Pokeno Discovery Aotearoa New Zealand Single Malt Whisky

Pokeno Discovery is a single malt whisky from Pokeno, New Zealand — 43% ABV (86 proof), 700mL — made from 100% unpeated malted barley grown on New Zealand's South Island and cut with volcanic spring water from the Bombay Hills. It matures first in first-fill bourbon, ex-Oloroso sherry and ex-PX sherry casks; the fully matured casks are then married together in a large vat for three months of slow integration and rested a final 48 hours before bottling. Discovery is Pokeno's introduction to New Zealand single malt, and it is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.

• ABV: 43% (86 proof)
• Size: 700mL
• Distillery: Pokeno Distillery, Pokeno, Waikato, New Zealand
• Grain: 100% unpeated malted barley, South Island, New Zealand
• Casks: first-fill bourbon, ex-Oloroso sherry, ex-PX sherry
• Process: double copper pot distillation; matured casks married 3 months before bottling
• Age: no age statement (components fully matured individually)

New Zealand's Largest Single Malt Distillery

Pokeno was founded in 2017 by Matt and Celine Johns, who built their distillery in the town of Pokeno at the foot of the Bombay Hills, about an hour south of Auckland, and launched the brand in 2022. Everything is local: barley from family farms on the South Island, water drawn from the volcanic springs beside the distillery, and a warm subtropical climate that matures whisky faster than Scotland's — flavour develops quickly, but so does the angels' share. Discovery is the distillery's core expression, the one designed to show what a bourbon-and-sherry cask marriage tastes like when the whisky underneath is entirely New Zealand-grown.

Tasting Notes

The distillery's official note: dark chocolate, black forest gateau, ripe cherries and sweet citrus — an indulgent, dessert-leaning nose and palate with a rich, smooth and incredibly long finish as the PX and Oloroso casks linger.

How to Enjoy

Neat or over a single cube; the sherry-cask fruit makes it an easy after-dinner pour. It also stands up in a Rob Roy or a whisky highball where the chocolate-cherry notes carry through.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Pokeno whisky made? In Pokeno, in New Zealand's Waikato region — despite any "Japanese whisky" labelling you may see elsewhere, it is a New Zealand single malt, made from South Island barley and local volcanic spring water.

What casks mature Pokeno Discovery? A three-cask marriage: first-fill bourbon casks plus ex-Oloroso and ex-PX (Pedro Ximénez) sherry casks. The matured whiskies are vatted together for three months before bottling.

Does Pokeno Discovery have an age statement? No — it is bottled without an age statement. Each cask is matured until the distillery judges it fully mature (a minimum of three years), and the sherry and bourbon components are then married before bottling.

From the Bombay Hills to San Diego — order Pokeno Discovery online from Del Mesa Liquor, or come taste New Zealand's whisky country in store.