Raising Spirits

Every year, in the little Canterbury Plains village of Hororata, a delivery from Scotland arrives. It's a much-anticipated batch of whisky and, like every good dram, it has a story attached. This story is about the Hororata Community Trust, which was formed after the area was rocked by the Darfield earthquake in 2010. "The Trust was created to strengthen and build our community," says Cindy Driscoll, the executive officer of the Trust. "We had a strong desire to take charge of our own destiny and not let the earthquake beat us."

And here's where the whisky starts to flow. Alex Bruce, the managing director of Adelphi Distillery in Scotland, happened to visit Hororata after the earthquake hit the area. He was struck by the area's hospitality and decided he wanted to help post-quake. "And so there began the relationship between our Trust and Alex's whisky," Cindy says. "Every year in Scotland, Alex selects a special drop to coincide with the Hororata Highland Games that we have held each year since the earthquake. The first whiskies that Alex sent over came from the royal family vats. He puts a lot of thought and effort into what he sources for us."

The whisky is a highlight of the Hororata Highland Games, where 500 competitors battle it out in traditional Highland sports and 10,000 visitors attend annually. Tasting each year's unique blend has become a tradition and, because the whisky is not sold anywhere else, Cindy says "it has become a part of the community's identity."

"Last year we had a very special dram for the 10th anniversary of the earthquakes. The connection to Scotland that has been created over an eleven-year relationship is just so special. We even have our own Hororata tartan now. This year, sadly, we haven't been able to hold the games because of Covid-19 and so we had a whisky-tasting event for our clan and community instead."

The grassroots efforts of the Trust have been recognised this year by winning silver at the Selwyn Awards, and also being nominated for the Westpac Champion Business Awards. The Trust supports a wide range of community initiatives and fundraises for community groups and schools in surrounding areas such as Coalgate, Glentunnel, Windwhistle and Lake Coleridge. "Sometimes a lot of what we do isn't that visible and tangible," Cindy says. "We do a lot of little things, too, so it's really cool the judges have seen what our community is achieving."

This story appeared in the Raumati Summer 2021/22 Edition of Shepherdess. Buy your copy through our web shop, or find your nearest stockist.