{"id":3292,"date":"2021-04-20T16:28:22","date_gmt":"2021-04-20T16:28:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fx5.com\/en-gb\/?p=3292"},"modified":"2021-06-30T23:11:03","modified_gmt":"2021-06-30T23:11:03","slug":"spotlight-pokeno-whisky-company","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fx5.com\/en-gb\/spotlight-pokeno-whisky-company\/","title":{"rendered":"Client Spotlight: Pokeno Whisky Company"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"2273\" height=\"2273\" src=\"https:\/\/fx5.com\/en-gb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Pokeno_logo_social-002-1.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3351\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fx5.com\/en-gb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Pokeno_logo_social-002-1.webp 2273w, https:\/\/fx5.com\/en-gb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Pokeno_logo_social-002-1-300x300.webp 300w, https:\/\/fx5.com\/en-gb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Pokeno_logo_social-002-1-700x700.webp 700w, https:\/\/fx5.com\/en-gb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Pokeno_logo_social-002-1-768x768.webp 768w, https:\/\/fx5.com\/en-gb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Pokeno_logo_social-002-1-1200x1200.webp 1200w, https:\/\/fx5.com\/en-gb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Pokeno_logo_social-002-1-1536x1536.webp 1536w, https:\/\/fx5.com\/en-gb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Pokeno_logo_social-002-1-2048x2048.webp 2048w, https:\/\/fx5.com\/en-gb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Pokeno_logo_social-002-1-600x600.webp 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2273px) 100vw, 2273px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Written by Megan Alexander<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Our&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">meeting with Rohan<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;McGowan<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, distiller and wearer of many hats<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;at The Pokeno Whisky Company<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">was&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">exciting<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;in many ways.&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">A<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">quick Google search will yield only<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;scant traces of interviews and other articles written about th<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">e<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;distil<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">l<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ery, located about&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">a<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">n<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;hour south of&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Auckland<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, New Zealand.&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Furthermore<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, their bottles cannot be bought in stores<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">or anywhere<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;&#8211; yet<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">!<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;We were eager to get an exclusive look into their mysterious business.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Pokeno has been&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">producing and barreling their single<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">malt specialty&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">whisky<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;for over a&nbsp;year<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;and<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">is<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;eagerly awaiting April 2022<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&#8220;W<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">e are embracing the Scottish rules<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, meaning it will take 3 years and 1 day in an oak barrel until we\u2019ve actually produced&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">whisky<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. For now,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;we\u2019re just a&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u2018<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">spirit<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u2019<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;production company<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201d explained Rohan.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Kiwi Craft Distilling<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559738&quot;:40,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The history of craft spirits in New Zealand is an interesting one.&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">It begins, ends, and then starts again with the historic&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Willowbank<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;Distillery<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;who was a large producer for its time in the 1970\u2019s&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">and<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;closed in 1997. S<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">hortly<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">after th<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">eir closure,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">their<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;remaining barrels were<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;auctioned<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;and&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">bought<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;and&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">years later&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">th<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">e buyers<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">began<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;bottling, which revived interest in craft spirits<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;in New Zealand<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Distilleries began to resurface,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">and the industry&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">began to flourish<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Talk to any distiller in New Zealand and you will hear bits and pieces of this story. Whisky continues to be prominent in the region thanks&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">to the&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">accessibility<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;of raw ingredients&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">close by<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Some&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">distillers<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;are&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">exploring a variety of<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;spirits<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">and some, like Pokeno, are sticking to single-malt roots;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;some&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Kiwi-<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">centric<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, some<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;more export<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">-focused.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cThe&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">i<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ndustry is coming together. A new industry&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">a<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ssociation just started up, Distilled Spirits Aotearoa, Aotearoa being the M\u0101ori name for New Zealand.&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">It<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&#8216;s kind of at an interesting phase where everyone&#8217;s kind of feeling out who everyone else is, and what the priorities are for the different producers,\u201d Rohan&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">says.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Rohan<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u2019s career path is also not to be overlooked.<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">O<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">riginally trained as a scientist<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, Rohan decided his interests were better aligned with<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;winemak<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ing<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. From there<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;he&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ventured<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;into cider&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">and later brewing \u2013 and finally landed in distillation. A man who has truly done it all.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cI have a keen interest in craft production of alcoholic beverages, and it&#8217;s been a really interesting full circle transition throughout the different industrie<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">s,\u201d Rohan reflects.