When a reader told us about a memorable lunch he’d had at Cardrona Distillery it confirmed what we already had in mind – that from a tiny kitchen in Central Otago chef Jack Foster was producing food to make us think twice. We’d long been interested in the distillery where Desiree Reid and her team have designed a craft process around single malt traditions to create premium spirits with flavours deeply redolent of the locale. But now we wanted to look more closely at the food.

We’re very familiar with the idea of matching food with wine and the plethora of winery restaurants around the country prove its popularity. On joining Cardrona Distillery two-and-a-half years ago, Jack’s focus was clear: to create standout dishes in complementary pairings with the extraordinary spirits and liqueurs produced at the distillery, introducing diners to new possibilities of whisky/ food combinations and working with the bar team to tease out imaginative flavour matches.

It is a challenge that means, even with 15 years’ experience across multiple restaurants, Jack had to rethink how he worked. “The biggest thing that I’ve learned matching food with spirits is the way the mouthfeel of the spirit actually needs to blend in with the dish because, with such a high alcohol content, it can just completely overtake the food.”

Take, for instance, a seemingly simple spring onion dip. Jack takes local spring onions from Wānaka, caramelises them and mixes in dairy and mayo, before topping with chive oil and chives grown in the restaurant garden, crispy quinoa, crispy shallots and some toasted pumpkin seeds. But what makes the magic are the caramelly notes of a trickle of sauce made from Oloroso sherry cask whisky. “It is quite special,” Jack says. “The taste I get from it is instantly dark caramel. It is quite forward on the palate with the heat from the alcohol and it has a nice mouthfeel to it. We can blend the sugars into the caramel to bring that out without letting too much of the alcohol in so it’s not overpowering on the plate. This we match with a Falcon Old Fashioned. The Falcon is our flagship whisky. It’s a marriage of all three of the barrels that we produce here. For me, the Old Fashioned that we make with the Falcon is a little bit heavier and has an almost buttery mouthfeel to it. So it blends with the softness of the dip. If it didn’t have that buttery heaviness in the mouth, it would sort of split the dip when you’re eating it.”

In the distillery the heart of the spirit is put into seasoned oak casks sourced from around the world and each imparting distinct flavours. Caramel notes come from those ex-Oloroso sherry butts originating from Jerez in the south of Spain. Barrels once used for bourbon are sourced from Kentucky in the US and Jack enjoys the spice notes of the bourbon coming through with flavours of vanilla and a little bit of aniseed. He has a soft spot for the ex-pinot noir barriques from Felton Road in Bannockburn, Central Otago. “I think it speaks to the region we’re from, Otago pinot being as famous as it is, and we’re putting in some of our award-winning spirit into there, which is creating something really spectacular.” So how does that find its way into the kitchen? “That’s the whisky we use in our jus. It’s probably the most expensive jus I’ve ever made.”

And all of this is done in a miniscule kitchen, a far cry from the super set-ups and large brigades that some other chefs work with. Jack explains, “We’re cooking off a 60 by 60 freestanding oven with a little four-burner gas stove. It definitely creates its challenges, but we’ve got a team that can execute some really, really, really good food out of that small little space.”

That’s why Cardrona Distillery earned a place on our Cuisine Destinations list for 2024 – our round up of dining opportunities that guarantee a deliciously good time. In a region revered by thrill-seekers for sports and adrenaline activities, here’s a unique culinary adventure worth seeking out. cardronadistillery.co.nz TRACY WHITMEY