The Ol’Castle Story

The traditions of Europe handcrafted in New Zealand.

Sipping on a glass of Palinka is a regular part of life in Hungary. This fine tradition dates back many hundreds of years.

From a practical standpoint, Palinka is consumed during dinner time to aid digestion. (Something that is needed when there is lots of meat of your plate!) Palinka is also one of those drinks that is shared amongst family and friends on any numbers of social occasions. Think of it as a beverage that is central to life's memorable moments.

When Hungarian-born Kiwi brothers, Gabor and Peter Ovari, moved to New Zealand they brought this love of Palinka with them.

But there was one small issue. Hungarian Palinka wasn't easy to find halfway across the world!

So the brothers did what many Kiwis do. They used their ingenuity and made their own New Zealand version of this artisan fruit brandy.

The Ovari brothers lovingly handcrafted Ol' Castle Fruit Brandy - brewed using the artisan distilling techniques of home but made with the raw ingredients from Aotearoa. 

At first, they drank the fruit brandy themselves. Before long, family and friends were enjoying the taste too. And soon after there were suggestions to make enough to sell!

After almost a decade of fine-tuning their artisan brewing techniques, the Ovari brothers decided to share their delicious fruit brandy with the world.  

Welcome to the distinctive flavours of
Ol' Castle Fine Fruit Brandy.