Kindred Spirits: How Friendship Fuels Broken Heart’s Passion

Nestled in the foothills of the Southern Alps near picturesque Arrowtown, Broken Heart Spirits is an enduring tribute to a beloved friend. Fuelled by passion, Broken Heart endeavour to create gin that captures the glory days of a friendship between two Germans, Joerg and Bernd. The two met in the South Island and bonded over their mutual appreciation for creating fine spirits before Bernd tragically passed away. After months of mourning, Joerg realised that Bernd would have wanted him to produce and market the gin that they had worked so hard on together, and named it Broken Heart Spirits in memory of his dear friend.  

9 years on, what started as a small operation has expanded into a company with 12 award-winning products including gin, vodka, rum, whisky and liqueurs. Broken Heart prides itself on being an artisanal distillery, employing 6 full time members of staff who are passionate about everything they do in honour of the love and friendship that bore the company. 

To create their award-winning Spiced Rum they use Fijian, 2-year-old aged white rum as the base of their magic recipe. After it spends another year in a barrel soaking up a concoction of delectable spices, Broken Heart Spiced Rum is ready for you to enjoy its exceptionally smooth palette. You can completely experience the sweetness of vanilla combined with an eloquent depth of cinnamon and caramelised orange. All these unique features were recognised at the NZ Spirits Awards with the Spiced Rum achieving a silver award in 2020.  

Coming into the winter months, the Broken Heart Spiced Rum is a real treat to warm you up on those frosty evenings. We recommend using the Spiced Rum in your favourite hot buttered rum recipe or poured over ice with a splash of coffee liqueur. And if you’re feeling particularly decadent, add a splash of cream too. Delicious! 

Coming in July, Broken Heart are excited to announce the opening of Queenstown’s first boutique gin tasting room, the Gin Garden. This will be the perfect location to sample all the locally distilled Broken Heart Spirits range including the Spiced Rum and a new locally brewed Ocktoberfest lager. 

Located in Arthurs Point, the Gin Garden is just a 10-minute drive from Queenstown and Arrowtown and only a 3-minute drive from the base of Coronet Peak ski field. There will be a refined food menu on offer, produced from locally sourced delicacies—available to takeaway for your convenience. 

Tastings will be offered so customers can choose their favourite flavour while the talented bar staff will be putting their skills to use, creating cocktails to suit your tastes. Customers can also choose from the extensive list of Gin Garden staff favourites. 

For a more exclusive experience, you can enjoy group tastings in the private boardroom. The Gin Garden’s knowledgeable staff will talk you through how locally sourced Otago botanicals and pure water derived from the Southern Alps form the backbone of Broken Heart’s spirits. 

Follow Broken Heart Spirits on Facebook and Instagram for more updates on this exciting new venue. And in the meantime, you can find all of Broken Heart’s products at their online store www.brokenheartspirits.com and through their nationwide distributor, Giesen Group.