Our People

I founded the Pōkeno Whisky Company with a vision to help put New Zealand on the map as a whisky producing nation; and to use all of our experience to create some of the world's greatest single malts.

This is a passion project, and I am fortunate to have alongside me a team of equally passionate and creative people. We are all incredibly dedicated, and we craft our spirit with no compromise or shortcuts.

More importantly we have a lot of fun while living out our dream.

Deciding to build our own distillery to celebrate the fantastic natural attributes of this wonderful country is the adventure of our lives. From the rugged beauty of its landscapes to the community spirit of its people, New Zealand is a truly inspiring place to call home. I am so happy that we can now share a taste of this most magical place through our wonderful single malts. Welcome to the adventure!

Here at Pōkeno I wear many hats – and not just because I’m bald. I’ve been the mash man, still man, cooper, warehouse manager … even the guy who figures out why the boiler isn’t working. If you can think of a distillery job, chances are I’ve done it. And loved doing it too. That’s because while I could call myself a scientist, craft brewer and winemaker, above all I’m a distiller. I’ve been crafting our single malts from day one here and, alongside the rest of the team, I’m excited to finally be able to share our amazing spirit with the rest of the world.