Our Story
WE HAD A DREAM: A HOME FOR OUR BEER & WHISKY
Two Waiheke families created The HEKE in four acres of gardens. It’s home to our Restaurant, Waiheke Whisky Distillery & Craft Beer Brewery. Bring your friends and be treated like a local from the minute you walk in. If you’re looking for things to do on Waiheke - you’ve found it, with New Zealand craft beer on tap & award-winning whisky!
And have a great range of 0% beers for the driver. Join our database to keep up.
Working with Izzard Design, we commissioned a striking design for the The HEKE Kitchen, and the new headquarters of Waiheke Whisky & Waiheke Brewing Co, which reflects the stunning profile of the island. Book a table now, or check our FAQ’s.
"The business is a “stronger together” union of two local families. Waiheke Whisky makers Mark and Ro Izzard joined Waiheke Brewing Co folks Mark and Vivian Hindmarsh. You’ll find the couples and their offspring working the floor at The Heke, which is one reason the place feels so welcoming; the hospitality feels homely. A walk through the distillery-in-construction with co-owner Mark Izzard reveals great things to come: a brewery and whisky distillery that will work symbiotically, and another restaurant space, which current The Heke chef Andrei Rotar will helm." - Anna, Lazy Susan.
CRAFT DISTILLERY & BREWERY - ‘THE MASHERY’
VISIT US NOW
Our whisky distillery & craft beer brewery, THE MASHERY, is open now. Here, you can learn all about the brewing and distilling process, sample global medal-winning Waiheke Whisky and Waiheke Brewing Co beers, in addition to our Waiheke gin distillery and a growing range of other spirits created on site.
The Mashery’s tasting bar is called The Boilermaker. We like to think this is a match made in heaven. We also have a shop here where you can take home your favourite whisky, beer and sprits along with some wicked clothing and gifts.
The name for pairing beer and whisky together - is called a Boilermaker. You can make a boilermaker one of two ways. You either drink your whisky, then chase with your beer. Or, add your whisky dram to your beer, then drink the combination.
HOW DID WE GET HERE?
In a crazy coincidence, both Waiheke Brewing Co and Waiheke Whisky were born several years ago in the same old shed in Erua Road. The Whisky moved out to a new home and the beer moved in, so we like to think that the writing was on the wall for a collaboration long before we even met.
Waiheke Whisky
Over a decade ago a couple of Waiheke friends started messing around in the garage making spirits. When a mathematician they knew offered to design a bespoke full size copper whisky still, the still was built, the rest of the equipment needed was obtained and Waiheke Whisky (WW) was born.
Determined to make a world-class whisky, there have been no shortcuts. We use laureate barley from Canterbury, both peated and unpeated. We built our own mash tun, bought fermenters and a grain crusher, and year after year whisky has been distilled, and barrels from local wineries filled with our whisky. Spurred on by encouraging experts, we sourced other casks - sherry &, bourbon barrels imported from Tennessee to add more complex and delicious flavours to the spirit as it aged.
We entered samples of our whisky into blind tastings, and our spirit turned out on top against significantly older whisky from Scotland and around the world. Waiheke Whisky has so far been awarded medals at the 2018 San Francisco Spirits Competition, 2021, 2022 & 2023 NZ Spirits Awards, and the 2021, 2022 & 2023 Drammys. In 2022 and 2023 we were awarded Best in World Whisky. And in 2023 we also won Best in New Zealand Whisky.
Waiheke Brewing Co.
Born in a shed on Erua Road, Waiheke, the WBC was founded on the back of the entrepreneurial spirit that’s been here for hundreds of years.
The first beer we made was Heke Lager. Made using pure sparkling water from the island, natural yeast and all-grain malt, Heke Lager in our glistening blue can has a fresh, rounded palate and a crisp finish. It’s refreshing, but not too light and a little bit hoppy to keep it interesting. You can find Heke Lager on Fullers Ferry and on tap at some of our favourite spots around the island. Now that our brewery is built at The HEKE we’re bringing more of our beer dreams to your glass. All freshly brewed right here.