Thomson – 2017 8 Year Old Barrel 221 The Auld & The Bold (Berry Bros & Rudd) (70cl, 52.2%)

This is a New Zealand single cask single malt from Thomson, distilled in 2017 and matured for eight years in barrel 221. Berry Bros. & Rudd bottled 214 bottles of it in 2026 for The Auld & The Bold edition, at 52.2% in a 70cl bottle, non-chill-filtered and without added colouring. The malt, made from locally grown barley, was smoked over native mānuka wood. Clove, honey and malt sit alongside charred oak, smoked meat, lemongrass, kumquat and spice. The nose has aromatic mānuka smoke, warm clove, a fine honey sweetness and a hint of mesquite. On the palate, charred oak and savoury smoke meet lemongrass, kumquat, golden honey and malt. The finish is long and smoky, ending in gentle malt sweetness with no bitterness.