May Whisky Tasting Box: World Tour Edition

With World Whisky Day just around the corner, this month’s tasting box felt like the perfect excuse to take your palate on a proper global adventure. And if I’m being honest, I’ve already been swept up in the spirit of the upcoming World Cup in Canada, Mexico and USA.

In fact, I may have got slightly carried away… let’s just say my wardrobe now includes more national team shirts than there are drams in this box. No regrets though, because just like football, whisky has this incredible way of bringing different countries, cultures, and styles together.

So, welcome to your May “World Tour” tasting box, three unique whiskies from three very different corners of the whisky world.

Pōkeno Origin: New Zealand Single Malt 43% ABV

Let’s kick things off in New Zealand, a country better known for rugby and stunning landscapes than whisky, but that’s changing quickly.

Pōkeno Origin is a single malt whisky matured in first-fill bourbon casks, which gives it a beautifully bright and fruit-forward character.

Pōkeno Whisky Distillery was founded in 2017, making it a relatively new player, but don’t let that fool you. Built with sustainability and precision in mind, they use:

• Pure volcanic spring water

• Long fermentation times

• Custom copper pot stills

  
  

All of which contribute to a rich and distinctive house style.

Whisky production in New Zealand actually dates back to the 19th century, but the industry went quiet for a period before being revived in recent years. Distilleries like Pōkeno are now leading a new wave of high-quality, world-class whisky.

• New Zealand’s climate accelerates maturation, meaning younger whiskies can still be incredibly flavourful

• Pōkeno grows some of its own barley locally

• The distillery sits on a historic site once used for a 19th-century flour mill

  
  

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: Vanilla, honey, citrus zest

• Palate: Tropical fruit, toffee, soft spice

• Finish: Smooth, lingering sweetness with gentle oak

  
  

Try this with grilled pineapple or glazed pork belly, the sweetness and fruit notes work beautifully together.

Signal Hill Founder’s Select Overproof: Canada 56.3% ABV

Next stop: Canada, a country with a long and often underrated whisky tradition.

Signal Hill Founder’s Select is an overproof whisky, meaning it’s bottled at a higher-than-standard alcohol content for extra intensity and flavour. “Overproof” simply refers to whisky that is bottled above the typical 40–46% ABV range. Higher strength =:

• More concentrated flavours

• Bigger mouthfeel

• The option to add water to open it up

  
  

Signal Hill Whisky is produced in Newfoundland, blending:

• Corn whisky distilled in Canada

• Malted barley whisky distilled in both Canada and the UK

  
  

It’s then matured and blended near the historic Signal Hill, a site famous for being the location of the first transatlantic wireless signal.

Canadian whisky is often known for being:

• Smooth and approachable

• Rye-influenced (even if rye content is low)

• Blended rather than single malt

  
  

But modern producers are pushing boundaries with bolder expressions like this one.

• Canadian whisky regulations are more flexible than Scotch, allowing for creative blending

• Signal Hill’s coastal ageing environment can subtly influence flavour

• Canada is one of the largest whisky exporters in the world

  
  

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: Caramel, toasted oak, baking spice

• Palate: Rich toffee, dark fruit, peppery warmth

• Finish: Long, warming, slightly sweet

  
  

Perfect alongside BBQ ribs or a rich chocolate dessert, it stands up well to bold flavours.

Bain’s 10 Year Old Shiraz Cask (Cask Strength): South Africa 63.5% ABV

Final stop: South Africa, and this one brings serious heat.

This is a limited edition Bain’s single grain whisky, aged for 10 years and finished in Shiraz wine casks, then bottled at a punchy 63.5% ABV.

Cask strength whisky is bottled straight from the cask, without dilution. That means:

• Higher ABV

• Full, unfiltered flavour

• A more intense and authentic tasting experience

• You can add a few drops of water to tailor it to your liking

  
  

Produced at the James Sedgwick Distillery, Bain’s is named after Andrew Geddes Bain, a famous South African road engineer, the distillery is known for:

• Using column stills for grain whisky

• Maturing whisky in a warm climate, which accelerates ageing

• Producing Africa’s first commercially available single grain whisky

  
  

Whisky production in South Africa dates back to the late 19th century, but it wasn’t until the 20th century that it began to take shape in a meaningful way. The modern industry is largely built on the foundations laid by the James Sedgwick Distillery, established in Wellington in 1886, which remains at the heart of South African whisky today. For many years, production was relatively small and focused on blends, but things changed dramatically in the late 20th and early 21st centuries as quality and ambition ramped up. A key turning point came with the release of Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky in 2009 — the country’s first single grain whisky — which quickly gained international acclaim and helped put South Africa on the global whisky map. What truly sets South African whisky apart is its climate: the warm temperatures significantly accelerate maturation, allowing whiskies to develop deep, complex flavours in a fraction of the time compared to cooler regions like Scotland. Today, South Africa is recognised as one of the most exciting emerging whisky regions, producing bold, characterful spirits that consistently punch above their weight on the world stage.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: Dark berries, red grapes, vanilla, oak

• Palate: Bold, jammy fruit, spice, caramel, and a warming heat

• Finish: Long, rich, slightly dry with lingering spice

  
  

Try with aged cheddar or a juicy steak, the richness and spice complement each other perfectly.

Final Thoughts

This month’s box really is a celebration of whisky without borders, three countries, three styles, and three completely different flavour profiles.

Whether you’re watching the football in your latest (and possibly unnecessary) shirt or just enjoying a quiet dram, this box is all about exploring the world one sip at a time.

If your drinking along with our tasting notes, we would love to hear what you thought about the drams in this months box, and if you'd like to join us for next months tasting box, you can join the club here

Cheers to great whisky, wherever it comes from.