The name Herrick Creek may conjure up images of a marshy, lush forest floor, but no, it’s a small-batch distillery located on the eastern side of Christchurch. Tom Finn, a Canadian by birth, is at the helm and brings his little piece of home to New Zealand through his whisky. He explains the origin of the name Herrick Creek to me.
“At the start of the twentieth century, the New Zealand government sent a request to the Canadian government asking for large game such as moose. The intention was to create a new wildlife reserve for hunting,” says Tom. “While animals were sent, none seemed to survive beyond 1952. There’s a photo taken that year of a moose at the edge of Seaforth River, but nothing’s been seen of them since.”
The real Herrick Creek itself lies in the depths of Fjordland, some 500 kilometres south of Christchurch. Tom, with his Canadian
