The story behind the brand " Granddad Jacks Craft Distillery" David Goulding A.K.A “Granddad Jack” was born on the 11th of June 1919 in Timaru, a small South Island town in New Zealand. From a very young age, he had to provide for his family and himself as his father past away eight months before Granddad Jack was born. At the age of 13 Granddad Jack and his mate set out on an epic 65-mile journey riding their bikes to a sheep station looking for work. They carried with them a canteen made from a small syrup tin, their lunch and Granddad Jacks homemade whiskey. They arrived there at 3 o’clock showing very little sign of fatigue and the story made the local paper! After several months working on the sheep station, Granddad Jack returned to his family home. Just after he arrived, the bailiff knocked on his door to tell him that nothing had been paid on the farm in four years. It’s hard to picture Granddad Jack standing there at 14 years of age talking to the bailiff and promising to make payment in full. He must have been a very good talker because the bailiff took his word and over the next few months, Granddad Jack had paid the debt in full. Not a bad effort for a young lad of 14, when in the 1930’s the best you could get was a pound a week! All Granddad Jack’s hard arse nature, dedication, and integrity are paid tribute to in the 65 Miles Gin, a craft, navy strength, full flavour spiced gin that carries all his adventures and tough roads from his early years. During the war, Granddad Jack obtained his trotting license. His horse’s name was “Sack Cloth” but it never did much good. Legend has it that when Granddad Jack was a lad he used to buy big pencils, cut them in halves and sell them at the Timaru races for a penny each, more than doubling his money! That’s how we came up with Two Pencils Gin, a perfectly balanced, just juniper-infused dry gin. Granddad Jack was never one to miss an opportunity and one day he spotted a barbershop standing empty, and that was the start of a very long and respected barber career. He ran a very successful barbershop for 48 years retiring at the age of 70 when he was still only charging $4 per cut! Granddad Jack lived a great life, full of memories and adventures he passed onto his grandkids and great grandkids. He passed away at the ripe old age of 93 and up until that point had a Whisky every day, and we’re certain he still does. He loved sitting with friends and family by his greenhouse, sipping on whiskey and chatting all afternoon. That’s what inspired us to create our Greenhouse Gin, a 37%, smooth and clean botanical sessional gin. Now his grandson, David Ridden and great-grandson Luke Ridden continues the legend by producing their own take on Granddad Jack’s whiskey an old family set of recipes that’s been kept a secret for close to 90 years. A card given to his family at his funeral sums up the man as it said, “like the Christchurch Cathedral an icon has gone – a gentleman”. So look around, raise your glass and take in the legend of the one and only David Goulding A.K.A “Granddad Jack”