<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201c<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">It has allowed for a lot of perspective about production and the different concepts behind production. My focus has always been on producing high quality goods<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">WAY&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">Before Bottle #1&nbsp;<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559738&quot;:40,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">That keen interest&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">led<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;him to&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">an opportunity with&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Matt and&nbsp;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/fx5.com\/en-gb\/the-women-of-the-distilling-world\/\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Celine Johns<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;at The Pokeno Whisky Company&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">in pursuit of grain-to-glass<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;New Zealand whisky. The<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ir<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;grains are&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">sourced<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;from the island<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;as&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">are<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;most of their supplies. A<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">s in any&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">rising&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">industry<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;there are paths that&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">still&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">need to be blazed, like&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">finding cooperage<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, which&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">has to<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;be imported.&nbsp;<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201c<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">Our goal is to make the best<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;single malt spirit that really helps define&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">New Zealand<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;whisk<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">y. We&#8217;re really fortunate to come along in what is kind of&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">the&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">infancy&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">o<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">f<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;the industry and help define and direct&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">it<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&#8211;&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">which is really cool<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201d<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;Rohan&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">mused<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:1,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">While we all eagerly await the first barrel\u2019s 1,096<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">th<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;day in oak, Rohan and the team continue to produce and lay up barrels for the years to&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">come and<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;make memories along the way. He painted one suc<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">h story perfectly and had&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">us<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;laughing 16&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">time zones away<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cDuring commissioning we had a lot of fun figuring out what worked and didn&#8217;t work from an equipment perspective. W<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">e all crapped ourselves one of the first times we fired up the mash tun&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">be<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">cause the chute from the grain elevator wasn&#8217;t wide enough for the flow of the&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">grain<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;so it backed up and we just h<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ear<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">d banging and&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">smashing&nbsp;and all thought the world was going to end. We were running out of the distillery and hitting the isolation switches on things! Commissioning was a lot of&nbsp;fun&nbsp;and we learned a lot of things&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">really quickly<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">All Part of the Process<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:40,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">What advi<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">c<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">e d<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">oes Rohan<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;have to share with new distilleries?&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cY<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ou don&#8217;t st<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">art&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">brewing or&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">d<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">istilling for other people<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. Y<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ou start for yourself<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">So<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">I think having a good idea of how to get to&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">the&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">final&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">product that you&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">want<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;and&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">with that<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;having good plans<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;laid out<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;for getting it to market, is&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">really important<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. Thankfully,&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Matt and Celine<\/span> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">did<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;a great job at that<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In this case, a well-developed plan also meant the foresight of having system in place. Operating with a smaller team meant being streamlined and efficient, which is why they&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">enlisted the FIVE x 5 team early on.&nbsp;<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cIn my role I&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">wear many hats,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;so to just remove&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">any<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;question mark<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">s<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;and basically not have to think about what is&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">located&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">where makes it amazing. I think that&#8217;s the beauty of it &#8211; it&#8217;s&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">p<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">eace of&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">m<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ind that I know that the kind of back end of everything is taken care of.&nbsp; I can focus on production, I can focus on warehousing, I can repair barrels. I&#8217;ve got time to do that kind of stuff.&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">I<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">t&#8217;s made everything a breeze<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,\u201d Rohan told<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;us<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.&nbsp;<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The Pokeno Whisky Company is on the verge of being able to share great things with the public. We ca<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">n\u2019<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">t wait to<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">continue to support the team as the barrels fill up<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&nbsp;and roll out<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">!<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Written by Megan Alexander Our&nbsp;meeting with Rohan&nbsp;McGowan, distiller and wearer of many hats&nbsp;at The Pokeno Whisky Company,&nbsp;was&nbsp;exciting&nbsp;in many ways.&nbsp;A&nbsp;quick Google search will yield only&nbsp;scant traces of interviews and other articles written about the&nbsp;distillery, located about&nbsp;an&nbsp;hour south of&nbsp;Auckland, New Zealand.&nbsp;Furthermore, their bottles cannot be bought in stores&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;or anywhere&nbsp;&#8211; yet!&nbsp;We were eager to get an exclusive look [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3351,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"page-default-no-featured-image.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_gallop_menu_shadow":false,"content-type":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[13,6,56,57,58,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-3292","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-spotlights","8":"tag-client-spotlight","9":"tag-craft-distillery-software","10":"tag-craft-distilling","11":"tag-new-zealand-craft-spirits","12":"tag-new-zealand-distilleries","13":"tag-whisky","14":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.4 - 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