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Pōkeno’s unique flavour selected for global Whisky study
- Sunday, August 09, 2026
Pōkeno Whisky Distillery founder Matt Johns
Pōkeno’s unique climate, levels of humidity and changes in temperature and atmospheric pressure, create a whisky well beyond its years, producing comparative flavours of a 20 year Scottish single malt in just 4-6 years.
Producing a uniquely New Zealand whisky in Pōkeno hasn’t just been about location and climate, but the tremendous efforts Pōkeno Whisky founder Matt Johns went through to produce, preserve and mature his whisky in native New Zealand timber, luring a cooper from Scotland and making traditional barrels in New Zealand’s only cooperage.
To add to their uniquely New Zealand offering, after extensive development, Pōkeno Whisky has officially released its licensed Lord of the Rings whisky, Ringbearer, using barrels that held Manuka honey before continuing the traditional maturing process.