Woven is an innovative whisky producer based in Leith, employing an approach to blending that is all about community and collaboration. In the pursuit of the ideal blend, Woven source some of the best whiskies from across the world. No wonder, then, that they've hunted down New Zealand’s Thomson Distillery, an enterprise boasting a long association with our own Jakicevich family.

Hemispheres is a blend of two whiskies from opposite ends of the world. The boutique Thomson's Manuka Smoked Single Malt meets Woven's Single Grain in an elegant juxtaposition of oily, smoky, herbal characters with orange, clove and honey nuances, delivering expansive layers of aromatic flavour.

Over the past decade, New Zealand has experienced a whisky renaissance that has nurtured the emergence of new distilleries. Whisky making here is not a new undertaking, dating back to the 1830s when the first Scottish settlers landed with their whisky expertise. The most famous distillery, Willowbank, was mothballed in 1997, an event that marked the end of local whisky production for many years.

Parts of the Willowbank distillery were disassembled and destined for different parts of the world. Laid up in warehouses, Willowbank's remaining barrels of whisky had another life to live. Some of them ended up in the hands of keen, young distiller, Mat Thomson. Thus Thomson Whisky was launched into the New Zealand market, releasing these old single malts as independent bottlers.

Back in the days when Thomson Whisky was just a gleam in the Thomson eye, Mat and Rachael Thomson started attending the Glengarry Malt Club. Little did they know when they wandered into Jak Jakicevich’s monthly whisky tastings that they were embarking on a lifetime of whisky devotion. Rachael’s passion and marketing smarts merged seamlessly with Mat’s tenacious tendencies and a good old Kiwi do-it-yourself attitude to find the whisky, beat the copper still and sell it to the world.

It was only a matter of time until the Thomson and the Jakicevich families released something together; both have the whisky-loving bug, and both hail from the mighty West Auckland. This special limited bottling celebrates the connection and meeting of spirits: two barrels harmoniously married together, made from locally-grown, unsmoked malted barley, distilled through hand-beaten copper pot stills and matured in New Zealand wine casks, then finished in Tennessee whiskey barrels.

The Grain & Grape is beautifully golden in the glass and a nutty indulgence on the nose. The palate is clean and vibrant, exuding a feeling of summer with its notes of apricot and zesty fruits, the full spectrum of balanced flavours enhanced with a kiss of Tennessee. A strong backbone of whisky and wood extract the distiller's perfection. If you haven’t yet tried these highly acclaimed single malts, well, what are you waiting for?