Thomson Smoked It: From Backyard BBQ to Another World-First
Thomson Whisky Will Make History (Again) This Week
The whisky journey demands patience, endurance, fuel and vision - much like running a marathon. Casks sit for years, a silent (and sometimes leaky) witness to the seasons, slowly transforming a raw spirit into liquid gold. But whisky doesn’t just mature; it travels over oceans, pre-conceptions and categories. And when Thomson Whisky collaborated with London-based independent bottler The Heart Cut, they once again crossed the finish line with another significant first—not just for themselves but for the whole NZ whisky industry.
On the 11th September (UK time), Thomson Whisky become the first New Zealand whisky to be released in an independent bottling. A pivotal moment that whiksy superfans will recognise doesn’t simply validate one distillery but reinforces the positive position of New Zealand whisky on the world stage.
The Prestigious World of Independent Bottling
In the whisky world, there are two types of releases: those original or distillery releases by the brand that produced it, and Independent Bottlings - often referred to as IBs by the superfans and initiated. While a distillery bottling is a representation of the signature spirit style and vision, an IB is a whisky bottled by a third-party company that has purchased the cask (or spirit) directly from the distillery.
These independent bottlers are the industry's ultimate curators, seeking out unique, exceptional, or experimental casks that might not fit a distillery’s core range. They are the tastemakers, and their name on a bottle can be as significant a mark of quality and regard as the brand logo itself.
To be chosen by a respected independent bottler is a big deal. Brands work selectively with independent bottlers and vice-versa. They are highly interdependent relationships that can be commercially critical, highly confidential and often coded to maintain an arm’s length distance between the makers and the marketers. Many independent bottlers are as old and established as the prolific Scotch whisky brands you know and love—but there are also new, innovative and exciting independent bottlers emerging.
Founded by industry veterans Georgie Bell and Fabrizio Leoni, The Heart Cut has a reputation for being a "new-school" bottler. While many of their peers focus on traditional Scotch, The Heart Cut is inspired by the founders’ decades in the drinks business, bottling exciting whiskies from emerging regions like Denmark, California, and now, New Zealand. While they ‘travel to distilleries and cocktail bars like others travel to museums’, they’ve built a reputation for collaborating with distilleries worldwide and bringing the best back to UK whisky lovers to explore. Which is why you’ll never taste these world-first whiskies without jumping on a plane.
Full Circle: Thomson Whisky's Pioneering Spirit
Co-founders Mathew and Rachael Thomson started with a brief chapter of independent bottling themselves, hand-selecting the best casks of old, forgotten stock from the legendary Willowbank Distillery. Since then, they have continued to pioneer and lead world-class innovation in pursuit of a clear vision: uniquely New Zealand whisky. And the achievement of being NZ’s first independently bottled whisky in the highly competitive global market follows a long path of innovation. Their decades-long pursuit of uniquely NZ whisky was recognised at last, at the 2024 NZ Spirit Awards, taking home the Liquorland Innovation Award for pioneering the Mānuka Smoke Single Malt category and process.
I asked Rachael about that recognition and the impact on the business.
”Being recognised and awarded for our Mānuka Smoke single malt whisky recipe is hugely significant for us both professionally and personally. On a personal level, it’s a moment in time especially for Mat, who put a lot of energy into an idea that he had in the mid 2000’s, that he tinkered with at home on his BBQ, recording experiments, distilling at home, and slowly watching with interest as those experiments aged under the house. Whisky tests take ages due to the maturation process, so it was a real commitment.
For me personally, I’ve spent the last 15 years putting a commercial engine underneath that creative idea, building a brand around it, and creating a sales network both here and overseas which has financially enabled us to continually reinvest in whisky production. I’ve given it legs to run. I feel like it’s been part of my life’s work to see this idea come to fruition and see it flourish.”
At that time, Thomson Whisky was poised for further growth with the liquid in barrel tasting exquisite and continuing to receive the accolades and recognition at home and overseas. International retail partnerships continued to grow and domestically, onboarding new distribution partners has increased route to market in trade. Innovation isn't just a new idea. The success of Thomson innovation was visible - well over a decade of development, international and domestic recognition and local market adoption. From the bbq to the global stage, Thomson is now etched forever as a world-first leader in NZ whisky with a global future, with yet another world-first to add to the list.
