In recent years, the whisky industry has been revolutionised by the emergence of New World Whisky. It’s more than just a trend too. It’s a movement marked by creative production methods, distinctive ingredients, and novel viewpoints.
Put simply – it is transforming the sector, altering perceptions of whisky and attracting a new generation of drinkers
Central to it, is how it moves away from both conventional whisky-making ideas and the powerhouse regions. New World Whisky is spearheaded by a diverse assembly of regions including Scandinavia, Canada, Australia, France, Taiwan, England and India.
Understandably then, it represents a huge array of producers, styles and ways whisky can be made.
Here we’ll go into some of the hot regions, the stand out names emerging and why it’s an area of whisky that’s worth championing.
The allure and limitation of new world whisky
New World Whisky lacks the standardisation seen in traditional whisky regions.
This scenario creates a double-edged sword; on one hand, it affords creators a broad spectrum of possibilities in crafting distinctive whiskies, enabling a playground of innovation and experimentation. There’s some wonderfully weird whisky being made. Not only are they intellectually satisfying, they are often delicious!
A lot of that comes down to less stringent regulation. New World Whisky distilleries have the latitude to experiment with different grains, cask finishes, and production techniques (compared to Scotch or Bourbon). This offers a rich palette of flavours and styles that resonate with the modern consumer’s adventurous spirit.
New world whisky frequently challenges the status quo too. It asks why the category has to be perceived in a certain way. Ever the ‘enfant terrible’ of the whisky world, it can be playful at times and beak the taboos needed to push the spirit forward.
Despite the obvious allure – the unorthodox nature of new world whisky has it’s downside. Namely, it introduces an element of complexity for consumers who find it challenging to pinpoint one or two simple hooks to understand what a producer or region is about.
Here’s an easy way to frame new world whisky it in your minds –
The big three advantages
Innovation flexibility. Freed from stringent production norms, distilleries can experiment, innovate, and pursue novel concepts with no limits. You get really progressive ideas being implemented, which can lead to extraordinary flavours.
Local ingredients. Leveraging locally available ingredients can create whiskies with a unique regional accent. This can be done through grain selections, water, specific yeasts, native timber for casks, local collaborations with vineyards for barrels etc.
Climate & terroir. Different climates affect maturation not just in terms of heat and moisture, but the temperature swing, the air quality etc. Each factor builds a set of conditions that give the products a unique local stamp.
The three main disadvantages
Market acceptance. Winning the trust of consumers steeped in traditional whisky cultures poses a considerable challenge. Many retailers don’t have new world whisky sections. Because of that, you don’t tend to see the diversity of new world whisky on shelves in shops or bars that often.
Knowledge & community. Craft distilling requires specialist skill sets, and infrastructure to service the industry. With both less established and fewer distilleries, it can take time to build knowledge base and broader trade / training ecosystem flourishing industries need in each country.
This explains why there usually are only one or two established names in most of the countries, rather than a proliferation of medium sized enterprises (which is the case in places like the US). The result is lots of countries in the in the new world whisky category, but not much depth to each… Yet.
Collaboration & compliance. Building an industry benefits from collaboration and a shared vision. Competing with established categories like Scotch and Bourbon demands it. But alliances take time to forge, and consumer trust is easily broken in the absence of legal statues and regulatory bodies. New World Whisky regions are only as good as the collective quality, and that makes them fragile…
For a region to become recognised it needs structure and that’s hard to do. It took Japan half a century to achieve its established status for example, and their rules are only in effect as of 2024.
Unveiling the new world whisky regions
United States beyond Bourbon and Canada beyond Rye
Beyond the renowned Bourbon and Tennessee whiskies, craft distilleries have been mushrooming across the united states, ushering in a variety of styles and expressions that are distinctly American. There are well over 3000 registered distillers now.
Excitingly, from a whisky category perspective, contemporary start-up distilleries are breaking away from the conventional Bourbon production. American Single Malt is fast becoming one of the most compelling genres of whisky being made in the US.
Old world whisky country perhaps, but a new direction…
In Canada, the whisky scene is equally witnessing a continued renaissance. There are craft distilleries experimenting with unique grains and production methods and new producers helping to diversify the scene. Just like the USA, it’s an established whisky country, but this marks a new direction away from what has been predominantly rye whisky based so far.
Australia
Australia’s whisky production is a burgeoning industry. The growth rate since 2015 has been phenomenal. Tasmania is a veritable hive of innovative craft whisky distilleries, producing spirit with a distinct character derived from the pristine environment. There is even an established whisky trail and festival now in place.
