Gin starts with your nose and palette. At Matahui Gin Lab in Aongatete, you design a 500ml bottle of bespoke gin with help from master distiller Paul, picking botanicals from their Flavour Library (many grown in their on-site permaculture garden). I love how hands-on it is, and I love that you come away understanding tasting notes and pairings, not just making something that tastes good once.

The workshop also comes with more than bottle-making: you’ll get a distillery tour focused on sustainable distillation and plant-powered gin and liqueurs, then you can enjoy a complimentary tasting at the Cellar Door of their award-winning spirits (including New Zealand’s Best Botanical Spirit). One thing to plan for: this is a bit out of the way, so the drive matters—go in expecting scenic roads and build in time.

Key Things I’d Focus On Before You Go

• 500ml custom bottle to take home: you don’t just sample; you leave with your own gin.
• Paul guides the whole process: practical direction while you choose botanicals and aim for balance.
• On-site permaculture botanicals: many ingredients are grown where the lab experience happens.
• Flavour Library access: you’ll be working from a broad selection, so you can make choices with purpose.
• Eco micro-distillery tour + sustainable distillation: you get the why behind the flavor.
• Complimentary Cellar Door tasting: after you make your gin, you taste award-winning spirits too.

Making a Bespoke Bottle in 2.5 Hours at Matahui Gin Lab

If you like the idea of gin with a backstory, this is one of the better formats in the Bay of Plenty. You’re not stuck watching someone else work for the whole time. You’re actually building a bottle from scratch, aiming for a result that fits how you taste—sweet-forward, citrusy, herbal, or more botanical depending on what you choose.

The session is about 2 hours 30 minutes and capped at a maximum of 10 people, which keeps things from feeling rushed. That small group size matters. It means you can ask questions as you go, and the guidance from Paul stays personal rather than generic.

You’ll also want to know what you’re getting for the price up front. At $58.95 per person, you’re paying for a real workshop plus the bottle you take home, not just a quick tasting. In other words: it’s closer to “learn + make” than “taste and leave.”

Meeting Paul and Getting Your Botanicals Sorted

Your session starts at 270 Matahui Road, Aongatete, and the flow is straightforward. You arrive, get oriented, then Paul leads you through creating your gin. The core of the experience is your botanical selection—choosing the flavors you want to steer the final bottle.

Here’s what makes this part click: it’s not just a list of ingredients. You’re using the Flavour Library of botanicals to make decisions. That’s the difference between picking randomly and building something on purpose. Many of the botanicals are grown in their on-site permaculture garden, so you’re working with ingredients that are part of their local system.

From there, Paul helps you understand balance. Gin is all about how botanicals interact—how one note lifts another, how something floral can soften a sharper profile, or how herbal ingredients can give structure instead of just adding aroma. The goal is a gin that tastes coherent, not like a mix of separate flavors.

And based on the way people talk about the experience, one of the big wins is that you’ll learn more than “what to choose.” You’ll learn how to think in tasting notes and how pairings can change the way you experience a spirit. That’s useful at home—because now you can taste with intention next time.

The Sustainable Distillation Tour: Why It Matters for Your Bottle

After your gin-making session, you shift from hands-on creation to the story behind the process. You’ll tour Matahui’s eco-friendly micro-distillery, and the focus is on their sustainable approach to distillation and how they harness the power of plants to make luxury gins and liqueurs.

Even if you’re not a chemistry person, the value here is practical. When you understand the process direction—how sustainability ties into what they’re trying to produce—you taste with a little more context. You start noticing what feels intentional in the glass: the balance, the clarity of botanical notes, the way flavors come forward without feeling heavy.

This tour segment also helps you connect your bottle to the broader product line. Your custom gin is a product of your choices, but the distillery tour shows you what consistent techniques do for flavor and quality. That makes the experience feel like more than a fun activity.

Bottling Your Own 500ml Gin and Taking It Home

This is the part most people look forward to: you design and craft your own 500ml bottle of bespoke gin. That bottle is yours—so you’re not just paying for the class. You’re leaving with something you can share, gift, or actually keep for your own bar.

What makes this more satisfying than many “make-it-yourself” food or drink experiences is that gin is all about balance. It’s not one-note tasting like some cocktails can be. Botanicals can be subtle or bold, and you’ll be making choices that affect the final profile.