“Innovation isn’t just the essence of a new idea, it’s the willpower, determination, deep thought, careful planning, and sheer resilience that you put to that idea. We really don’t do things by halves, and my motto is if it’s worth doing it’s worth over-doing. Just go large, go after the biggest thing you can think of and don’t give up till you’ve seen it win. I’m a driven person if I’m being really honest, and I will give my absolute all to something until it’s realised it’s full potential.
We have seen our business through many stages, many chapters of growth, pandemics, pivotal moments, so we are well-versed in being the custodians of a distillery that has navigated the times, and has a huge future,” says Rachael.
The Heart Cut Releases
🔥 # 18 - A Kiwi bonfire on the beach, bottled.
Swap Scottish peat for New Zealand mānuka smoke, and you have this: a single cask, single malt that captures the wild, resinous character of smouldering mānuka wood, layered with bright citrus and tropical fruit. For anyone who likes smoky whisky - this one’s for you.
🍷 # 19 - Love a Sherry Cask Whisky? You’ll love this.
A decadent single malt matured in a fresh New Zealand Pinot Noir Cask from Westbrook Winery in Waimauku, crafted by respected winemaker and judge James Rowan. Expect red fruits, sweet spices and a warming richness.
Mānuka Smoke: A New World Whisky Category
While mānuka honey might be globally recognised, it’s due to Thomson Whisky dedicated pursuit and hard work that mānuka smoked whisky has carved out a niche as a unique category of its own in the whisky world, and therefore no surprise that a mānuka smoked single malt was chosen as one of The Heart Cut’s bottlings. This first recognition by an independent bottler means Thomson Whisky have passed the bar for selection: high quality spirit, unique characteristic and a story worth telling.
The Broader Impact on New Zealand Whisky
The success of this independent bottling has a ripple effect far beyond Thomson’s Riverhead distillery, creating another benchmark moment for the New Zealand whisky scene with other distilleries joining pioneers like Thomson to achieve local and international awards and continuing to define a national style, often seasoned with our unique local resources - mānuka smoke, South Island peat, totara and kauri casks.
Where traditional Scotch IBs are often for the superfans to find rare expressions of favourite distilleries, this independent bottling acts as a powerful marketing tool for the entire NZ Whisky category.
Ultimately, this moment is about more than a single bottle; it’s about building a legacy. It solidifies New Zealand’s reputation as a serious, innovative whisky-producing nation. With the Scotch Malt Whisky Society maturing spirit from Reefton Distillery in the UK, this won’t be the last independently bottled NZ whisky. We’ve also seen cask samples floating around from other NZ distilleries but as yet, we can’t say a word.
There is no arguing that Rachael is a powerhouse in her business and in the world of whisky—consistently working towards the huge goals set for Thomson on the world stage. And unsurprisingly, she has delivered. So the final word, from Rachael Thomson.
”I am a ridiculous optimist so my MO is to believe that every year is going to be even better than the last and the future is hugely positive. In business I think you have to generate brand new positive energy every year, and be a bit of a generator for others too. So my ambition lies in continuing to tap that, and just use that resource for smashing my goals. I stopped competing with others years ago, it was just a distraction. Now I set my own goals and go after achieving them each year. I have a rewarding job, where I get to be creative, work on my brand, drive growth, connect with epic people – the next step is to just turn it all up even more.
For the local whisky scene we’ll see more distilleries open and more brands offer single malt whisky. There’s already a glut of new world craft whisky aging in barrel houses all over the world, so the brands who are going to succeed in market share will be the ones who commit to something new and interesting for discerning drinkers, and who are willing to put in the work to build the engine behind it.
I do have to thank the NZ whisky community for getting behind Thomson Whisky – we have a very special fan base here in NZ who have adopted Thomson Whisky as their own and who take bottles all around the world to share with their whisky friends and family, to show what NZ is capable of. Although the journey of starting a distillery from scratch with your own money at times felt lonely and hard, I am truly indebted to the beautiful people of NZ who connected with our project early and loved it like only Kiwis can. They made it possible.
I’m shamelessly going to say I want Thomson Whisky to be the worlds most loved New Zealand whisky distillery. I’m working on it.” - Rachael Thomson