| 3 T T Russell Fredric Going global with medal-winning spirits Scapegrace has been named, as one of the Top 10 Distillery openings worldwide for 2024. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Scapegrace Distillery T T to page 4 During the past decade, Scapegrace Distillery has scooped more than an angel’s share of national and international recognition and accolades. On the back of its new $30 million distillery in Central Otago being completed late last year, Scapegrace has been named by The Spirits Business, a leading international spirits trade publication, as one of the Top 10 Distillery openings worldwide for 2024. This recognition caps off its single malt whisky garnering three medals at the 2024 World Whisky Masters, including a gold for its Anthem single malt, plus a silver at the 2024 World Vodka Awards, adding to the many top international spirits awards won in the past 10 years. In 2018, Scapegrace’s Gold Premium Dry Gin won the highest accolade in the global industry against 600 other gins: best London dry gin at the global International Wine and Spirits Competition. The distillery’s global influence is sure to expand further after landing a partnership with Air New Zealand in July last year. This partnership will see its single malt whisky and premium gin available in national and domestic lounges as well as onboard flights for business premium customers. The decision to establish a new headquarters in Central Otago was driven by co-founders Daniel McLaughlin and Mark Neal’s quest to consolidate the distillery’s three former production sites in Auckland into one, leading them to embark on an ambitious journey to establish “a spiritual home”, Daniel says. “We spent four years trying to find a site in this location. There were not really any other geographical contenders as we were adamant we wanted to be on the 45th parallel due to the extremes in temperature, which is great for ageing whisky. “This site is also located on the banks of Lake Dunstan, which is glacial run off from the Southern Alps.” Costing $30 million and covering 3000sqm, Scapegrace’s new state-of-the-art facility was unveiled in November last year. Some equipment, including a 5000-litre wash still and 3500- litre spirits still, was shipped from “We spent four years trying to find a site in this location. There were not really any other geographical contenders as we were adamant we wanted to be on the 45th parallel due to the extremes in temperature, which is great for ageing whisky.” a specialised manufacturer in Scotland, with other parts coming from London. The building comprises warehousing, bottling operations, whisky barrel halls and the distillery, enabling it to produce 160,000 cases of single malt whisky a year, in addition to sufficient gin and vodka to meet its long-term forecasts. “We are currently using a combination of virgin French oak, ex Oloroso sherry casks, first-fill bourbon, and we’ve just started trialling some local Central Otago pinot noir casks. “We finished commissioning in May last year, and we are currently producing three one- tonne mashes per week whilst we scale up. We will be continually monitoring the ageing progress to determine when we will release them.” An understanding of the terroir is central to producing a distinctly New Zealand whisky, Daniel says. Proud to Partner with Scapegrace Distillery. Image: Sam Hartnett Photography
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