New Zealand The Oamaruvian - Revolution

Volume: 0.5 litres | Alcohol content: 46% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

The Oamaruvian Revolution follows bourbon maturation with a finish in New Zealand Pinot Noir casks. The single malt spends its first three years in former bourbon casks made from American oak, followed by another eighteen months in French oak red wine casks. Its total maturation of four and a half years takes place in the coastal warehouse in Oamaru.

Revolution marked the start of The New Zealand Whisky Collection’s releases of single malts it had distilled and matured itself. The whisky is made exclusively from New Zealand malted barley and distilled in two copper pot stills. The first stage of maturation takes place in small bourbon casks. This bottling brings together fruit and spice with a maritime accent. Alongside cherry and citrus notes, it reveals rich toffee.

The whisky gets its dark mahogany colour from cask maturation; no colouring is added. It is bottled without chill filtration at 46% in a 0.5-litre bottle and comes in black gift packaging featuring a decorative map of New Zealand.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, cherries and caramelised sugar meet cinnamon and fresh tobacco. Grain, vanilla and orange peel add subtler accents.
• Palate: The whisky is rounded and full-bodied on the palate. Sweet cherries and orange peel shape the mid-palate, joined by rich toffee, freshly cut tobacco and salty notes.
• Finish: The long finish remains spicy, with toffee, cinnamon and a mild rooibos note. A gentle sea breeze lingers.

Distillery/Bottler:

The story of The New Zealand Whisky Collection began with the preservation of old whisky stocks from New Zealand. After the closure of the Willowbank distillery in Dunedin, Warren and Debbie Preston secured the remaining casks and moved them to Oamaru. Greg Ramsay took over the business in 2009 and developed the New Zealand Whisky Collection further with a group of investors.

Today, the company combines distillation in Dunedin with maturation in Oamaru. The present distillery was built inside Speight’s Brewery in 2020; in 2021, its copper pot stills produced new-make spirit for the first time. The historic warehouse in Oamaru stands by the harbour, just a few metres from the Pacific Ocean. For its current production, the team sources malt from Gladfield in Dunsandel, where the grain can be traced back to local farms. New Zealand raw materials and coastal maturation are thus two concrete priorities in its approach.

Facts: