Events, Tastings and Tours at The Spirits Workshop

Events at The Spirits Workshop centre on distillery tours, guided tastings, spirit launches and intimate food, music, comedy and industry gatherings.

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Summer Gin Mini Fest

1:00 PM, Sat, 12 Mar 2022

Mar

The Spirits Workshop Distillery

Christchurch

New Zealand Whisky Mini Fest

1:00 PM, Sat, 26 Feb 2022

Feb

The Spirits Workshop Distillery

Christchurch

Events and Programming

The Spirits Workshop Distillery is not a conventional concert hall or theatre. Its regular programme is built around guided distillery tours, tastings, cellar-door visits and occasional special events that bring people into the working production space. Visitors learn how Curiosity Gin and Divergence Whisky are made, see the stills and barrel room, and finish with guided samples. Tours generally take an hour or two and run Monday to Saturday between 11am and 5pm, excluding public holidays. Advance booking is recommended because the distillers sometimes need to prioritise production work.

Special events have included intimate comedy, gin and whisky festivals, product launches, live music, food-truck collaborations and professional industry gatherings. A 2021 special-licence application described “Comedy at the Distillery” as an event for approximately 50 to 100 people. In February 2022, the venue hosted a New Zealand Whisky Mini Fest with six participating distillers, a whisky bar and smoky barbecue food. The following month, its Summer Gin Mini Fest brought together seven Canterbury gin producers, a cocktail bar, live music and local food across two sessions.

More recent programming has stayed close to the distillery’s core identity. A Curious Dry launch party in November 2025 offered complimentary tastings, a free walk-through, signature cocktails and early access to a product sale. The “Whisky & Smoke” mini-fest, promoted around the launch of the limited Petey peated whisky, combined complimentary tastings, smoky cocktails, barbecue and a live barrel-charring demonstration. In March 2026, the distillery hosted a Distilled Spirits Aotearoa social meet-up for people working across distilling, hospitality and retail.

The programming pattern is therefore experiential rather than performance-led. Expect maker-led education, tasting flights, product-release celebrations and relaxed gatherings rather than a weekly roster of bands, DJs or touring artists. Live music and comedy have appeared as part of special events, but there is no verified evidence of a permanent concert series, fixed theatre programme or regular club night at the Sandyford Street site.

The distillery is also a co-founder and organiser of Gindulgence, a larger boutique spirits festival that began in Christchurch in 2018. The 2026 Christchurch edition took place at Ilam Homestead rather than at Sandyford Street, with local food, live music, tastings and multiple craft-spirit producers. The organisers also announced a Tauranga edition for 2026, showing that the Spirits Workshop’s event work extends beyond the distillery itself.

Tickets and Booking

The most consistent ticketed experience is the standard distillery tour. Public visitor information lists the standard adult tour at NZ$30, including the guided tour, gin and/or whisky tasting and a NZ$20 discount on a purchase made that day. A tour-for-two package with a bottle of gin has been listed at NZ$90, including an NZ$80 purchase discount. Treat these as package ranges rather than permanent prices because products, availability and promotions can change.

Bookings are made through the distillery’s own tour enquiry and calendar process. The venue asks guests to select a preferred day and time, after which the booking is confirmed. Payment can be made on the day. Gift certificates are available for the single tour and the tour-for-two package. Walk-in visits may be possible during cellar-door hours, but a booking is the safer choice for a tour, especially on Saturdays, during school holidays or when a product launch is being held.

Special-event prices vary. The 2022 New Zealand Whisky Mini Fest was advertised at NZ$27.50 including fees for one session, while the Summer Gin Mini Fest used separate afternoon and evening sessions and sold out both sessions. Product launches can be free-entry, come-and-go events, as with the Curious Dry launch, while larger festivals may use timed entry or advance tickets. There is no published evidence of a permanent box office, presale club or door-sales policy for every event.

For popular sessions, book as soon as the event is announced, choose the earlier session if you want more time with the distillers and avoid assuming that a standard tour ticket includes entry to a separate festival. Tour vouchers and festival admissions are different products. The distillery’s own announcements are the most reliable source for release dates, session times and event-specific conditions.

About The Spirits Workshop Distillery

The Spirits Workshop began in late 2015 when four whisky lovers bought a small still with the aim of developing distinctly New Zealand spirits. The company was registered in January 2016, and the original 50-litre copper pot still, named Yoyo, arrived in February 2016. After 23 recipe trials, the first Curiosity Gin was launched in late 2016. The early concept was deliberately local: Canterbury malted grain, local ingredients and the flavour of the region rather than an imitation of imported gin styles.

The business expanded its gin range with Pinot Barrel Sloe, Curious Dry, Ruby and Classic. Its history records the Pinot Barrel Sloe as a special release in late 2017, Curious Dry as a 2018 release and Ruby as a 2019 release. Curiosity Gin was rebranded in late 2019. The distillery acquired a 500-litre still in 2019, which now produces its gin and whisky, while Yoyo remains part of the story and production heritage.

