New Zealand Whisky Co manager Deb Preston celebrates the
shipment of whisky about to begin its journey yesterday
from Oamaru to the home of the whisky, Scotland. Photo by
David Bruce.
Coal to Newcastle or ice to Eskimos - there is the
inevitable cliche for Oamaru whisky to Scotland.
Yesterday, 648 bottles of whisky from the New Zealand Whisky
Co's store in the Oamaru historic precinct were loaded on to
a truck to begin the journey to Scottish whisky, wine and
spirit wholesaler Gordon and McPhail in Elgin (about 60km
east of Inverness), Scotland.
In the shipment are different 700ml bottle labels, including
medal-winning whisky.
New Zealand Whisky Co's New Zealand manager, Deb Preston,
said this was the first shipment to the wholesaler by the new
company and followed sales promotions in the United Kingdom,
boosted by medals won in prestigious overseas competitions.
The shipment included South Island 18- and 21-year-old single
malts, a Dunedin Distillery DoubleWood 10-year-old whisky,
Milford 15-, 18- and 21-year-old single malts and 1987, '88,
'89, '90 and '93 Cask Strength Whisky.
Export of the Cask Strength Whisky was a major breakthrough
for the company.
"It is top of the line, in the top echelon of whisky," she
said.
The company just learnt at the weekend that its whiskies had
won gold, silver and two bronze medals at the Wizards of
Whisky world whisky awards.
The gold was awarded to the 1993 Cask Strength, which was
included in yesterday's export shipment.
The DoubleWood and the South Island single malt 18-year-olds
both won silvers, and the bronze was for the South Island
21-year-old.
Those awards followed two of the company's whiskies winning
world's best awards at the Whisky Olympics in Michigan,
United States.
david.bruce@odt.co.nz
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