New Zealand’s Thomson Whisky has received a prestigious global accolade with the world’s largest online whisky retailer, The Whisky Exchange UK, naming the Auckland distillery as its ‘Rising Star for 2024’.

The Whisky Exchange launched its Rising Star award in 2022 to highlight a brand or product that it considered a must-watch and which should be on the radar of spirit lovers in the upcoming year. The award recipient is chosen by a panel of industry experts alongside The Whisky Exchange team.

It is the first time a New Zealand brand has received the title from The Whisky Exchange UK, and the first time a whisky distillery has been selected.

Mathew and Rachael Thomson founded Thomson Whisky as an independent bottler in 2009 and began by selecting casks from the closed Willowbank distillery in Dunedin, showcasing malts that typified New Zealand whisky’s style and character. Amid increasing acclaim for their blending and bottling, they launched their distillery in 2014 in Riverhead in Auckland’s northwest.

Maturing in ex-bourbon barrels and New Zealand wine casks and using native mānuka wood and South Island peat to create smoky spirits, the distillery is known for producing bold, dynamic whisky.

Dawn Davies, head buyer at The Whisky Exchange, said: “'Mat and Rachael came on our radar a few years ago due to rave reviews of their whisky by a well-known spirits reviewer. Their whiskies are a fantastic blend of great quality spirit and an innovative view of whisky making. Every now and then you come across a real gem of a producer, and they are definitely a diamond.”

The Rising Star winner is given a dedicated landing page on thewhiskyexchange.com for one year to showcase the producer and their products.

“We are extremely honoured to take home The Whisky Exchange Rising Star award for 2024, and it is a testament to all of the hard work our team has put into the whisky production over the years,” says Mathew. “It’s been rewarding that our mānuka smoke recipe is opening doors for Thomson Whisky. We’re chuffed when our whisky is noticed in our own country, and it’s thrilling to be recognised internationally by The Whisky Exchange and to be in the elite company of the best spirit makers on the planet.

“It’s a dynamic time for the New Zealand spirits industry. We’ve always hoped to help put contemporary New Zealand whisky on the world map, and this is a step in the right direction.”