There is a strategy to Whisky Shows. For London’s, with over 120+ exhibitors, 1,000+ whiskies, it is impossible to get to every stall or try every dram! As a result, for most distilleries, we will go a little deeper one year and skip the next.
In 2024, we thoroughly enjoyed stopping by New Zealand’s Thomson Distillery booth and sampled :
- Thomson Full Noise Manuka Smoke Single Malt Cask Strength 55.3%
- Thomson Manuka Wood Smoke Single Malt 46%
- Thomas South Island Peat Single Malt 46%
As tempting as it was to return in 2025, our stop at The Heart Cut independent bottler satisfied our temptation with:
However, when Matthew Thomson at The Whisky Exchange just following the show, I simply had to stop and savour! My notes are limited as – let’s be honest – I’d just sniffed, swished, and spit my way through over 120 drams on the weekend! However, it was still lovely to chat with Matthew a bit, and refresh an overall positive impression of the distillery whiskies.
For those not familiar, Thomson Whisky began as an independent bottler, selecting old stock New Zealand whisky from the Willowbank Distillery. Since then, they built their own distillery, crafting whiskies that uniquely represent New Zealand such as using Manuka wood-smoked barley.
Of the three expressions on offer, two were part of the 2024 Whisky Show and one I hadn’t sampled before!
This expression was part of the 2024 Whisky Show and is a lovely way to get acquainted with the Thomson style of peat – which is more subtle smoke than heavy ash.
Here is what they have to say:
Made from 100% New Zealand grown malted barley, smoked using South Island Peat and distilled through our copper pot stills.
The official tasting notes: Iodine, smoke, sweet vanillins.
This expression was new to me! My immediate impression was of an easy-drinking dram, a nice mix of salinity and sweet, some red currents, with a touch of spice. It was very much my style of whisky.
Here is what the folks at Thomson have to say about this expression:
Two types of cask are used for the maturation of this blended whisky: European oak which formerly held New Zealand red wine, and American white oak used exclusively for whisky.
Made from the finest selected NZ and imported whisky, further barrel aged and blended by Thomson Whisky.
Official tasting notes: Sea air, caramelised fruits, red berries, apricot, spice.
Thomson Manuka Smoke Full Noise 52%
This was a revisit and a terrific reminder of just how distinctive their Manuka smoke is – a yummy wood, with ripe fruits beneath the smoke. The closest I could suggest is cedar yet that really isn’t quite right – there is an aromatic sweetnesss that is singular. At 52% one might think it would be a bit too forceful, yet though it is “full noise”, it is surprisingly approachable. It truly is unique and well worth exploring.
Here’s what they have to say:
Cask strength Manuka Smoke single malt whisky. Made from 100% New Zealand grown Manuka-smoked malted barley, aged in American oak ex-bourbon barrels and bottled at cask strength. Deeper and more abundant smoke notes in this uniquely New Zealand dram.
What a fabulous “bonus” following the 2025 Whisky Show in London.
Since this experience, we also tried another The Heart Cut expression:
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