Scotland might be considered the home of whisky, but a distillery in New Zealand is claiming major international awards – and boosting the country’s profile as a producer of world-class spirits.

Founded in 2014 by brothers-in-law Dan McLaughlin and Mark Neal (alongside Richard Bourke), Scapegrace Distilling Co is eight years in the making. What began as a small business in Auckland has grown into New Zealand’s largest independent spirits company with trade in 43 global markets.

The 36-hectare property rests on the pristine banks of Lake Dunstan in Central Otago, overlooking the rugged terrain of Mt Pisa on New Zealand’s South Island.

‘New world’ whisky

Scapegrace is a ‘new world’ distillery, which means their spirits are produced in a non-traditional whisky-producing country – in this case, New Zealand – but their whisky is made using Scottish techniques.

“We use the proper grain-to-glass technology in our distillation process, so we do everything that a traditional Scottish whisky distillery would do,” says Dan. “We start with malted barley, and we go through the whole brewing process and fermentation process, and then the distillation process.”

Then it’s down to the unique combination of geography, climate and local ingredients used during production. Scapegrace whiskies are aged in virgin French oak, along with casks that held Central Otago pinot noir, sherry and bourbon.

“It is probably a slightly different marriage of whiskies than a traditional Scottish distillery would use,” says Dan. “Then, of course, our climate down here in Central Otago is quite a different climate to Scotland, with really high temperatures in summer and really low temperatures in winter.”

This is where the magic happens – torque is created as the cask expands in the heat and contracts when temperatures cool, giving “a lot more interaction with the wood”, and imparting flavour into the whisky at a young age.

Whisky production facilities at Scapegrace include a purpose-built, 5000-litre wash still and a 3500-litre spirits still from Speyside Copperworks in Scotland. To reduce their carbon footprint, they use hydroelectricity instead of diesel to power their boiler.

Stepping onto a global stage

Since opening, Scapegrace has won several major international awards – including the prestigious World Whisky Awards 2025 in London, where their Vanguard whisky won Gold and Best in Category of the Single Malt.

Vanguard and Anthem are two whiskies in the Scapegrace Core Expressions range, which were released in limited batches. “We’ve only just launched these in the last year or so,” says Dan, making the win even more impressive.

“The World Whisky Awards represent the pinnacle of international whisky competitions, so winning this award is a massive achievement for us,” adds Mark.

The winning Vanguard Whisky is matured in virgin French oak using classic laureate malt, which is a spring barley favoured in European whiskies. It’s described as “Highland-esque”, and tasting of “poached pears, vanilla custard and Anzac biscuits”.

Scapegrace’s Anthem range uses the native manuka shrub for a bespoke flavour. “It's similar to the peating process that you would get with an Irish whisky, but instead of using peat, we use chips from the manuka tree,” says Dan. “It gives it a smoky, sweet taste, but not as smoky as an Irish whisky.”

In 2024, their Ephemeral Whisky claimed gold in the New Zealand Single Cask category, also at the World Whisky Awards. “When you have awards related to your products, it helps with everything from consumers to buyers at retailers and grocers,” says Dan. “[People who] drink whisky definitely take notice of awards, and awards help get products on the shelf and make them stand out.”

The best way to sip and savour New Zealand whisky

“I drink whisky neat, in a glass at room temperature,” says Dan, “but lots of people drink whisky on the rocks. Our whiskies are really good for mixing in cocktails, even in something as simple as a whisky highball.”

Scapegrace’s cellar door, retail space and restaurant are set to open in early 2026, but in the meantime, road-trippers and whisky-lovers can check out Dan’s favourite watering holes.

On the North Island, he recommends Panacea, a non-traditional bar in Auckland taking a Michelin-starred approach to their premium cocktails. On the South Island, he loves The Last Word, a whisky and cocktail lounge with top-shelf tastings, and Bloody Mary’s, which devotes three pages of their drinks list to primo international whiskies. Kismet in Nelson is a late-night staple and Bardeaux in Queenstown has the city’s biggest whisky collection.

“I sort of just sip away on a whisky,” says Dan. “After a long day, it's quite relaxing.”

Explore Scapegrace spirits.