Dancing Sands Distillery
Dancing Sands Distillery
Dancing Sands Distillery
5
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Dancing Sands Distillery is a brick & mortar distillery with a cellar door where you can drop in for a free tasting and to learn more about how we make our products. You can view the still and our production area from the cellar door and chat to our friendly staff to answer any questions you may have. Our Cellar Door opening hours are 10AM – 4PM Monday – Saturday.
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5.0
47 reviews
Excellent
45
Very good
1
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
1
EM
Wellington, New Zealand6 contributions
Jamie took a great amount of time to explain to us the unique process of distilling gin at Dancing Sands.
Being a lover of gin I was open to a tasting of each variety. We began with the Dancing Stars Dry Gin, followed by the Whiskey infused, continuing on with the Saffron infused, Wasabi infused, Sauvignon Blanc infused, sun kissed Gin (strawberry and rhubarb) infused and finally the chocolate infused.
With each tasting Jamie explained the uniqueness of flavours achieved to produce each variety and also possible ways to enjoy the gin.
We left with three bottles and more wisdom than we arrived with.
I would whole heartedly recommend a tasting and the opportunity to learn a little more about NZ gin.
Best of luck with your continued endeavours.
Being a lover of gin I was open to a tasting of each variety. We began with the Dancing Stars Dry Gin, followed by the Whiskey infused, continuing on with the Saffron infused, Wasabi infused, Sauvignon Blanc infused, sun kissed Gin (strawberry and rhubarb) infused and finally the chocolate infused.
With each tasting Jamie explained the uniqueness of flavours achieved to produce each variety and also possible ways to enjoy the gin.
We left with three bottles and more wisdom than we arrived with.
I would whole heartedly recommend a tasting and the opportunity to learn a little more about NZ gin.
Best of luck with your continued endeavours.
Written 28 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for visiting us! Jamie's tastings are fantastic, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Written 2 May 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Amac99
London, UK10 contributions
Apr 2022 • Friends
We stopped off here on a rainy afternoon in Takaka. Great tasting, lead by knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff. Tried some gins I wouldn’t normally go for and was pleasantly surprised. I loved the original but the sav blanc gin was also great. Also loved you could buy a 200ml bottle of most flavours.
Written 24 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for visiting us, glad you enjoyed your visit to our Cellar Door!
Written 2 May 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Simon D
Auckland, New Zealand712 contributions
Apr 2022
My wife and I do enjoy a good gin. This was on the list we wanted to try as a local brand and just happened to be open when holidaying. We were greeted not long after entering and the guy behind the counter (sorry we didn't get his name) was only too happy to walk us through the lineup of spirits available and talk to us about the stills we could see. We had no intention of buying as we were travelling and flying home, but now have a great idea of what they are like and were pleasantly surprised by a couple we would never have thought to buy (like sav blanc which is a wine we don't drink and wasabi which would be a novelty). The great thing about tasting rooms is that you have the right people and the small samples that can make the experience invaluable and save a costly mistake in buying something you won't drink! The other bonus is they have some great NZ tonic pairings.
Definitely recommend stopping in and we will certainly be buying some of these - the small 200ml bottles are also an excellent idea if you want to mix it up a bit and can't decide which to buy.
Definitely recommend stopping in and we will certainly be buying some of these - the small 200ml bottles are also an excellent idea if you want to mix it up a bit and can't decide which to buy.
Written 16 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for visiting us, great to hear you enjoyed your visit. You have summed up our Cellar Door and benefits of an in person visit for 'try before you buy' perfectly!
Written 19 April 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
swampykevin
Mairangi Bay, New Zealand320 contributions
Mar 2022 • Couples
We popped in with no intention of buying, we were just curious about Dancing Sands.
So, James gave us an in-depth background and tasting and also took time to show us the distillery.
The variety of gins is remarkable and some of the tastes were great, some no so but as James explained you'll like it or not, depends on your personal taste.
We bought four bottles and they are being shipped to us; a huge help as we are still traveling for another week.
Thanks James for your attention, knowledge and assistance.
Great gin, great place.
So, James gave us an in-depth background and tasting and also took time to show us the distillery.
The variety of gins is remarkable and some of the tastes were great, some no so but as James explained you'll like it or not, depends on your personal taste.
We bought four bottles and they are being shipped to us; a huge help as we are still traveling for another week.
Thanks James for your attention, knowledge and assistance.
Great gin, great place.
Written 8 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for visiting us! Great to hear we could send you away with some bottles ready for when you get home!
Written 10 March 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Stace
Takaka, New Zealand7 contributions
Mar 2022 • Couples
Awesome tasting, Nikki is bloody brilliant an asset to your team. Thanks for a fab arvo👌 Great gins to add to our collection thanks:)
Written 5 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you, great to hear you enjoyed your visit!
Written 6 March 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Grace
1 contribution
Mar 2022 • Friends
Amazing place. Great atmosphere and beautiful tasting gin. Recommend doing the gin tasting and service from Nikki was A+++++++
Written 4 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for visiting Grace, glad you enjoyed your visit with our fab team!
Written 6 March 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Lynne
1 contribution
Feb 2022 • Family
Came in to taste and buy some gin. Was ignored for a while before being told we couldn't taste as there were two other people there. Very disappointing as we'd made a special trip. The woman was quite abrupt and only interested in the two people that were already there. Don't waste your time with this place, instead try the kiwi spirit distillery. Wonderful friendly service, we happily spent our money there instead.
