“We feel humbled. He could have gone to any distillery to do this.
“We always liked batting above our weight.”
Monk told the Waikato Herald in a statement he selected Pōkeno Whisky because it produces whiskies that reflect New Zealand’s culture and climate.
“From the first time I visited, I felt they were genuinely asking the same question that sits at the heart of The 8 Continent Series: how much does place shape whisky?
“Matt and the team have taken generations of whisky knowledge and applied it to New Zealand, rather than simply trying to recreate Scotland.
“Having their own cooperage on site gives them an extraordinary ability to explore cask influence and native New Zealand timbers.
“There is also a lovely thread back to whisky’s Scottish roots. Matt brought years of experience working in Scotland’s whisky industry, while Mike Tawse is a second-generation Scottish cooper now making casks in New Zealand.
“For a collection exploring how whisky has travelled across the world, I loved that connection.”
Pōkeno Whisky has been chosen alongside Penderyn Distillery of Wales, which represents Europe; Union Distillery of Brazil, representing South America; Shelter Point Distillery of Canada, representing North America; Boplaas Family Vineyards & Distilling of South Africa; Rampur Distillery of India, representing Asia; Lawrenny Estate of Australia; and La Alazana Whisky of Argentina, which represents Antarctica.
The Antarctic whisky matured at La Alazana Distillery for five years before spending a further three years maturing at Marambio Base, an Argentine research station in Antarctica, in temperatures that dropped to -35C.
Dr Aline Bortoletto, of Inovbev, with whiskies from The 8 Continent Series. She is holding the whisky matured in Antarctica.
Meanwhile, Monk and Johns remained tight-lipped about what whisky Pōkeno Whisky has contributed to the study and series, though the Waikato Herald understands it is a special cask from its existing range, not a new launch.
A world first
Over six months, Dr Aline Bortoletto, a Brazilian food scientist specialising in alcoholic beverages, will analyse the eight single malt whiskies from around the world.
Bortoletto and her team at beverage research and development company Inovbev will build a detailed chemical and sensory profile of each whisky.
Monk said it was the first scientific comparison of single malt whiskies matured across every continent.
He said he hoped the study’s findings would help whisky makers understand how their own climate and environment shaped the spirit they made.
Daniel Monk of Cask World has sourced whisky from eight continents to be scientifically studied.
“It’s already understood that climate makes a difference – this study provides an opportunity to learn more about that … and provide data that may help whisky-making become more sustainable in the future.
“For example, if producers know how best to work with their climates, they may be able to look at every step of their production process and find ways to be more efficient and use less energy.”
Monk said the study came amid a growing interest in world whisky.
The whisky industry was initially centred on Scotland and Ireland, with established industries in the United States and Japan.
Lately, New World whisky made outside those traditional countries had grown, he said.
Johns said being part of the study was “incredibly enriching”.
“We’re very, very lucky to have been chosen for this. This, for me, is an incredible opportunity to showcase to the world what New World whisky is,” he said.
Daniel Monk of Cask World (left) with Pōkeno Whisky co-founder Matt Johns.
“We’re all out there battling very hard … to explain to people that Old World whisky is really, really good, but just cause it’s got an age statement on it, it doesn’t mean it’s better than what we’re bringing out.
“The fact that we’ve got people like Daniel who are championing the cause, who are saying, ‘Well, actually New World whisky has a lot more to offer and this is why’ … this just helps … give the category of New World whisky more credibility.
“This is gonna … shine a light on our creativity.”
Johns said he was excited about what the study’s results would teach distilleries.
“We all know that climate affects maturation massively.
“I mean, we look at our 9.5% Angel’s share [the natural alcohol evaporation rate that occurs as the whisky matures in a barrel] per year … you get 2% in Scotland.
Pokeno Whisky co-founder Matt Johns.
“But what elements of the climate affect it, how does it scientifically affect the whisky … what does it do to the DNA structures of the whisky?
“[The findings are] gonna help us do our jobs better. I’m hoping it’s [also] gonna open some new innovation for us.”
Championing New Zealand whisky
It has been a busy time for Pōkeno Whisky.
In August, after working on it for almost one-and-a-half years, the company launched a special collaboration with American collectables company Syzygy Forge: Ringbearer, a whisky in honour of The Lord of the Rings’ 25th anniversary.
“We were sitting in the distillery one day [early last year] and a couple of guys rolled up,” Johns said.
“They were … Americans and … they were going like ‘We’ve just come from Hobbiton, we’re massive fans and we’ve got a collectibles business. Would you guys be interested in making a Lord of the Rings’ whisky?’
In August, Pōkeno Whisky launched a special collaboration with American collectables company Syzygy Forge: Ringbearer, a whisky in honour of The Lord of the Rings’ 25th anniversary.
“It caught us off guard a bit … but we gradually got quite excited about this.
“Pōkeno is all about making innovative and creative whiskies that are a true reflection of the culture and climate in New Zealand.
“It’s a bit kinda tongue in cheek here, but you know, New Zealand is very much Middle Earth, it’s very much Lord of the Rings and [we thought] this could be a bit of fun.”
Johns said there were a lot of hoops to jump through, as the whisky is licensed by Warner Bros, making it official Lord of the Rings merchandise.
He said while he was somewhat aware of the trilogy’s popularity and had seen the movies, he didn’t realise how big a following it had.
“There is a fan base of 17.5 million active fans and collectors around the world today … Hobbiton still gets 650,000 visitors a year.”
When it came to composing the Ringbearer, Johns said he and Pōkeno Whisky production manager Gareth Kimpton spent about three days playing around with different cask types.
Mike Tawse is New Zealand’s only cooper and hails from Scotland. Photo / The Pōkeno Whisky Co
“This was all about what can we do, whisky-wise, to make this a true reflection of Middle-Earth?
“The Lord of the Rings is a powerful film, it’s an epic saga. So, we need a whisky which is robust and which is powerful, we need a whisky that is strong.”
This meant using virgin casks, Johns said.
They also wanted to add a typical New Zealand element.
In the end, Ringbearer was made of whiskies fully matured in first-fill Bourbon, virgin oak, muscat and mānuka honey casks.
Johns said the whisky tasted rich and smooth, with the honey adding texture.
Pōkeno Whisky specialises in single malt whisky and is only producing this kind of whisky. Photo / Pōkeno Whisky Co
“You’ve got our standard tropical fruitness … that’s enhanced by the muscat cask … that gives you zesty orange and pear notes. And then you’ve got this … mānuka honey richness in the end.”
The company has released 12,000 bottles, with most distributed in Australia and the US and 2000 in New Zealand.
Johns said demand had been huge and he had received emails from people around the world asking to get their hands on a bottle – before the product was even announced or launched.
He said the team was “pretty proud” of this whisky and had entered it into the World Whisky Awards this year.
The team’s focus now shifts to other projects, including launching a whisky club and exploring other native wood casks.
They’re currently looking to trial kahikatea and tawa but are struggling to find wood, Johns said.
Danielle Zollickhofer is the Waikato news director and a multimedia journalist at the Waikato Herald. She joined NZME in 2021 and is based in Hamilton.