Cardrona Distillery
A single malt distillery in the Cardrona Valley with free tastings, guided tours and a restaurant.
Cardrona Distillery makes single malt whisky, gin, vodka and liqueurs in the valley between Wānaka and Queenstown. It is open every day and walk-ins are welcome for a complimentary tasting, a whisky flight or a coffee. The Classic Tour runs 75 minutes and is best booked ahead. There is also a restaurant serving seasonal small plates and sharing dishes.
Highlights
- Complimentary guided spirit tasting, no booking needed
- Classic Tour of the distillery, 75 minutes
- Restaurant with seasonal small plates and mountain views
- Shuttle available from Wānaka, Tuesday to Saturday
Good to know
- Location
- Cardrona Distillery, Cardrona Valley
- Start point
- Cardrona Valley, between Wānaka and Queenstown
- Drive time
- Less than 20 minutes from Wānaka; 45 minutes from Queenstown Airport
- Duration
- Classic Tour 75 minutes
- Season
- Open daily 9.30am to 7pm
- Cost
- See venue for current pricing
Tours are best booked ahead, though some walk-in spaces are available. Bookings on 03 443 1393. No age policy stated on the site.
Visiting from Sundale
The distillery is in the Cardrona Valley, less than 20 minutes from Wānaka, so it is a straightforward drive from the park up the valley road. It opens daily from 9.30am to 7pm, which makes it as easy to fold into a morning as into a long evening with dinner.
Walk-ins are welcome for the complimentary guided tasting, a whisky flight or just a coffee, so you can go without planning anything. The 75 minute Classic Tour is best booked ahead, though some walk-in spaces open up. Bookings are taken on 03 443 1393.
If nobody wants to drive, there is a shuttle from Wānaka running Tuesday to Saturday. Pair the tour with lunch in the restaurant, which serves seasonal small plates and sharing dishes with mountain views, then head back to the park for a quiet night in.
Stay nearby
Design-led pods LUMI Pods
Light-led timber pods built for slow mornings.
Questions
Can we just turn up?
Yes. Walk-ins are welcome for a complimentary guided spirit tasting, a whisky flight or a coffee, and it is open every day from 9.30am to 7pm. Only the Classic Tour really needs booking ahead.
How long is the distillery tour?
The Classic Tour runs 75 minutes. Book ahead on 03 443 1393, although some walk-in spaces are available. Allow extra time if you are staying for a meal in the restaurant afterwards.
Is there a way to visit without driving?
A shuttle runs from Wānaka to the distillery Tuesday to Saturday. Otherwise sort a driver between you before you leave the park, because the tastings are the point of the trip.
Sources
- Less than 20 minutes from Wānaka and 45 minutes from Queenstown Airport, open daily 9.30am to 7pm, complimentary tastings, Classic Tour 75 minutes, restaurant, shuttle from Wānaka return per person Tuesday to Saturday — source
- Open 7 days 9.30am to 7pm; produces single malt whisky, vodka, gin and liqueurs in the Cardrona Valley — source
- Classic Tours and tastings free of charge — source
Nearby
More things to do.
Maude Wines Tasting Room
A small cellar door on Golf Course Road pouring Maude wines by the glass, the bottle or as a guided tasting.
Tasting Bench approximately 45 minutes
Rippon Vineyard
A biodynamic vineyard on the western shore of Lake Wānaka, with lake and mountain views from the tasting room.
Cellar door tasting approximately 30 minutes; private tasting approximately 1 hour
Blue Pools Track
An easy forest walk over two swing bridges to river pools that run an extraordinary blue.
30 minutes one wayEasy walking track
Your Wānaka basecamp
Make Sundale your base.
Cabins, studios, motels and soft-grass camping, five minutes from the water and close to everything above.