Where Does Alcohol Come From?
If you’ve ever asked yourself what you’re actually drinking when you crack open a bottle, can, or box — this one’s for you.
All alcohol is made by fermenting natural sugars. It doesn’t matter if it’s mead, wine, beer, or vodka — somewhere along the line, yeast has eaten sugar and turned it into alcohol. But what those sugars are — and where they come from — can make a massive difference to flavour, drinking experience, and environmental impact.
Most people think of “sugar” as the white stuff in their pantry. But in reality, “sugar” is a whole category — and what we’re really talking about here are fermentable sugars: the fuel for fermentation. These include fructose and glucose (found naturally in honey and fruit), sucrose (refined cane sugar), and converted starches from things like corn and grains.
Not All Alcohol Is Created Equal
A lot of commercial alcohol today — especially in RTDs — is made using ethanol derived from fermented cane sugar or corn syrup. It’s cost-effective and mostly flavourless, which makes it easy to build artificial flavours on top. But this ultra-processed base comes at a cost.
Studies suggest that fermentation source and purity can impact how alcohol is metabolised and how it feels in the body [see Harvard Health – What causes hangovers?]. While the science is still evolving, some nutrition and medical researchers note that residual by-products from rapid or impure fermentation may contribute to rougher hangovers [see Cleveland Clinic – Why You Might Feel Different After Drinking Certain Alcohols]. Clean fermentation with high-quality inputs — like honey — often produces fewer of these compounds (called congeners), and some drinkers report a noticeably smoother experience.
In short: not all alcohol feels the same in your body.
Where Ours Comes From
We ferment honey. That’s it. Our meads are made by fermenting the natural sugars found in raw New Zealand honey — mainly fructose and glucose — without refining, importing, or supplementing with industrial inputs. There’s no added sugar. No added flavours. No artificial acids or stabilisers. Just honey, water, yeast and time.
All our honey is sourced from the South Island and our meads are fermented, aged, and bottled right here in Ōtautahi Christchurch. The whole process happens within a small regional area — rare in a world where alcohol often crosses oceans before it reaches your glass.
Taste the Flora of the Whenua
We’re not chasing a lab-controlled buzz. We’re after something real: flavour that reflects where it came from. Because when bees forage in kānuka groves, alpine basins, or native beech forests, they leave behind a signature. And you can taste it — not just in the honey, but in the drink it becomes.
This isn’t alcohol stripped of identity. It’s character, complexity, and connection. Grown wild. Fermented slow. Undisturbed.