Whisky became a major part of the venue’s identity with the first Divergence French Oak release in October 2020. The distillery describes its whisky as being made with Canterbury malted barley, distilled in Christchurch and matured in oak. Later expressions have used Tawny Port, Otago Pinot Noir and Sloe Gin barrels. In 2026, the business marked ten years since the distillery was founded with Ōtautahi Nine, a nine-year single malt made from Canterbury-grown malted barley and matured in new European oak and ex-New Zealand Tawny casks.

The current venue combines a working craft distillery, cellar door and tasting room at 11 Sandyford Street, Sydenham. It is significant locally because it turns regional grain, water, botanicals and wine-barrel traditions into a visitor experience that is both educational and commercial. The business is also listed as a small employer, with a company size of two to ten people, and undertakes contract production, bottling and packaging work alongside its own brands.

Seating and Layout

This is a compact working distillery rather than a purpose-built seated venue. A Christchurch venue guide has described the hosted tasting area as having room for approximately ten people, while the 2021 special-licence application for Comedy at the Distillery proposed an attendance range of approximately 50 to 100. Those figures describe different event formats and should not be treated as a general building capacity or certified fire limit.

There is no published seating plan, auditorium diagram, stage dimension, VIP section or fixed general-admission configuration. Tours are organised around the tasting area and production spaces, with guests moving between the stills, distilling equipment and barrel room. The compact scale is part of the experience: the best position is usually the one that lets you hear the guide clearly and see the equipment being discussed.

For a tasting, a place close to the host is best if you want detailed explanations about botanicals, fermentation and maturation. For a launch or social event, standing and mingling may be more typical than assigned seating. Event organisers may add temporary tables, food service, cocktail stations or informal performance areas, so the layout can change from one event to another.

No verified acoustic report, sound-system specification or permanent lighting plan has been published. The venue’s documented strengths are its production equipment and intimate educational format, not concert-level technical infrastructure. Artists or event organisers requiring amplified sound, theatrical lighting, staging or production rigging should treat those facilities as unconfirmed rather than assuming they are available.

Getting There and Parking

The distillery is at 11 Sandyford Street, Sydenham, Christchurch 8023. Sydenham is an inner suburb south of the central city, with Sandyford Street running near Colombo Street and the Sydenham shopping area. The official visitor listing records some on-site parking and free on-street parking close by. Spaces may be limited during festivals and launches, so arriving early is sensible.

For public transport, use Christchurch’s Metro network towards Sydenham Shops or the Colombo Street corridor. Current route information shows services including routes 1, 3, 5, 8, 44 and other routes serving Sydenham or nearby central-city connections. Route 3 links the airport, central city, Ara Institute, Ferrymead and Sumner; route 5 links Rolleston and New Brighton through the Bus Interchange; and route 8 connects the airport, central city, Ara, Lyttelton and other southern destinations. Check the live timetable before travelling because stop locations and service patterns can change.

The Christchurch Bus Interchange is at the corner of Lichfield and Colombo Streets. From there, a bus towards Sydenham is more practical than walking with a group, although the area is close enough to the central city for an experienced walker. Rideshare and taxi drop-off should be straightforward at the Sandyford Street address, but event traffic and limited frontage may make the exact stopping point dependent on conditions.

The distillery is not served by a train station. Cycling and walking are possible from the central city, but the final approach is through an industrial and mixed-use suburb rather than a dedicated visitor precinct. If you plan to taste, use public transport, a taxi or a sober driver.

Inside the Venue

Visitors enter a working cellar door and tasting room rather than a polished entertainment complex. The tour experience includes an explanation of how gin and whisky are made, views of the stills, the aroma of the barrel room and a guided tasting of Curiosity and Divergence products. Bottles can be sampled and purchased at the cellar door, subject to licensing and stock availability.

The atmosphere is informal, personal and production-led. The distinctive features are the copper stills, fermenting and distilling equipment, ageing barrels and the visible connection between the product in the glass and the work taking place around it. The distillery’s own descriptions emphasise grain-to-glass production, whole botanicals, small batches and hands-on bottling.

Special events may add cocktails, local food, food trucks or live music. The Summer Gin Mini Fest included a cocktail bar, live music and local food, while Whisky & Smoke included barbecue, smoky cocktails and a barrel-charring demonstration. These additions are event-specific rather than permanent amenities. ticketfairy.com

There is no verified public specification for a coat check, permanent merchandise counter, Wi-Fi, restroom layout, photography rules or bag policy. The cellar door sells spirits and selected branded goods, but stock changes. Do not arrive expecting the service model of a theatre, stadium or full-service bar.

