NZ’s Clarity Distilling sets sights on global success
Clarity Distilling, which is based in Tauranga, New Zealand, is targeting US and India expansion with its super-premium whey-based gin.
The New Zealand craft spirits producer, launched in 2023 by George White and Stephanie Downer, is now in its fourth year of operation.
The distillery’s range includes a vodka and a range of gins. The company’s Navy Gin recently picked up top honours at an international spirits competition, which White said had consequently seen “enquiries go through the roof almost overnight”.
“People in the US, the UK, and Australia are contacting us directly asking where they can buy the product,” he said. “We are having to explain that we are not exporting yet. That tells us there is real demand if we can put the right distribution in place and a window to capitalise on this momentum if we can move quickly.”
According to White, the success has created a potential pathway for Clarity to grow into a multi-million-dollar export business.
Clarity’s base spirit is made with whey-based ethanol, a natural byproduct of grass-fed New Zealand dairy and a key differentiator in production, which White thinks is increasingly valuable in premium export markets.
He explained: “The locally sourced whey in our base spirit gives the gin a texture and softness that people notice, changing the mouthfeel of the product and giving us a point of difference in markets such as the US, where the grass-fed New Zealand dairy story is already well understood and highly regarded.
“New Zealand has spent decades building a reputation around grass-fed dairy and clean food production. We are taking that same story into premium spirits.”
White said the US in particular “presents a major opportunity” for Clarity’s gin where the category’s premium segment isn’t as developed as whisky, Tequila and vodka.
The company highlighted Distilled Spirits Council of the US (Discus) data, which showed super-premium gin has grown by 172% in the US between 2019 and 2025 despite the category’s overall volumes dropping by double digits in the market over the same period.
“That creates an opening for differentiated products with a clear point of origin,” White noted. “For us, the combination of New Zealand provenance, grass-fed whey-based ethanol and international award recognition gives us a story that is very different from what US consumers usually see in gin.”
Building Clarity into a New Zealand export success story
Along with the US, the distillery is also eyeing expansion into India, especially after a New Zealand-India free trade agreement (FTA) was signed on 27 April.
White said he has been approached by India-based importers and distributors, including a Mumbai retail chain with more than 70 stores.
“India is a huge opportunity. It is the fastest-growing spirit market in the world, and the FTA has definitely helped open the door to a consumer base we may previously have struggled to access,” he said.
“We are talking about a market where one city can be several times the size of New Zealand’s entire population. The trade agreement has created momentum and confidence around New Zealand products entering India; we are hoping we can be part of that wave.”
Clarity Distilling is a founder-led operation run by White and Downer.
“George and I are involved in every part of the process at the moment. We distil, bottle, label, pack orders and send them out ourselves,” Downer said.
Export growth would help the company, which has been built by hand from the start, grow into a larger regional manufacturing business.
White also highlighted how the move would benefit the local economy in the Bay of Plenty, with new jobs needed for production and logistics. “Right now we are operating at only about 5% of our capacity, so we can scale quickly if we can secure the right distribution agreement,” he added.
Domestically, the brand is available in bars, restaurants, liquor stores and online; however, as gin demand is seasonal in New Zealand, the company noted that international markets are increasingly important.
“The New Zealand market is important to us, but it is small and seasonal. We want to expand into the Northern Hemisphere markets as well. When it is winter here, it is summer there, and that gives us the ability to smooth out demand across the year,” White said.
Regarding the brand’s success at blind tastings in London and San Francisco, Downer added: “The challenge now is to leverage this international recognition and build Clarity into a New Zealand export success story that creates jobs, drives regional growth, and take Bay of Plenty craft spirits to the world.”
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