee did far more than simply make Cardrona their home — their work to develop the village and the wider Wānaka region has led directly to its popularity today. In 1970 they purchased the Cardrona Hotel, acting as custodians until they could find a developer for the historic building. A decade later, they opened the region’s first ski field. “People were naysayers,” Mary remembered. “But John was very persistent and they turned complimentary as it started to work!” After early days with mixed success — notably including a day with zero visitors — Mary and John’s work saw the site turn into well-recognised destination before they sold it on. But the work was far from over. John set his sights on building New Zealand’s first cross country skiing centre, too. Over the decades, the combination of stunning nature, recreational facilities, and charming places to stay saw Cardrona take its place on the map. “It all brought people into the village,” Mary said, with noticeable pride. “John always wanted it to be a destination area.”
Ten years ago, the area became the home to one of New Zealand’s premium whisky sites, too. Cardrona Distillery was founded by Desiree Reid — like John, she had a farming background and a great appreciation for the stunning nature of the region. Desiree saw the place as perfect for production — it had purity of air, space for building maturation facilities, and brilliant water. Beyond that, it also clearly had the potential for further growth as a destination. For Mary, the parallels with her early days and those of the distillery are clear. “People were sceptical [of the distillery] at the start — I was! But friends of ours said if anyone can make it work, Desiree and her family will. And she did her homework very well; she was very determined.”
For small, remote villages, whisky distilleries offer the beauty of a single business bringing multiple sectors under one roof. Production, tourism, marketing, hospitality, and retail can come together to create year-round jobs. Not only that, but with a dedicated group of fans keen to get under the skin of where their favourite spirits come from, whisky also brings in a regular stream of visitors. Cardrona Distillery really encapsulates all of this, with production working 24/7, a visitor experience, cocktail bar, and restaurant. The latter received a boost last year when it was awarded a ‘hat’ — the awards presented by the Cuisine Good Food Guide in New Zealand to denote exceptional dining experiences. The team at the distillery are very proud of this recognition, which has contributed to a rise in culinary-focused visitors, too.
As in all rural regions, co-operation is also key to the success of an attraction. The distillery shares their driveway with Experience the Cardrona, a company that takes visitors on horse trekking and quad biking adventures in the valley. With such neighbours promoting the distillery via word of mouth in the summer and snow sports drawing in crowds in the winter, the distillery is well placed. And that’s not the only remarkable thing about its location — there’s a playful side to the town, too. Just outside the distillery is the Cardrona Bra Fence, otherwise known as ‘Bradrona’. Origins somewhat lost to the 1990s, the fence has attracted bras for nearly 30 years, despite persistent efforts by local authorities to remove them. Now a beloved feature of the area, it has been harnessed to raise more than NZ$180,000 for the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation via a donation box and special releases of gin by the distillery.
In 2023, Thai drinks company InterBev purchased Cardrona Distillery. Owner of Scotch distilleries Speyburn, Pulteney, and Balblair, InterBev has since also launched Prakaan, the first Thai single malt whisky brand. Bringing together a strong team in Scotland with up-and-coming ‘new world’ whisky players, their portfolio is an interesting mix of heritage and innovation-driven businesses.
According to the team on the ground in New Zealand, the acquisition has been positive. InterBev is keen for them to keep doing what has brought them success so far, while also offering up the financial backing for the team to be able to age stock for longer. Sarah Elsom, head distiller at the Cardrona Distillery, is excited about belonging to a network of distilleries. “There are learning opportunities — we’ve had distillers go to Scotland to learn there, and there’s potential for information sharing,” she explains. Opportunities are also ever-changing. InterBev is expanding with a US hub this year, where a team based out of Manhattan will be able to independently manage routes to market.
In 2024, Cardrona Distillery's release The Falcon won Best New Zealand Small Batch Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards. This brought a new level of interest for the distillery — something that had always been a hope and dream for the business. Sarah is matter of fact about the win: “When you’re trying to launch yourself and be taken seriously, you need some gold stickers!” she laughs. But on a more serious note, the industry recognition is massive boost for a distillery far from the drinks media heartlands of the UK and US. “It’s been exciting to read reviews, see people as far away as in the US respond and receive the whisky,” Sarah adds. “Ultimately, we enjoy seeing people enjoy our spirit. It brings team pride.”
Perhaps most crucially, the pride felt by distillery staff is shared by locals from the entire Cardrona Valley. Residents often stop by with out-of-town visitors and utilise the distillery space as a kind of community hub. “There’s a sense of ownership being from the valley, but also laying claim to those early casks,” explains Sarah. Asked if she enjoyed the local whisky, Mary Lee described it as ‘excellent’ and was keen to mention her family’s cask, which has already been bottled. While the village has grown, and continues to do so with new housing currently under construction, everyone at the distillery is in strong agreement that the community feel has never been lost.
Picking a parable from closer to my own home in Scotland, in the film Local Hero Russian visitor Victor gives Texan businessman Mac a reality check as he begins to romanticise life in the Highlands of Scotland: “You can’t eat scenery.” This message is one that’s repeated in naturally beautiful places around the world; while the visitor may enjoy them temporarily, life is often hard due to exactly the same things that provide the beauty. But thanks to determined players like John and Desiree, the kind of people who love challenges and harness the strengths of the landscape in the right way, Cardrona Distillery shows us that beauty can in fact be transformed into something that provides for communities.
John Lee passed away in December 2025. His memorial was held at the distillery, and his legacy includes Cardrona Distillery of today — a place his family continue to call home, and that is enjoyed by over 250,000 yearly visitors. The distillery rises from the foundations of his visionary tourism development and now carries the Cardrona name to whisky lovers around the world. A special thank you to his widow Mary Lee, who was willing to talk to me for this article less than a month after his passing.
