About Us

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What is The Liquor Cellar all about? Simply put - we're the home of New Zealand's biggest and best spirits subscriptions.

We're all about sharing high quality and interesting spirits along with the best knowledge so that you can enjoy and experience them to the fullest extent.

Working with leading experts and international spirits judges, both in-house and out, we access all the information necessary to make the best choices and distill it all down into each and every box just for you.

We partner with distillers, distributors, event organisers, and more so that we can get the best spirits possible, including limited editions and exclusives, as well as offering great extras and experiences to everyone that joins.

Our Partners

The Experts

  • George Grbich

    An international spirits judge and author, George has a particular passion for gin among all spirits. With many years of experience in the Auckland hospitality industry, managing bars and developing menus, and a WSET Level 3 qualification, he has a breadth and depth of knowledge that few can rival. In particular, it is his palate and ability to taste that has propelled him forward as a spirits judge and as someone sought out by distillers for his personal opinion. We use his talent to curate each gin box and its pairings.

  • Nigel Kelly

    One of New Zealand's leading whisky experts and enthusiasts, Nigel has cultivated his expertise working in the spirits industry over several decades. His time in national brand ambassador and national sales manager roles has afforded him the opportunity to become deeply acquainted with a vast array of whiskies and specialist knowledge in a way that few have the chance to. We tap into his deep well of expertise to make sure that only the best whiskies and the best information is passed on to our subscribers.

Our Story

Our story starts in 2021 after the successful launch of the Guide to New Zealand Gin the year before. It felt natural that the next move after writing about gin was to sell it too.

The first couple of years passed with a lot of growth, learning, and dealing with all the oddities that those years had to give. This included the publishing of several more gin guides, including for Australia, and the start of our Subscription Box.

The Gin Club was originally a part of a group, but in mid-2023 the opportunity presented itself to change course. Two of the employees, George Grbich and Madison Fisher, had the chance to take over ownership of the business and become a stand-alone enterprise. After some deliberation they took the plunge and are now co-owners and directors, as well as running the day-to-day business.

George and Madison are leveraging all of their knowledge, experience, and skills to make The Gin Club the most exciting place to find and learn about gin in New Zealand.

The Mission Statement

  • Provide the best possible experience, bringing joy and knowledge to people as they explore and enjoy great spirits.
  • Add value not only to the customer, but to the community as well.
  • Be a place that anyone would be proud to work at.

Our Team

  • George Grbich

    George Grbich

    A spirits judge and author with a strong passion for the world of gin and many years of experience in the Auckland hospitality industry. Working as a bar manager and developing menus during his Bachelor of Business at AUT, at the youthful age of 25 he has published seven books, covering over 800 gins and 300 distilleries, and is now a co-owner of Gin Club NZ. In 2022 he became the youngest spirits judge ever at the NZ Spirits Awards and judged at the 2023 Australian Gin Awards. As well as collaborating with leading mixer brand, Fever-Tree, and Gin Events, he is also frequently sought out by distillers for his expert opinion. An associate member of Distilled Spirits Aotearoa, he holds a WSET Level 2 Award in Spirits and continues to have a significant impact on the New Zealand spirits industry with his deep committed to the promotion and development of the craft spirits scene.

  • Madison Fisher

    Madison Fisher

    A proud member of the queer community and an author with a background in ancient history and archaeology, she developed her research and technical writing skills while getting her Bachelor of Arts at the University of Auckland and Masters at the University of St Andrews. She has co-authored both the Guide to New Zealand Gin and Guide to Australian Gin since their inception, as well as contributing to their editions of the Fever-Tree Easy Mixing Guide, and is now a co-owner of Gin Club NZ. With a keen eye for detail and planning, she leverages these skills to help manage the business in both the day-to-day operation and long term planning. Madison has also shown that she has the potential for tasting with her palate and is planning to sit the WSET Level 2 Award in Spirits in 2024.

What are our values?

  • Give it your all.
  • Care for the community and environment.
  • Don't be afraid of change or to admit when you're wrong.
  • Learning is a lifelong and joyful process.
  • Don't be evil.

We don't just want to become the biggest there is at the sacrifice of quality, the customer, the community, or ourselves. We want to be a force for good and a company that anyone would be proud to work for. Our expert knowledge isn't something that should be sequestered away in an ivory tower, but shared with everyone. So we sample all of the products that go into our boxes to provide unique and personal advice on each one of them. That way you can make the most informed decision possible. Equality, diversity, and a social conscience are important to us, not just because we believe that they make the world a better place, but because of our own experiences too. We will continue to do our best at keeping these values at the forefront of our minds with everything we do and the decisions we make.

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