On the mainland, distillers in both West and South Australia and in Victoria are looking towards experimental cask selections and collaborations with Australia’s wineries. This in turn, is providing them ample opportunity to create unique products with recognisable pedigree that resonates with drinkers. Barossa, Hunter Valley, Margaret River and Yarra wine cask finishes could well be a common sighting in future.
Starward are the big name internationally, by domestically, Lark, Archie Rose and others show there is both quality and depth.
Growth will take time however as many are on a micro scale and while highly respected, only a handful have the size needed to become better known internationally.
Taiwan
Taiwanese whiskies, although relatively new to the scene, have established a formidable reputation due to the likes of Kavalan. As the country’s lead brand, Kavalan demonstrates mastery in creating tropical and fruity whisky expressions, leveraging the island’s humid climate.
It also illustrates our earlier point – a big name with global recognition, but where are the rest of the Taiwanese whiskies?
India
India stands tall as one of the largest whisky consumers globally. Whisky sales are estimated at being over $18.8bn (£15bn) in 2022 alone. It’s best known for low quality bulk made locally or Blended Scotch that’s imported by the tanker – but the scene is changing rapidly.
Over the past 5 years, the burgeoning craft distillery movement is creating waves with local brands championing premium spirits with an Indian soul.
This is rubbing off on the perception of Indian Whisky. Amrut, Paul John and Rampur have all had credible Single Malts winning awards internationally for a while now, but their traction seems to be finally gaining momentum.
Meanwhile as more small scale craft distillers enter the market with their gin and rum production, the producer pool is diversifying and will ultimately begin to create micro (by comparison) expressions that add further interest.
Three new world whisky regions stand out for their fervent and burgeoning scenes: New Zealand, Scandinavia, and England.
The Kiwis are fast catching up to their Australian neighbours, with the malt whisky distilling scene in New Zealand growing both in size and reputation. Cardrona, nestled in New Zealand’s South Island, holds the (self proclaimed) title of being the world’s most southern whisky distillery.
Further north, the Thomson Whisky Distillery, established in 2014, started releasing whisky in 2018, captivating palates with releases such as the highly regarded “Local Folk & Smoke,” matured in Pinot Noir barrels.
Meanwhile, Scapegrace (best known for their Gin) also commands attention with its interesting releases. Moreover, they have the ability to distribute broadly internationally, marking a promising trajectory for New Zealand’s whisky landscape.
Scandinavia has never been short of high-quality spirits producers, and the whisky across the region reflects this. Sweden showcases a distinct national identity in its whisky, housing a dozen distilleries. Each bring forward the strong sense of place that’s inherent in many Swedish brands outside of the world of spirits.
The pioneer, Mackmyra distillery, established in 1999, added an avant-garde facility in 2011, presenting a tower where each floor embodies a stage in the whisky production process, showcasing a blend of tradition and innovation.
Over in Denmark the likes of Stauning and Copenhagen Distillery show the innovative nature of producers and their willingness to try new production methods. Not to be left behind, Finland is garnering attention with the specialist rye whisky producer Kyro, which now stands out with its fully established and innovative range.
English whisky is a hotbed of activity
Reviving a rich distilling history, England re-entered the whisky production scene with the inception of St George’s Distillery in Norfolk in 2006, marking the dawn of English malt whisky production after over a century.
Despite their best efforts, it never really captured the public’s imagination. Nevertheless, with a slew of new names appearing on the landscape – interest in English Whisky is increasing dramatically.
The Cotswolds Distillery, established in 2014, has won over enthusiasts and is helping the international recognition of English Whisky. Meanwhile The Lakes, which opened doors in the same year in the picturesque Lake District is growing rapidly. Yorkshire based Filey Bay and Ellers Farm, London based Bimber and East London Distilling Co and Copper Rivet, and Midlands based White Peak Distillery have all come onto the scene with acclaimed offerings. It’s bustling right now.
There’s now an English Whisky Guild in place working towards a structured approach towards agreeing collective rules. What was a broad set of distilling operations, it’s fast organising itself to become a force to be reckoned with.
A global landscape of exciting producers
New World Whisky is vast. It encompasses so many areas of the globe and the myriad of ways producers are imbuing their regionality into whisky.
The challenges are clear – more depth is needed for any one region to gain independent status on the international scene. The potential is too – true innovation is happening and the best products are finding an eager audience all around the world.
That’s what makes it exciting, dynamic and ever-evolving!