Nearby Amenities

Colombo Street and the wider Sydenham area provide cafes, takeaway options, restaurants, pubs and independent shops before or after a visit. Nearby listings include restaurants around Colombo Street, a pub, cafes and the Academy Gold Cinema. The suburb has a creative, independent character shaped by its combination of older commercial buildings, light industry, food businesses and local hospitality.

For a more substantial pre- or post-visit meal, allow extra time rather than assuming food will be available at the distillery. Special-event catering has appeared before, but the standard tour is a tasting and production experience, not a restaurant booking.

Central Christchurch has the widest choice of hotels and is close enough for a short taxi ride or bus journey. Accommodation options around Sydenham and the central city include hotels, motels and lodges, while the suburb itself is better suited to a casual meal than a late-night entertainment circuit. If attending an evening event, arrange the return journey before drinking and check the final bus times.

What Makes This Venue Special

The Spirits Workshop’s character comes from the fact that the audience is inside the making process. The stills, barrels, grain, botanicals and hand-finished bottles are not stage props; they are part of the everyday operation. That makes the visit more intimate than a large commercial attraction and gives the venue a strong connection to the people who produce the spirits.

The distillery’s local identity is unusually clear. Canterbury malted barley and artesian water form the backbone of the range, while wine-barrel finishing links the whisky to the South Island’s wider food and beverage economy. The company’s “grain to glass” approach includes making a single-malt base spirit in-house for some of its gins rather than relying entirely on bought-in neutral spirit.

Its cultural influence is also visible through collaboration. Gindulgence was created to support New Zealand’s growing gin industry and give distillers a place to meet the public. The distillery has hosted other makers at mini-festivals, worked with food vendors and supported spirits-industry networking. In 2026, Curiosity Gin was announced as a preferred gin supplier across Christchurch’s major venues managed by Venues Ōtautahi, extending the brand’s presence into the city’s larger event economy.

Visitor reviews consistently highlight knowledgeable guides, a friendly atmosphere and the chance to taste products while learning how they are made. Recent reviews praise the relaxed, informative style of the tour, while older visitor accounts describe the tasting area as compact and the distillery as capable of producing on a small but commercially meaningful scale.

Visitor Tips and Information

The minimum age for the advertised distillery tour is 18. Bring valid photo identification, particularly if you plan to purchase alcohol or attend a licensed special event. New Zealand liquor-law conditions apply, and the business operates under an off-licence recorded by Christchurch City Council. A 2025 renewal decision granted a further three-year term for the distillery’s off-licence.

Wear comfortable clothing and shoes suitable for walking through a working production environment. The tour is educational, but it is not a museum-style exhibition with a fully documented visitor route. Production activity, barrels, equipment and changing work areas may affect how the visit is conducted.

Accessibility information is limited. Public listings do not provide a verified statement about step-free entry, accessible toilets, accessible seating, hearing support or the accessibility of the full production tour. Anyone using a wheelchair, mobility aid or requiring a quieter or more predictable route should make arrangements before booking and ask whether the entire tour path can be accommodated.

The published cancellation guidance asks guests to provide at least 24 hours’ notice where possible. This is especially relevant for small-group tours, where a missed place may be difficult to refill. Do not confuse a tour booking with admission to a launch party or festival, and do not rely on a walk-in place when a timed session is advertised.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is The Spirits Workshop Distillery best known for?

The distillery is best known as the Christchurch home of Curiosity Gin and Divergence Whisky. Its visitor experience combines a working small-batch distillery, cellar door, tasting room and guided tour. The business is particularly associated with Canterbury malted barley, local water, botanical-led gin, South Island barrel finishes and intimate maker-led tastings rather than large-scale entertainment.

Where is The Spirits Workshop Distillery?

The venue is at 11 Sandyford Street, Sydenham, Christchurch 8023. It sits in an inner-suburban area south of the central city, close to Colombo Street and the Sydenham shopping area. The setting is mixed-use and partly industrial, so visitors should follow the street address carefully rather than expecting a prominent theatre frontage or a large entertainment precinct.

Are tours available every day?

Public visitor information lists tours and cellar-door activity from 11am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday, excluding public holidays. Availability can change when production work, private bookings or special events take place. Booking ahead is recommended because the distillery is small and staff may not be able to provide an immediate tour to every walk-in visitor.

How much does a distillery tour cost?

The published standard adult tour price is NZ$30. It includes a guided tour, gin and/or whisky tasting and a NZ$20 discount on a purchase made that day. A tour-for-two package with a bottle of gin has been listed at NZ$90. Prices and included products may change, so treat these as established package ranges rather than guaranteed permanent prices.

Can I visit without booking?

Walk-in cellar-door visits may be possible during advertised opening hours, but a walk-in visitor is not guaranteed a place on a guided tour. The venue recommends using its booking process, particularly when visiting on a Saturday, travelling with a group or planning around a special event. A booking also helps staff manage tours around active distilling work.

