Aoraki Mackenzie Country Viper’s Bugloss

Location: Te Manahuna, the Mackenzie Basin. Tussock country and braided riverbeds beneath Aoraki Mount Cook, from Burkes Pass to Lakes Tekapo, Pukaki and Ōhau.

Flavour Profile: Delicate and pale, with creamy fudge, soft vanilla and light summer florals, finishing dry and clean with a distinctive chewy, almost tacky texture.

The Story: Under the Darkest Sky in the World

Te Manahuna, the Mackenzie Basin, is a hundred kilometres of glacier-carved country sitting in the rain shadow of the Southern Alps. Hot dry summers, hard frosts, tussock to the horizon, and turquoise lakes that get their colour from rock flour ground fine by ice. Aoraki stands at the head of it. Above it all sits the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, 430,000 hectares of protected night sky, one of the darkest places on earth.

Perfect Pairings

In Coffee and Tea: Its delicate floral character and high fructose make it the best sweetener we sell for hot drinks.

Fresh Cheese: Over burrata, fresh ricotta or a young goat cheese with black pepper.

Fruit and Yoghurt: With stone fruit, especially Central Otago apricots and peaches, or over Greek yoghurt with pistachio.

Delicate Baking: Where a strong honey would dominate. Madeleines, shortbread, honey custards and panna cotta.

At a Glance

Status: Raw, Single-Varietal Viper’s Bugloss (Blue Borage), slow to crystallise
Spirit: Dry, Delicate & High Country
Origin: Mackenzie Basin, Canterbury, South Island, NZ