Thomson Manuka Wood Smoke

The Maker

Thomson was founded in 2009 by husband and wife team Mathew and Rachael. While they began as an independent bottler with the rights to plunder stock of the former Willowbank Distillery, the pair were already deep into their explorations of how the unique flavours of manuka wood could affect the flavour of various food and drink. For those especially interested in wood, manuka is apparently very dense compared to its peers, so when used wisely it’s able to burn hotter and produce a very clean, long lasting smoke which is ideal for flavouring red meat and game, as much as fish and seafood. Apparently it’s also a must for pizza ovens, but hardly worth shipping it halfway around the world compared to more local examples. I guess the same test should apply to the whisky.

Obviously their manuka experiments, and sales of old Willowbank stock worked well for them. By 2014 the Thomson's were able to set up their own distillery near Auckland, where they began producing gin and whisky in the traditional British style. Beyond the exploration of manuka it seems that the distillery is also keen to maximise its use of New Zealand’s expansive wine industry, with extensive use of local casks as well as more traditional wine and bourbon barrels from around the globe.

I have to confess that beyond this there isn’t a huge amount to say about Thomson. They remain a small, family run distillery that are still in their first decade of production. To me that sounds like something worthy of support, and while the world seems to be getting a new type of whisky every few weeks, there’s always room for more. Especially if they have a clear USP as Thomson seem to have.

The Expression

As my first experience of Thomson, and New Zealand whisky in general, I’ve opted for this Manuka Wood single malt. It's made from exclusively New Zealand grown barley which is smoked using native manuka wood. It seems that there is also some New Zealand peat in the mix too, but it’s unclear as to the specification. There is no clear age statement. In its place is a note on the bottle calling it a “progress report”. Something which highlights not only that the whisky is young, but also that it isn’t to be viewed as a finished product. It’s bottled at 46% and appears to be non-chill filtered and of natural colour. In the UK it’s available at around £55. Finally, it has won many awards around the world but, as ever, it isn’t clear if they are of any consequence.

The Neck Pour

What strikes me immediately is a very strong sense of iodine and brine on the nose. In terms of comparison it’s very reminiscent of a young Caol Ila. The kind that so often gets rebranded as an ‘undisclosed’ Islay malt. But then comes something extra which is very had to place. If anything it’s a little sickly and unpleasant. This is followed by much more appealing floral notes of honey-blossom and even a light touch of nutmeg.

Yet the taste is nothing like that. At first there's little hint of Islay. In contrast it’s really light. While the nose led me to expect some heavy salty brine what I actually get is rather simpler, almost Irish whiskey like flavours of re-fill bourbon vanilla, light oak char and honey. It’s only at the very end that the smoke and a vegetable-like peat comes through. The finish is actually oddly strong considering its early absence.

I have to confess to being a little disappointed in the taste at this early stage. That rather unpleasant astringency that I can’t quite place, combined with a rather hollow flavour isn’t yet delivering, despite an interesting nose. Hopefully, with a little time to oxidise this will start to open up.

The Body

Returning to this bottle a few months later the intense iodine note is now far softer, especially if it’s been given a good ten minutes to rest in the glass. In contrast there’s now a clear sweetness on the nose of rich barley sugar interwoven with those floral notes. The heavy reek of peatsmoke is still there, but now comes far later than the initial hit.

The taste has really opened up and is now significantly closer to what I expected upon opening. That smoke is now very present and not all that far away from the low end Caol Ila I initially expected. What’s more interesting are the strong roasted coffee bean flavours which follow. This bitterness then develops through the finish before coming to an abrupt end.

So far I’ve gone from not really liking this at all to starting to find something more interesting in it. I would still not say I love it, but it does have more promise than I initially feared. To aid consideration I shared approximately half of the bottle with my wider whisky group. Views were as divergent as my own, but the general consensus being this this is something very interesting, that needs a few years yet to reach its potential. This was reflected in it finishing 7th of 13 on the night.

Final thoughts

After much consideration I’ve finally come to terms with what that odd sickly note is that I first found in this bottle. It’s tee-tree scented Playdough! Although I’m not sure that’s going to win this many more fans. Despite this being a challenging bottle that is clearly living up to its 'work in progress' mantra I can’t help but celebrate the uniqueness of this whisky, and Thomson for daring to do something very different to what’s come before.

Afterall, over the past few years I’ve tried hundreds of whiskies and this one is unlike any other when viewed as a whole. As such I can only recommend people try it, but at the moment I suspect that a dram is a much more appealing prospect than a whole bottle. I suspect that with another few years under its belt this will settle down and become a more cohesive and altogether impressive whisky. I for one am happy to wait for that to happen before getting another bottle.