Become a
Private Cask Member
The Scapegrace Distillery is about to embark on an exciting new journey, a journey which has been bubbling away for many years.
With an ambition and obsession to lay down the foundations to produce world class Single Malt Whisky from New Zealand, we have been putting down the fundamentals to reshape the landscape of new world whisky. At the heart of this voyage is our new spiritual home which is perched in the picturesque Central Otago, overlooking Lake Dunstan.
Situated exactly on the 45th parallel (mid-point between the equator and south pole), the site is exposed to extremes in hot and cold temperatures, an optimum environment for aging whisky.
Naturally the pristine water quality, fresh from the Southern Alps was another contributing factor to ensure the quality of our single malt could flourish over time.
The Distillery
With the first phase of our new distillery now complete, our ambitiously long barrel house is complete and the very first ever barrels will be set to rest and age gracefully over time.
This monumental moment cannot be lost to time, so with this in mind Scapegrace will be providing the unique unique opportunity to secure the first ever private barrels to be laid in the new distillery.
As an exclusive owner of these private casks, you not only will be securing your place in Scapegrace history, but will be coming along for an exciting journey as your cask flourishes to life at your new home.
Exceptional Oak
Virgin French Oak.
Our cask strategy since creation was to ensure that we can give our Single Malt the best possible start to its journey in life.
This is why we have selected Virgin French Oak.
Virgin French Oak imparts a lovely rich character in the spirit from an early age, with balanced spiciness, silky vanillin notes as well as subtle sweetness. These flavours are well matched to our local new make spirit and allow for more consistent aging to remove any of the volatile congeners. Another key attribute from French Oak is its high tannin levels which tends to be more balanced in Quercus Robur versus that of the American counterpart - Quercus Alba.
Every core expression of Scapegrace Single Malt will start its journey in a Virgin French Oak barrel.
Cask is king.
Private Casks
All private casks will start life in the Virgin French Oak and there will be two distinct variteies of malt to select from, Distillers Malt and Manuka Smoke Malt.
Distillers Malt
We use 100% local barley produced from South Canterbury. Our distiller’s malt is a premium malt produced exclusively from distilling barley varieties with the right nitrogen content. The barley has been gently kilned to preserve enzyme content and the resulting malt has both high extract and diastatic power. The end result is a barley and new make which is slightly sweet, rich in character and clean.
Manuka Smoked Malt
We take the same barley varieties as our classic distillers malt and place the grains in a smoker with 100% New Zealand grown West Coast Manuka wood. Our Manuka Smoked Malt is smooth and overlaid with floral, sweet characteristics. This malt is also excellent when distilled, and imparts a smooth, natural smokiness with distinct Manuka notes to the finished whisky that is unique to New Zealand
Our Founding Casks will mature for a minimum of 3 years and maximum of 10 years with the owners of these exclusive casks having the opportunity to sample each cask annually at the distillery as the cask matures over time.
Very limited availability with production of 1 x 220L Private Cask per month.