Tasting

Anyone tasting New Zealand whisky for the first time often expects smoke like Islay. Usually, they're surprised. Most of the country's bottlings lean more towards caramel and ripe fruit. Even the wine casks used for finishing shape the flavour more strongly than any smoke does.

The Oamaruvian from the New Zealand Whisky Collection shows toasted sugar and floral notes on the nose. On the palate, it feels almost creamy, like cream soda. A salty finish lingers at the end, which the distillery itself attributes to the sea air of its harbour warehouse. It matures for up to 18 years, first in bourbon casks, then in wine casks.

Cardrona's first own bottling was called Just Hatched. It was only three years old when it launched in 2020. Even so, it already carried the signature of its birthplace. The dry, changeable climate of Central Otago quickly draws colour and sweetness out of the cask.

Anyone looking for the smoky counterpart should reach for Thomson's South Island Peat. Its peat comes from a bog full of sphagnum moss rather than heather. As a result, the smoke feels earthier and milder than in an Islay malt. The best approach is to try all three examples neat and one after another. A few drops of water in between reveal the difference between sea, highland, and peat bog most clearly.

A single glass rarely explains a region fully. Only by comparing several houses does it become clear just how varied New Zealand whisky can sound, ranging from the salt of Oamaru to the moss of the south.