New Zealand Whisky Company / Diggers&Ditch Doublemalt

Volume: 0.5 litres | Alcohol content: 45% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Diggers & Ditch brings together whisky from two countries, blending Double Wood whisky from Dunedin in New Zealand with single malt from Tasmania. American oak casks and a finish in French oak casks previously used for New Zealand wine contribute to this whisky’s cask influences.

This edition commemorates the women and men of Australia and New Zealand who served their country in wartime. Its back label bears the dedication “Spirit of the ANZACs”. The whisky is bottled in New Zealand at 45% in 0.5-litre bottles and comes in gift packaging. It is neither chill-filtered nor coloured.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, soaked raisins mingle with honey and berry jam. Spices and caramel complement the fruit, accompanied by a subtle leather note.
• Palate: The whisky feels soft and creamy on the palate. Ripe and dried fruits, particularly apricots and figs, precede dark chocolate and cane sugar, with gentle spicy touches. Dried berries and maraschino cherries add to the flavour profile. Demerara sugar, malty toffee and layered spices provide further accents.
• Finish: Following the full flavour on the palate, the finish becomes a little lighter. Wine notes and malty sweetness slowly fade, while tannins remain noticeable. Spicy oak and sweet sherry notes combine sweetness with spice on the finish.

Distillery/Bottler:

The New Zealand Whisky Collection grew out of efforts to preserve Dunedin’s old whisky stocks. The Baker family founded Willowbank Distillery there in 1969, and the first whiskies reached the market in 1974. After production ceased in the 1990s, Warren and Debbie Preston rescued the remaining casks from an aircraft hangar and moved them to Oamaru in 2003. Much of the blended whisky stock was transferred there into casks previously used for New Zealand red wine.

In 2009, Greg Ramsay and a group of investors took over the company and continued the range as The New Zealand Whisky Collection. Today, the company combines the care of historic stocks with new production: fresh spirit has once again been flowing from copper pot stills at Dunedin Distillery, within Speight’s Brewery, since 2021. Maturation takes place in the coastal warehouse in Oamaru.

Facts: