Cardrona Distillery & Museum, Wānaka

Working with a determined and visionary client, the Cardrona Distillery project was both complex and challenging, requiring a careful balance between the practical demands of a working distillery and the creation of a welcoming destination within a sensitive rural setting.

Three simple buildings are arranged around a large open courtyard, which forms the heart of the distillery and provides a clear organising element for the site. The arrangement creates a strong sense of arrival while allowing the individual buildings to remain distinct and purposeful.

Two of the buildings are substantial stone-clad structures with a traditional architectural character. The first houses the distillery reception, café and tasting room, together with a dedicated area presenting the history of the Cardrona Valley. These public spaces provide visitors with an introduction to the distillery and its setting, while maintaining a direct connection to the working operation beyond.

The second stone-clad building contains the distillery itself, arranged over two floors and centred around a series of traditional copper stills manufactured in Scotland. The third building accommodates the barrel storage and bottling facilities, providing the practical infrastructure required to support the production process.

Located opposite the entrance to Cardrona Skifield on Cardrona Valley Road, the distillery occupies a prominent position within the valley. The buildings are flanked by approximately 2,000 damask roses, used to produce their liqueurs. Despite their substantial scale, the buildings sit strongly but unobtrusively within the rural setting, creating a cohesive destination that reflects both the working nature of the distillery and its connection to place.