September 2026
Ringbearer, Lord of the Rings 25th Anniversary Edition Ballot
Ringbearer is the official 25th Anniversary edition, available in Australia exclusively to Club Members. Strictly limited release, ballot entries are now open.
New ZealandColour Bright gold
Nose Manuka honey, vanilla and white chocolate progressing to freshly sliced melon and white peach
Palate Deliciously spicy with notes of banana, melon leading to honey on warm buttered toast.
Overview
It might be the most precious whisky on the planet.
The official Lord of the Rings whisky, Ringbearer, created by our friends at Pōkeno Whisky Co in New Zealand, is coming exclusively to the Club in Australia and it’s every bit as sought after as its namesake.
Nestled in the misty mountains and valleys of NZ’s Waikato region (a day’s hike north of Hobbiton), the family-owned Pōkeno distillery is the perfect pick to create a dram worthy of pouring at an eleventy-first birthday.
The distillery was founded by Matt and Céline Johns in 2017 and uses pure spring water from the surrounding volcanic hills, and barley sourced from three family-owned farms on the South Island.
When tasked to create the official whisky to mark the 25th Anniversary of everyone’s favourite epic, they sought out a selection of casks as diverse as the Fellowship itself. First-fill bourbon, virgin American oak, muscat and Manuka honey barrels were all used to create this exceptionally smooth and flavoursome release.
A one-off limited edition expression with label and packaging designed to match, this will be sought after by drinkers and collectors alike.
Available via ballot to Club Members, it will be drawn Wednesday 16 September.
Join the ballot now.
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THE SPECS
Price: $195.00
Age: No Age Statement
ABV: 46%
Maturation: American Oak, Muscat and Manuka Honey Casks
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Pōkeno Whisky Company's History
Pōkeno Whisky Company is the passion project of Matt and Céline Johns, who founded the distillery in 2017 with a dream of putting Aotearoa New Zealand on the whisky region map and producing some of the world's best single malt. This dream has become reality; it could be said that New Zealand Whisky is becoming the new Tasmanian Whisky.
Originally from the UK, Matt's whisky career kicked off in 1999 and saw him working at a couple of Club-favourite distilleries; Tullibardine and Glenmorangie. He brought his experience to The Land of the Long White Cloud and found the perfect location for the distillery, just south of Auckland in the small town of Pōkeno. As craft distillers, Matt and the Pōkeno crew are able to focus on quality over quantity, on doing things their way, not the easy way.
Set in a warm yet often misty valley, under volcanic hills that are home to the springs from which they (as well as Pure NZ Water, which is right across the road) get their water, Pōkeno is the perfect location for a distillery.
Laureate barley is sourced from three family-owned farms in the South Island's Canterbury region. The fertile soils of these farms produce premium barley, and the Pōkeno team work closely with the farmers to ensure its ongoing quality.
Head Distiller Rohan McGowan doesn't rush anything, taking his time with a long fermentation time of 72 to 80 hours to extract everything he can from the barley, and then double distils it incredibly slowly, maximising copper contact through the process to refine the profile and ensure that only the purest spirit is taken for maturation.
The result? A front-ended, clean spirit with massive amounts of tropical fruits, and a viscous malty biscuit base.
The distillery itself is state-of-the-art, featuring four 3,000L stainless steel fermenters, a Scottish-made 4,000L wash still and 3,800L spirit still with an upwards-tilted swan neck, to help create a light and fruity whisky. Pōkeno is the largest whisky distillery in New Zealand, but even with its 100,000L per annum capacity only produces about a week's output from a typical Scottish distillery.
The spirit is laid up in ex-Bourbon casks from Jack Daniels, as well as a variety of Sherry and New Zealand red wine casks. The distillery also has the luxury of an in-house cooperage.
All of this allows Pōkeno to create single malt whisky with exceptional body and flavour; whisky that captures the pure spirit of New Zealand.
Distillery Facts
Region: North Island
Origin: 22 Gateway Park Drive, Pōkeno 2402, New Zealand
Founded: 2017
Water Source: Pure spring water from the surrounding volcanic hills
Washbacks: 4, Stainless Steel
Stills: 2 (1 wash, 1 spirit)
Capacity: 100,000 litres per annum