The East has always had a larger whisky footprint than the beach blessed, sun kissed West. The subject of this review takes us a bit further east, over to our neighbours, the Black Caps! Scapegrace is a New Zealand based distillery that was started in 2014 by brothers in law Dan McLaughlin and Mark Neal. The distillery did start out as the “Rogue Society” but had to rebrand themselves due to trademark issues with a US based brewer. The name literally went through a moult – out with the Rogue and in with the Scapegrace, a mid 18th century word meaning very much the same : Rogue – go figure!!

The distillery is comfortably housed on the 45th parallel, a geographical location (45.0194° S, 169.2153° E) that’s placed between the equator and the South Pole. This subjects the distillery to a combination of both hot summers and really cold winters, giving plenty of opportunity for the whisky to work with wood, moving in and out of the staves as they undergo variations in ambient temperatures during the maturation process.

Right from sourcing their barley indigenously, to malting, mashing and distilling their whisky, everything happens locally, here at Scapegrace, New Zealand’s largest distillery.

ABV : 48%

Eye : Burnished to Chestnutoloroso Sherry | Natural Colouring, Non Chill filtered

Nose : Leather and toasted wood with herbal and earthy undertones; some wild honey sweetness, vanilla bean, red apples with melons and floral nuances. Some spice coming off ginger and  cardamom

Taste : Woody and herbal, earthy yet smokey with the sweetness of poached peaches and apricots. There’s grain, licorice and white pepper, with a light layer of spice infused with smoke.

Finish : Medium to long | Hints of cloves and spices, with a bit of fruity, tropical sweetness.

This one is both calming and well rounded, with a finish that leaves a mild dryness on the palate. It’s a bit unorthodox, with a more pronounced herbal, sweet and smokey flavour profile. There’s decent breadth and good depth to the whisky and for AUD 89, its surprisingly good value.

Now is it rave worthy? Does it deserve the limelight or is this one that falls into the shadows of oblivion. Well for one, it is an interesting dram; with a profile that can leave a few on the fence. I find this can be a bit polarising, with a bolder, less subtle side to it. It is pleasantly entertaining with a host of flavours that isn’t your usual, a loud yet gentle vibe that steers you for another round and the added bonus of being good for the price.

Its bolder flavours might be well suited for a cocktail too. I’m no expert on this genre but the makers believe their whisky would work well as mixers too – something I’m more than willing to try out!

Slainte!