What if you could taste our whisky before it becomes whisky?

Before the barrels. Before the years of waiting. Before the oak has had its say.

Just the spirit, exactly as it comes from our stills.

It's called new make spirit, and we think it's one of the most fascinating parts of whisky making.

The whisky before the whisky

There's a saying in whisky making that around 75% of the character of the finished whisky is already there before it ever enters a barrel.

The grain, the fermentation, the shape of the stills and the decisions made during distillation all help create the spirit's character.

The barrel then has years to work its magic.

But here's the interesting part.

If you taste new make spirit, you get to experience what the distiller has created before the oak begins to influence it.

No colour from the barrel. No years of maturation.

Just the grain and the spirit.

Three grains. Three different personalities.

We've always been curious about what happens when you take different grains grown on the same farm and put them through the distillery.

How different could they really be?

As it turns out, there's a lot to explore.

Each grain has its own characteristics, and those differences begin to show themselves long before the spirit reaches a barrel.

It's something we've been discovering as we've worked with the grain grown here on Auld Farm.

And it's something we'd love you to experience too.

We've been putting together something that will give you a glimpse into this part of our whisky-making journey.

Three new make spirits.

Three different grains.

All grown here on our Southland farm.

A chance to taste the foundations of our future whiskies, long before those whiskies are ready to leave their barrels.

We're rather excited about this one.

Keep an eye out. Something new is coming from Auld Farm.