Anthem

Scapegrace was founded in 2014 by brothers-in-law Dan McLaughlin and Mark Neal, and Anthem is their manifesto: a whisky entirely shaped by New Zealand's environment. The distillery sits in Central Otago on the South Island, working with locally grown barley smoked with manuka wood — a native shrub that plays a role similar to peat in Scotch whisky, but with a distinctly different signature.

This single malt matures in virgin French oak (200-litre casks) and is bottled at 46% with no chill filtration or added colour. It won gold at the World Drinks Awards — recognition of how Scapegrace has captured the region's fierce climate (intense summers, brutal winters) in the bottle.

On the nose and palate, Anthem unfolds in layers: smoke with eucalyptus and menthol, then spiced walnuts, apple syrup and honey. The taste is dry and layered, with pears poached in red wine, white pepper and liquorice root. The finish stretches long with brown sugar, molasses and anise. This is no imitation of Scotch tradition — it's an uncompromising New Zealand expression.