Novel Category: 2019 Winner Sheep Milk & Honey Gin

The White Sheep Co, winner of the Novel category was awarded the title in 2019 for their innovative Sheep Milk & Honey Gin.

Sam Brown, Founder and CEO of The White Sheep Co, wanted to create a spirit that was instinctively associated with New Zealand.

Sam discovered sheep milk was the perfect base for an alcoholic beverage and an ingredient that leveraged what international consumers identified with New Zealand – sheep and lots of them! The challenge of converting the milk to alcohol was one that no one else had tackled and he saw an opportunity.  

After being announced a winner at the New Zealand Food Awards, Sam says the exposure and increased visibility has been invaluable, especially for a relatively new brand on the market.  

‘’Participating in the NZ Food Awards was a great experience and walking away as a winner was simply beyond all expectations. The awards really helped put our Sheep Milk & Honey Gin on the map and we have used that platform to expand not only domestically but also into export markets abroad.”

Entry

1.  Product Name

Sheep Milk & Honey Gin

2.  Product Description

A very special gin handcrafted from only the finest New Zealand sheep milk. Slowly fermented over a 12-day period to draw out the silky sheep milk notes, then distilled in small batches using our traditional copper still. A delicate infusion of handpicked botanicals with just a dash of premium local honey completes this truly unique gin.

Innovation

3.  Where did the idea for this product come from?

I was living and working overseas at the time and would often congregate with friends of different nationalities. One night we were together socialising and decided to sample drinks from each of our own countries. We had a round of tequila for Mexico, brandy for France and whiskey for Scotland - it then came to my turn and I drew a blank; there was not a unique spirit instinctively associated with New Zealand to the level of the other countries. It was this night that provided the initial spark for the idea that eventually led to the use of New Zealand sheep milk as a base ingredient for a range of spirits and liqueurs.

4.  How did you determine the product originality?

Research of the spirits industry led me to conclude that there were no sheep milk-based alcohol products on the market. The concept of using sheep milk as a base for alcohol works particularly well in a New Zealand context as the country is well known around the world for its large sheep population.

5.  Did you consider any new technology to your company in the development of this product?

It was not necessary to develop new technology with regards to equipment etc. in this instance. The challenge was in understanding and optimising the fermentation process. 

6.  What were some of the challenges in developing this product and how did you overcome them?

The first major challenge was understanding the fermentation process for converting sheep milk into alcohol. Although I do not have a formal scientific background, I did a lot of research into the subject, spending a couple of months reading various scientific research papers and studies on the subject. I identified particular yeast strains I wanted to test and hypothesised the optimal parameters for fermentation based on my readings. I knew however that this needed to be validated in a controlled environment, so I contacted Massey University Riddet Innovation Team (now operating under the Food Pilot). I explained what I wanted to achieve and laid out the research I had already completed. They confirmed that I was on the right track and we went about making a plan for validation of the process. I then imported the particular yeast strain from abroad (as it was not available in NZ) and we spent the next eight months optimising the fermentation parameters and gradually scaling up until the first commercial spirit run was successfully completed in the distillery in December 2017.

7.  In your food technologists (or similar) words, what was the proudest moment in the products journey?

We had a number of milestone moments along the way but one that stands out is tasting that first drop of alcohol straight from the still after distillation - it was a real sense of achievement after all the work that had gone into getting to that point.

Sustainability

8.   Describe how environmental outcomes have been maximised across the entire life cycle of the product and your company processes for achieving these outcomes

The spent sheep milk left over after fermentation is used as garden fertiliser around the distillery grounds. Our bottles are made from recycled glass and the cardboard packaging is reused. Our sheep milk is sourced from major North Island farms and the producers are held to strict government mandated environmental and animal welfare standards.

Excellence

9. Briefly outline your product development process

After validating the science behind fermentation of sheep milk into alcohol and successfully completing the first spirit runs in a working distillery, I set about creating a gin. The majority of gins on the market (even NZ brands) are made in the 'London Dry' style, however, with the use of such a unique base ingredient for our spirit, I felt that making another generic London Dry style gin would be defeating the purpose of even using sheep milk in the first place. So, I set about creating something a little different. The use of honey provides a hint of sweetness when infused into the spirit and works well with the traditional gin botanicals. It also adds colour and ties in well with the overall theme of the brand. This slight sweetness also means the gin can be sipped neat like a fine whiskey which most people would not do with a traditional 'London Dry' style gin. It then came down to lots of trial and error and tastings to get the balance right between the gin botanicals, honey and base spirit.

10. How did you determine the product’s likely success in the market?

Research of the spirits industry both as a whole and in a New Zealand context led me to conclude that there was indeed a gap in the market for a uniquely 'Kiwi' spirits offering. Many countries around the world have a unique spirit associated with them and while NZ is well regarded for its wine and beer, we do not have a unique spirit that people instinctively associate with the country. After considering a number of different options it was decided that sheep milk would be the perfect base ingredient. Sheep milk-based spirits and liqueurs tie in with what NZ is known for on the global stage and leverage already strongly developed consumer ideas of the country - large sheep population, outstanding natural environment and high-quality F&B products. The above, combined with the recent strong growth in craft spirits, record number of tourist visits to NZ and the gaining popularity of sheep milk among the general population, gave me the confidence to move forward.

 11. Demonstrate the product’s success with sales and distribution information

The White Sheep Co range is distributed nationwide via a third-party distributor (Beverage Brothers) to select liquor stores and bars/restaurants etc. As a premium, boutique product the focus is on select locations that see high volumes of our target customer demographics including tourists. The White Sheep Co range is stocked at airport duty free outlets providing departing tourists with a unique memento and gifting option for their friends and family back home. The White Sheep Co is currently in the final stages of negotiating a distribution contract in Japan that would have the product in market in time for the Rugby World Cup. The White Sheep Co sees a consistent stream of direct purchases via its own website.

Novel Special Questions:

12. Describe any novel or original ingredients, processing or packaging that has been used in this product.

• Sheep milk
  Fermentation of New Zealand sheep milk into alcohol - the first commercial spirit run was successfully completed in the distillery in December 2017.

• Textured Knitted wool effect packaging
  First impressions count and we really wanted an eye-catching design for our packaging. Our label design has a wool background to it, and we worked with our printer to give it a really cool textured effect.