Practical tip: go into the session with a rough idea of what you like in gin—do you prefer citrus lift, classic juniper-driven style, or more herbal and floral notes? If you have favorites from previous gins, use that as your starting point when you’re choosing botanicals.

Also, since Paul guides the creation process, you’re not stranded guessing. The experience is designed for gin lovers of all levels, so you don’t need to know technical terms to get results that feel right to your palate.

Complimentary Cellar Door Tasting of Award-Winning Spirits

Once the workshop is done, you get a complimentary tasting at the Cellar Door. This matters because it turns your session into a mini education. You can compare what you made with what Matahui already does at a higher level.

You’ll sample their award-winning spirits, including New Zealand’s Best Botanical Spirit. That’s a great way to calibrate your own taste. If your gin leans more herbal, you’ll notice how their botanicals and balance strategies compare. If your blend felt brighter or drier, you’ll get a feel for the range they can hit.

And the tasting time isn’t just a polite sip-and-go. People highlight that there’s plenty to try and that the hosts are welcoming and informative. That environment is ideal for learning because you can ask questions while you taste and compare notes right away.

Price and Value: What $58.95 Buys You (and What You Skip)

Let’s talk value in plain terms. At $58.95 per person, you get:

• a fully guided gin-making session
• the 500ml bottle you design
• access to their Flavour Library of botanicals
• the eco micro-distillery tour
• a complimentary tasting at the Cellar Door

For me, the key value marker is the bottle. Many alcohol experiences focus on tasting, not production. Here, your choices become a take-home product, which makes the cost easier to justify. You’re paying for materials and instruction, and you’re walking away with something tangible.

Another value point: the experience supports learning that carries over. You leave with a better sense of tasting notes and pairings, so future gin purchases feel less random. That’s not a small thing if you actually drink gin at home.

Getting There: The Scenic Drive to Aongatete

This is the one practical consideration you can’t ignore: the location is a little out of the way. That shows up in how people describe the trip—plan for a proper drive, enjoy it, and don’t treat it like a quick stop.

On the plus side, the drive is part of the fun in the Bay of Plenty. If you’re already planning to be in the Tauranga region, build this into your day with a relaxed timeline rather than a tight schedule.

If you’re coming from Tauranga, give yourself enough buffer time so you’re not arriving rushed. A workshop like this goes best when you can settle in, ask questions, and take your time with the botanicals.

Who This Experience Is Best For

This gin lab suits you if:

• you want a hands-on activity that ends with something you take home
• you like understanding what you taste, not just drinking it
• you’re traveling with people who enjoy food, drinks, or pairing-style experiences
• you want a small group setting (maximum 10 people)

It’s also a strong pick for couples and small groups because the bottle-making format naturally creates conversation. You’ll talk about why you chose certain botanicals, what you tasted, and how your blend compares to what you try at the Cellar Door.

Should You Book Matahui Gin Lab at Matahui Distillery?

I’d book it if you want more than a standard tasting. The combination of designing a 500ml bespoke bottle, learning tasting notes and pairings with Paul’s guidance, and then enjoying a complimentary tasting of award-winning spirits is a satisfying package.

Skip it only if you dislike workshops, prefer passive tours, or you’re short on time and can’t handle a less central location. Otherwise, it’s a very “you’re doing it, not just watching it” kind of experience—exactly the sort of activity that turns a trip into a story you’ll remember.

FAQ

How long is the Make Your Own Gin experience?

The session runs for about 2 hours 30 minutes.

How much does it cost?

It costs $58.95 per person.

What do I take home?

You make and take home a 500ml bottle of your custom gin.

Is there a limit on group size?

Yes. The experience has a maximum of 10 travelers.

What’s included besides making gin?

You’ll also have a guided tour of the eco-friendly micro-distillery and a complimentary tasting at the Cellar Door.

What botanical selection do you use for the gin?

You’ll have access to New Zealand’s only Flavour Library of botanicals, and many are grown in the on-site permaculture garden.

Where does the experience start?

The meeting point is 270 Matahui Road, Aongatete 3181, New Zealand, and it ends back at the meeting point.

What is the cancellation policy?

Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.

Do I get ticket access on my phone?

You’ll receive a mobile ticket.