It all begins with an idea
By Dan Murphy – Co-owner, KAH-rah-hoo-ee
Hey there – I’m Dan Murphy, one of the owners of KAH-rah-hoo-ee, and I thought I’d give you a bit of a backstory on how our Trinity Gin series came to be. This is the written version of a short podcast we’ve put together – casual, honest, and from the heart.
So here goes...
🍸 It All Started with a Simple Idea
My business partner Dudley and I had this idea to create a gin that really represented Martinborough — the people, the place, the vibe.
We didn’t want to just slap a label on an existing gin and call it a day. We wanted something unique. Something that felt like it came from Martinborough — not just made in it.
So we started looking for a distillery that could help us make something special. Eventually, we found The National Distillery Company — they’d won gold at the National Gin Awards the year before, and we figured if anyone could bring this idea to life, it was them.
🧠 The Genius Move
We took our brief to Blair, the head distiller. Our ask?
“Create a gin that represents Martinborough.”
But Blair flipped it around. He said, “Well, if you want the gin to represent the town, you’ll need the people of the town involved.”
Genius, right?
So that’s exactly what we did.
🥶 A Chilly Autumn Brainstorm (With Gins, Obviously)
We closed the bar one crisp Autumn day and invited a bunch of people over — staff, friends, family. Had a few drinks (as you do) and told them we needed their help with a “special project.”
When they arrived, Shannah handed everyone a drink and a simple question:
“What does Martinborough mean to you?”
Now that might sound like a deep question to ask after a gin or two — but the answers were incredible.
Some folks said it was the “big town” they’d go to after working crazy hours out on farms or in fisheries — a place to earn a bit of extra cash during the summer.
Others came here to escape the city.
And then there were people who had lived here for generations — they couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.
It really opened my eyes. Everyone had their own Martinborough story.
🌿 Then Came the Botanicals
Next question from Shannah:
“What botanical would you say represents Martinborough?”
Now, I thought we’d land on maybe three or four common ones.
Wrong.
We got everything from lemons and lavender to duckweed and even cow grass (yep, the kind cows eat — not that kind of grass).
It was a bit chaotic. Things got a little... messy (as they do after a few gins). So Blair wisely said,
“Let me go away, think about this, and I’ll come back to you.”
🔁 One Gin Turned Into Three
A few days later, Blair came back with an idea that just made perfect sense:
“You can’t distil Martinborough into one gin. It’s too diverse. But you can distil it into three.”
That’s how the Trinity Gin concept was born — based on the three pillars that really make up Martinborough:
LAND – the farms, vineyards, and fertile soil
SEA – the coast, the fisheries, the water that surrounds us
HOME – the people, the town, and the lives we build here
So yeah — one gin became three. And that’s just the beginning of the story.
🎙️ Want the Full Story?
If you’re keen to hear more, check out the next part of the podcast. I’ll be talking about how we actually made the gins, what each one represents, and the flavors we landed on.
Thanks for reading. And if you’ve got a bottle nearby — pour yourself a glass and sip along with the story.
