When I was in California and took to foraging at a local Trader Joe’s store, I saw a new single malt whisky on their shelves: Pōkeno from New Zealand for only $49.99. Did some googling and found this nice review from @execs_whiskey_club on Instagram. It was entered into the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition where it was awarded a Gold medal. This all compelled me to want a bottle! Then I did a collective review with Ashley Norris of @SipWithMe_LV on Instagram, her husband Jason, and my hubby Eddie which I’ve shared below, and below that is information from the distributer Impex Beverages.
Pōkeno First Fill Bourbon Cask
Right off the bat I noticed that the color was a very light amber and learned that they don’t add any coloring as most do (it’s allowed) and as it was aged in a bourbon cask it naturally colored the whisky a bit. Also, noted that there was no age statement on the bottle, it was 43% alcohol and used New Zealand-grown barley.
Nose: Lovely zero burn on the nose, with clean and mellow notes of butterscotch, vanilla bean, cream, Bananas Foster dessert, and toasted corn.
Flavor: All that lovely butterscotch, sweet vanilla, and bananas from the nose came through to the taste, as well as a light-body feel and a long tingly finish.
Conclusion: We wondered if the light color had colored our tasting notes, but no decision could be made on that thought. We were in complete agreement that this was an elegant sipper. And for those new to scotch whisky this single malt is an excellent gateway whisky as it’s a tad lighter in both the nose and palate than some of the heavy hitters. “Dare to be Different” is stated on the Pōkeno box, and we think it’s apropos as a whisky from New Zealand is a rare find.
From Impex Beverages Inc.
In 2017 Pōkeno Whisky was founded with a vision to put New Zealand on the map as a producer of single malt whisky. It is the largest single malt distillery in the country.
Today, the Pōkeno Whisky Company handles all processing on site at a state-of-the-art distillery with maturation warehouses, filtration and bottling facilities, and a fully functional cooperage.
Everything done here is driven by a goal to create one of the world’s great Single Malts. Batch production, long fermentation, and slow distillation are just a few of the things that help make them different. As craft distillers, they are also able to focus on quality over quantity and on doing things their way, not the easy way.
Using only pure volcanic spring water from the North Island distillery’s surrounding volcanic hills and family-farmed barley from New Zealand’s rich, fertile South Island, Pōkeno selects only the finest casks to mature their precious spirit, and the warm subtropical local climate accelerates its maturation and flavor development.
All of this allows Pōkeno to produce Single Malt whisky with exceptional body and flavor; whisky that captures the pure spirit of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Instagram: @PokenoWhisky
Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in the first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Proof Awards, Cellarmasters, LA Wine Competition, Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.
