Kiwi whiskey is synonymous with discovery and revelation; in case your introduction to New Zealand whiskeys is Pōkeno, phonetically talking, Paw Que No.
Pōkeno Whiskey pays homage to the pure spirit of Aotearoa (New Zealand) by utilizing solely volcanic spring water from the encompassing hills of the North Island Distillery and barley from the family-grown South Island. With over 25 years expertise within the international whiskey trade, Matt Johns, alongside together with his spouse Celine, wished to create a few of the world’s most interesting single malts utilizing solely New Zealand components and put All-Blacks whiskey on the map.
At their state-of-the-art distillery in Pōkeno, an hour from Auckland, with Head Distiller Rohan McGowan, they benefit from the freedom to ferment longer, distill slower and experiment to extract the utmost physique and taste from New Zealand barley. . McGowan says, “Lately there was a rising appreciation of the position that fermentation and distillation play within the improvement of physique and taste earlier than the spirit is barreled. With a deal with high quality over quantity, we had been capable of ferment for a minimum of 72 hours after which double-distill extremely slowly, maximizing copper contact all through the method to hone our profile and make sure that solely the purest spirit is taken for maturation. 80% of Pōkeno single malt is aged in first fill casks, letting the cask improve fairly than dominate the flavour profile of every whisky.
PŌKENO ORIGIN is aged fully in first-fill bourbon barrels. PŌKENO DISCOVERY is a mix of spirits aged in first fill bourbon, oloroso and PX sherry casks. PŌKENO REVELATION pairs different spirits in totally aged first fill bourbon casks and New Zealand pink wine till mature.
Whiskey distilling in New Zealand originated with the arrival of Scottish settlers within the 1830s. Many Scots settled within the Otago area and the trade flourished till the 1870s when authorities laws draconian guidelines have made it troublesome for distillers to outlive. In 1974 the Baker household opened the Willowbank Distillery in Dunedin, New Zealand, producing common whiskies, Wilsons and 45 South. The world’s largest distiller, Seagrams of Canada, purchased Willowbank within the Eighties. Its flagship single malt “Lammerlaw” (named after a close-by mountain vary) was extremely regarded. However in 1997 Seagrams bought Willowbank to Australian brewer Fosters. It was mothballed or “closed”, because the New Zealanders say, in 1997 and its stills had been despatched to Fiji.
In 2008, Greg Ramsey of The New Zealand Whiskey Assortment, bought 443 barrels of remaining mature aged inventory from Willowbank (aka Dunedin Distillery). Merchandise now consists of The Otago 20 12 months Previous, a uncommon collector’s merchandise just like the discontinued Milford’s and Preston’s. Different rarities embody Dunedin DoubleWood, Dogger & Ditch and The New Zealand Whiskey Assortment 1988 Single Malt.
Their 18 yr previous Dunedin Doublewood comes from the identical inventory as Cask Power “The Oamaruvian”.
The Thomson Distillery opened in 2014. Its Manuka Smoke “progress report” is constituted of 100% New Zealand-grown malted barley, smoked over Manuka wooden and nonetheless distilled in a copper beating pot. the hand. Their Two-Tone Launch refers on to the 2 sorts of barrels used throughout maturation. One is European oak which as soon as contained New Zealand pink wine. The opposite is American white oak used just for whiskey (in all probability bourbon).
French Oak & Smoke by Thomson Whiskey is a restricted version bottling handcrafted by the distillery. The whiskey is smoked with peat from the South Island after which aged in a cask of native Pinot Noir. As with the opposite variations, it makes use of 100% New Zealand-grown malted barley for the mash.
The “Simply Hatched” single malt is one other well-received New Zealand whisky. Began in 2011 by Desiree Reid with mentorship from former Maker’s Mark distillation supervisor Dave Pickerel and water drawn from Alvin’s nicely dug by his father, the primary spirits had been produced in 2015. – artisanal glass distillery Cardrona Cardrona manufactures all its spirits on web site. Its whiskeys embody Rising Wings Solera Sherry & Bourbon and Central Otago Pinot Noir.
