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While California is celebrated for its wine, entertainment, and natural beauty, it is certainly not known for whiskey. When I lived on the central coast, I often used to see Re:Find products at my favourite cocktail bar. I had a dram of their small batch rye, and I enjoyed it. It had personality.

New Zealand has been producing whisky since the 1830s, when Scottish settlers arrived in the country. It is one of the very few western societies where home distillation is legal. Ironically, I had to come home to Scotland to find a New Zealand single malt that was nerdy enough to go on the "Pacific Rim" Tasting!

I had a flying visit to the Spring Bay Distillery production site, which is located just a couple of miles from Hobart International Airport in a nondescript industrial park. If you threw a ball, you could almost hit international whisky darling Sullivans Cove Distillery, which is just up the road.

The eucalyptus forests, the cool mist, the quietness – Kinglake has a tremendous sense of place. The natural oils in the air scatter blue light in the spectrum, casting a sometimes errie pall over the landscape. Rumor has it that Melbourne-based organised crime in the 20th century used to disappear bodies in the hills in and around Kinglake.

The Thompson Bros have been releasing incredible whiskies (and rums, gins, etc.) for several years now. I really like what they are up to! When they announced their bottling of Kanosuke in early 2023, I was unfamiliar with Kanosuke but curious nonetheless. A recharred ex-shōchū cask?!

On a cold, bewildering, entertaining night in Tokyo, I discovered that I liked whisky. I wanted more.