Thomson 2017 - 8 y.o. - Barrel #221 The Auld & The Bold (Berry Bros & Rudd)

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 52.2% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

This New Zealand single-cask whisky was distilled in 2017, matured for eight years in Barrel 221 and released in 2026 as part of The Auld & The Bold edition. Berry Bros. & Rudd bottled 214 bottles at 52.2%. The whisky is non-chill-filtered and contains no added colouring.

For this single malt, malt made from locally grown barley was smoked over native Mānuka wood. The resulting wood smoke combines with clove, honey and malt, while charred oak, smoked meat, lemongrass, kumquat and spices complement its distinctly smoky profile.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: The nose brings together aromatic Mānuka wood smoke and warm clove with delicate honey sweetness and a hint of mesquite.
• Palate: On the palate, charred oak and savoury smoked notes meet bright lemongrass, lively kumquat, golden honey, malt and spicy accents.
• Finish: The long finish remains shaped by fragrant smoke and fades with gentle malty sweetness and a spicy-sweet nuance without bitterness.

Distillery/Bottler:

Thomson began in 2009 as an independent bottler of older New Zealand whisky stocks and opened its own distillery in Riverhead, northwest of Auckland, in 2014. The distillery works with locally sourced barley and uses Mānuka wood smoke to create a distinctly New Zealand style; for this whisky, the malt was specifically smoked over the fragrant native wood.

Berry Bros. & Rudd selected Barrel 221 for The Auld & The Bold. Founded in 1698, the family-run London company remains based on St James’s Street, and its documented tradition of bottling its own casks dates back to at least 1853.

Facts: