TASTING PANEL
Our very first whisky tasting panel had us clinking glasses to a Kiwi industry that’s clearly in fine spirit
Raise a glass to our whisky picks
Welcome to the inaugural dish Whisky Tasting Panel! There’s a small but growing clutch of downunder distilling talent making really exciting examples, and we’re pumped to parade the best of them in front of you. But first let’s address the ‘whisky’ vs ‘whiskey’ issue.
In the whisky world there’s still much debate about the ‘e’. The difference between the two apparently boils down to reflecting the country of origin. Whisky originates from Scotland and comes from the Gaelic word meaning ‘water of life’. Whiskey, on the hand, originates from Ireland. The drink was brought to America by Irish immigrants, meaning America favours the Irish spelling. But if your spirit isn’t Scottish or Irish, then what?
Generally speaking, there’s a rule that the world’s biggest producers follow. Countries with e’s in their names, like the US or Ireland, tend to spell it whiskey (plural whiskeys) and countries without e’s like Japan, India, Scotland and Canada spell it whisky (plural whiskies). Based on this theory, some New Zealand producers proudly put the ‘e’ in, while others opt not to. Trust us Kiwis to be the outliers, right?
New Zealand whiskies also have a unique aroma and flavour profile to the big brands, mainly because in Scotland it’s common to use smoked peat to dry their malted barley before milling and mashing. Peat (or ‘turf’), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter usually found in mires, bogs and moors. The type of peat used and the length of time the barley is drying in the peat smoke influences the flavour in the final spirit. We don’t have much in the way of peat here in
Godzone, so instead our producers often use native woods or other substances to smoke the barley, which delivers a smorgasbord of different styles for a small country.
Our judges were highly experienced international spirits judge and whisky writer, Tash Mcgill aka @thewhiskygirl, our drinks editor and senior wine, beer and spirits judge, Yvonne Lorkin, and our editor and longtime whisky enthusiast, Sarah Tuck. Expert stewarding and assistance was provided by Alex Blackwood, dish digital editor and fervent whisky fan. The whiskies were served blind, in tumblers and assessed twice, neat first, then with a few drops of Antipodes Mineral Water.
Our top entries had us hugely encouraged about the state of our whisky industry and we’re super-excited to share them with you. So while you might be more familiar with terms like Highland, Lowland, Islay and Speyside, let’s raise a dram to Sydenham and Serpentine, Auckland and Puhoi, Golden Bay and Cardrona Valley.