Are children allowed at the distillery?

The advertised distillery tour has a minimum age of 18. This reflects the tasting and alcohol-licensing environment. Guests should not assume that children or teenagers can wait inside while adults take part, because event conditions may differ and production areas are not standard family attractions. Confirm the age rule for any separately promoted event before making plans.

What happens on the tour?

A typical tour explains the craft behind gin and whisky, introduces the stills, takes visitors through or near the barrel room and concludes with a guided tasting. The experience focuses on ingredients, distillation, maturation and the history of the Curiosity and Divergence ranges. The length is generally around an hour or two, depending on the group and format.

Can I buy gin and whisky at the venue?

Yes. The cellar door makes the distillery’s spirits available to sample and purchase, subject to stock and licensing conditions. The range has included Curiosity Gin expressions and Divergence single malt whisky releases, including limited barrel-finished products. Availability can be seasonal, and some small releases sell out, so the products offered on a particular day may vary.

Does the venue have a restaurant or permanent food service?

The standard visitor experience is centred on spirits, tastings and the distillery tour rather than a full restaurant service. Food has been provided at special events through local vendors and barbecue partners. If you need a meal, plan to eat in Sydenham or the central city unless the event announcement specifically confirms food service, a food truck or a tasting menu.

Does The Spirits Workshop host live music?

Live music has formed part of special programming, including the Summer Gin Mini Fest in March 2022. It is not presented as a permanent weekly music venue, and there is no verified regular concert calendar for Sandyford Street. Music, comedy or other performances should be understood as occasional additions to tasting-led events rather than the main purpose of the building.

Does the venue have assigned seating?

No published seating plan or fixed auditorium configuration has been identified. The visitor area is compact and organised around tastings, demonstrations and movement through production spaces. Some events may use tables or temporary seating, while others are likely to be informal and social. Ask about the format of a particular event if you need a guaranteed chair or a defined viewing position.

What is the venue’s capacity?

There is no verified general public capacity figure. A venue-hire description has referred to space for about ten people for a hosted tasting, while a 2021 special-licence application proposed approximately 50 to 100 attendees for a comedy event. These figures relate to different layouts and should not be treated as a certified maximum capacity for every use.

Is there parking at The Spirits Workshop?

The official visitor listing records some on-site parking and free on-street parking nearby. The available number of spaces and any event restrictions are not published as a permanent parking schedule. For launches and festivals, arrive early and be prepared to park on surrounding streets. Never assume an on-site space is reserved unless your event confirmation specifically says so.

How do I reach the distillery by bus?

Use Christchurch’s Metro network towards Sydenham Shops or the Colombo Street corridor. Routes serving Sydenham or nearby central connections include routes 1, 3, 5, 8 and 44, among others. The exact stop and walking route depend on your starting point and the current timetable. Check live Metro information before travelling, especially at night or on public holidays.

Is the distillery wheelchair accessible?

Public visitor information does not provide a complete accessibility statement for the entrance, toilets, tasting area or production route. It therefore cannot confirm step-free access, accessible seating or an accessible toilet. Visitors with mobility, sensory or other access requirements should arrange assistance in advance and ask whether the full tour can be adapted rather than assuming every production area is accessible.

What should I wear to the tour?

Casual clothing is appropriate, but comfortable shoes are sensible because the experience involves standing and walking through a working distillery. Avoid clothing or footwear that is difficult to manage around production equipment. There is no published formal dress code. Because the visit involves tasting and aromatic ingredients, a practical, low-fuss outfit is more suitable than formal eventwear.

What is the cancellation policy?

The public tourism listing asks guests to provide at least 24 hours’ notice when cancelling a tour. The wording is a request rather than a detailed refund schedule, so event-specific terms may vary. If your plans change, notify the venue as soon as possible. Festival admissions, product-launch attendance and tour vouchers may each have different conditions.

Is Gindulgence held at the distillery?

Gindulgence was created by the Curiosity and Ilam Homestead teams in Christchurch, with the Spirits Workshop as a co-founder and organiser. Its Christchurch events have been held at larger off-site locations, including Haere-roa in 2021 and Ilam Homestead in 2026. It is therefore connected to the distillery’s programming identity, but it is not a regular event inside 11 Sandyford Street.

What makes a visit different from a normal bar experience?

The emphasis is on production knowledge and direct contact with the makers. Visitors see stills, barrels and working equipment, learn how ingredients are handled and taste spirits in the place where they are produced. The setting is smaller and more informal than a cocktail bar, with the atmosphere shaped by the working distillery rather than a conventional hospitality fit-out.

Events, Tastings and Tours at The Spirits Workshop

Summer Gin Mini Fest

New Zealand Whisky Mini Fest

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