Written 19 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Lynne
We are really sorry to see this review you posted on Saturday of your experience at our Cellar Door. Our team pride themselves on delivering great customer service and we're sorry you left feeling we had fallen short of your expectations. However your review doesn’t give the full picture of what happened.
When you arrived at our Cellar Door on Saturday we already had two groups in tasting and another booked to arrive in 10 minutes. Covid guidelines require we limit the number of patrons in the Cellar Door to ensure social distancing, and so the team member serving had asked if you would be able to return in 20 minutes when the existing groups had finished so she could offer you a proper tasting as there was no space at either bar. You didn’t want to wait for a tasting, and your response was to raise your voice and express your displeasure to our team member. After you left one of the other members of your party offered an apology to our team member for the way you spoke to her.
We appreciate you had travelled to come and visit us, and we appreciate that sometimes the Covid guidelines can be frustrating. Our team member did the right thing in adhering to the guidelines we have set them for serving in the Cellar Door. We’re sorry you felt so aggrieved as to leave our business a one-sided review that is neither fair or accurate. We’ve contacted you directly to see if we can discuss this matter further but you haven’t responded.
Our team works so hard day in and day out to give their best for every customer who comes through our doors, as you’ll see from the fantastic reviews we have across Trip Advisor and Google. We’re incredibly proud of how they represent Dancing Sands, and we’re proud of how our team member stuck to the guidelines we’ve set out when you visited on Saturday.
We hope you’ll return to Golden Bay again and give us another try in the future.
Written 21 February 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Fadzamadza F
5 contributions
Jan 2022
We came to visit my friends who took us to this distillery and we absolutely loved it. The place is very stylish with beautiful products that you can buy, we did a tasting with really friendly English girl, who told us a lot about gins, she was very professional and sweet, thank you again ! My favourite mix was a Yuzu tonic with Sauv.Blanc gin, my partners was the Wasabi gin. Totally recommend to visit!
Written 6 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for visiting us and great to hear you enjoyed our gins! The Sauv and Yuzu tonic is a favourite combo of ours!
Written 20 February 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Alayna A
Wellington, New Zealand9 contributions
Jan 2022 • Couples
Love Gin or know others who do? I can highly recommend Dancing Sands Distillery in Takaka, NZ - have been there twice now in person and will buy online in future. They make fabulous boutique flavours as well as straight up and dry. And their sets of smaller bottles make great gifts for friends or for ourselves when we can’t decide on one flavour. Wonderful products, staff and service.
Last time we were there we left behind an item of value to us while on our way back to Picton ferry. Without question they posted it back to us in Wellington - def going the extra mile there!
Last time we were there we left behind an item of value to us while on our way back to Picton ferry. Without question they posted it back to us in Wellington - def going the extra mile there!
Written 15 January 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks Alayna, great to hear you enjoyed your visit!
Written 20 February 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Logan K
2 contributions
Oct 2021 • Family
First off let me start by saying I have made a TripAdvisor account specifically to recommend Dancing Sands, it's that good!
Wow what an experience. Awesome set up and facility with some people who are REALLY keen and clued up on their gin!! The knowledge and passion in the whole place is unreal. Of course the gin is superb too, have bought a few to sample and no doubt going to be ordering some online later on!
Really cannot recommend this enough, only went there today and already I'm recommending it to so many people! It's worth making the trip to Takaka just to visit believe me!
Wow what an experience. Awesome set up and facility with some people who are REALLY keen and clued up on their gin!! The knowledge and passion in the whole place is unreal. Of course the gin is superb too, have bought a few to sample and no doubt going to be ordering some online later on!
Really cannot recommend this enough, only went there today and already I'm recommending it to so many people! It's worth making the trip to Takaka just to visit believe me!
Written 21 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wow, thank you for this fantastic review. We really appreciate you taking the time to share your visit experience. Our team are amazing and so passionate about what they do, we're pleased so saw that first hand on your visit
Written 29 November 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
John M
Isle of Wight, UK40 contributions
Are you open now today as 20 mins away at the veiw point the grove
Yes, we are open Monday - Saturday 10AM - 4pm. Either Sue or Ido will be there to take care of you!
John M
Isle of Wight, UK40 contributions
Are you open now today as 20 mins away at the veiw point the grove
Yes, we are open Monday - Saturday 10AM - 4pm. Either Sue or Ido will be there to take care of you!
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Claim your listingDANCING SANDS DISTILLERY: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Frequently Asked Questions about Dancing Sands Distillery
- Dancing Sands Distillery is open:
- Mon - Sat 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
- Hotels near Dancing Sands Distillery:
- (0.06 km) Alpacas Off Grid
- (0.08 km) Annie's Nirvana Lodge
- (0.08 km) Takaka Townhouse with Hundertwasser Fence
- (0.23 km) Anatoki Lodge Motel
- (0.43 km) Mohua Motels
- Restaurants near Dancing Sands Distillery:
- (0.05 km) Bay Takeaway
- (0.05 km) Dangerous Kitchen
- (0.05 km) The Wholemeal Cafe
- (0.06 km) Brigand
- (0.09 km) Takaka Infusion’s Street Life Cafe