20 August 2007 - New Zealand distilled spirits and liqueurs exports earned $43.7m in the year ended June 2007. This is up 40% from last year, according to figures recently released by Statistics New Zealand.
Chief Executive of the Distilled Spirits Association Thomas Chin comments, "This is a remarkable and very pleasing result given the volatility of the NZ currency this year, and hopefully we will see the same kind of growth next year."
Both large and boutique New Zealand distilleries contributed to this years positive result. Our major spirits exports include; vodka, gin, whiskey and Ready to Drink beverages (RTDs). These were sent to more than 30 different countries around the world, our key markets being Australia which accounted for nearly 60% of the total volume of exports, North America, Asia, the Pacific Islands, and Europe.