New Zealand crafted Thomson Whisky's Manuka Smoke Single Malt Whisky was the recent winner of the Innovation Award (presented by Liquorland) at the 2024's NZ Spirits Awards. 

In this Q&A with Rachael Thomson, co-owner of Thomson Whisky, we explore the creation of the unique Manuka Smoke Whisky, a distinctly New Zealand take on whisky-making.

Rachael shares the innovation behind this signature flavour, the challenges they faced, and how sustainability plays a role in their process. From smoking barley in a BBQ to crafting award-winning whisky, Rachael details how Thomson Whisky blends tradition with a fresh, New Zealand edge.

Congrats on the big win! What sparked the idea for Thomson Manuka Smoke Single Malt?

Manuka Smoke Single Malt is an innovative new style of whisky that the world had never seen before, and one that has become a signature flavour profile of the Thomson Whisky Distillery.

A flavour that is quintessentially New Zealand, it is helping to raise the profile of New Zealand whisky globally. It draws on the age old NZ tradition of using Manuka wood smoke to preserve and cook food (comparable to the use of Peat in Scotland).

Using local resources that are in abundance around us here in New Zealand, we have applied this technique to our single malt whisky production practises, forming an exciting new whisky that continues to open doors the world over.

Back in 2005, before Thomson Whisky existed, co-founder Mat Thomson started smoking barley in his BBQ using Manuka wood, and distilling the spirit through the still he built that was situated in the laundry of his Auckland home.

Mat would smoke the malt by spreading it out over mesh and placing it over a Manuka wood fire in his Weber. To keep the Manuka smoke in, he’d wrap wet sheets around the outside of the BBQ, and record notes about the smoke time and resulting flavour of the spirit.

A well-versed Scotch whisky drinker, he knew the Scottish methods with Peat as a fuel for smoke flavour, but as a furniture maker his knowledge of local wood led him down a uniquely New Zealand path.

He spent years perfecting this recipe, before upscaling it on the first commercial sized copper pot stills at The Thomson Whisky Distillery.

How do you keep things innovative while still respecting the classic whisky-making process?

We make single malt whisky the traditional way using 100% NZ grown malted barley, copper pot stills, and age in American Oak and French oak for maturation.

Our whiskies are made from just three ingredients; water, malted barley and yeast, with no colour added and no chill-filtration.

We think of our approach as ‘by traditional methods for contemporary ends’. We take those traditional practises, which create quality, and add a unique New Zealand edge that brings it into the now and makes it special to our region of the world. 

It has been something of an obsession to create a brand new style of single malt that is of this place and made of local ingredients.

We believe that New Zealand should be known for its own style of whisky, just as Scotland is. Utilising what is available locally and turning this into a hallmark style of that place is historically what has made whiskies famous. And this is our goal with Manuka Smoke single malt whisky. 

Sustainability’s a hot topic – how does it fit into your innovation game plan?

We already have some key things in place – for example our spent grain, once we have mashed it, goes straight out to the local farmers (while it’s still hot) and is shovelled out onto the paddocks for the sheep and cows to eat. During lambing months it means those mothers and babies get a hot dinner from our used grain.

The Manuka wood that is used for smoking our malted barley is also ethically sourced, meaning it is not depleting old forests. As Manuka is a fast growth tree that forms the base and mid-section of bush, it can be replenished easily.

With all the exciting things happening in whisky, what’s next for Thomson? 

We always have something creative in the pipeline. Yes, we are working on a new product, that will launch into market in the coming months. Something we love is working on new whiskies that reward our drinkers for their loyalty, and respond to what they want to drink.

I think this new one is going to hit the mark with a lot of whisky drinkers, so we will see!