Borne from the windswept coasts and wild hills of New Zealand, Thomson Whisky is a distillery defined by independence, craft, and a distinctly Antipodean voice. Established in 2009 by Mat and Rachel Thomson, the project began as a love letter to whisky’s traditional roots, refracted through the lens of New World terroir. What emerged is a range of whiskies that combine elemental purity with a hands-on, experimental spirit.

Located in Riverhead, north of Auckland, the Thomson distillery draws from a uniquely local palette: New Zealand-grown barley, pure water, and manuka smoke — a native twist that imparts an unmistakable, smoky floral signature. Their commitment to single cask and small batch production ensures each release captures a singular moment in their evolving journey.

At the heart of Thomson’s range is its Duality — reverence for tradition, with a restless urge to explore. The distillery produces both single malt and blended expressions, each crafted with deliberate transparency. Grain-to-glass, the whisky is milled, mashed, fermented, distilled, and aged on site, with maturation in a mix of ex-bourbon, wine, and new oak barrels lending nuance and depth.

Signature releases such as the Manuka Smoke Single Malt highlight Thomson’s point of difference: peated not with Scottish turf, but with the aromatic wood of New Zealand’s native manuka tree. It is a whisky of smouldering intensity and fragrant complexity — smoky, yes, but lifted with spice, dried herbs, and an earthy sweetness. Their Victor Blended Whisky, meanwhile, is supple and approachable, with notes of honeyed grain, toasted oak, and soft vanilla — a democratic whisky with serious intent.

Design is also integral to the brand. Bottles are sleek, modern, and quietly expressive — reflecting the clean lines of New Zealand’s design culture while nodding to whisky’s elemental roots. The ethos is one of clarity, honesty, and bold restraint.

Thomson Whisky is not born of inheritance but of conviction — a distillery forging its own path, marrying raw material with intuition and time. It is whisky made at the edge of the world, for those who value provenance over pretense.

In every dram, Thomson offers a new perspective — smoky, precise, and undeniably New Zealand.