October 05, 2024

FAIRLIGHT: OUR FIRST BLEND

In a first for Waiheke Whisky we announce the launch of FAIRLIGHT our first blend. Not just any old blend but created with the help of master distiller Alan Winchester ex Glenlivet.

This is a delicious synthesis of old world premium un-peated whisky with our new world peated back catalog. Fairlight shares its name with one of the first synthesisers that shaped the music industry in the 80's, and this whisky is a synthesis of the two hemispheres.

Keep reading for the lowdown on how Fairlight was made, tasting notes and how we decided on a name.

SPECIAL BLEND

This photo was a very special day for Pat and Mark. Alan was intrigued with our peat and it was a dream come true to get his take on our older casks and how the whisky matured over time. Alan was with us for the commissioning of our new stills and we took advantage of his experience to create Fairlight. Here Alan is tasting the casks he selected to create the blend for Fairlight. The idea was to take our NZ peated whisky and create a unique profile with some well established whisky, the gentle NZ peat weaving its magic with the northern hemisphere spirit.

Why release Fairlight?

After 14 years of limited small releases born from our small hand made copper stills, juggling full time jobs with whisky making on gear we made ourselves we have reached where we dreamed of being - our commercial sized distillery 3.0 is running at full capacity and heading to the next chapter.
Inspired by this transition, and whilst we wait for our newest whisky to age gently, we celebrate with Fairlight, a blend of our favourite Waiheke Whisky single malts of times past, with whisky from best in world distilleries. So here we are. Sampling our whisky from the past and taking a step to the future.

WHATS WITH THE NAME?

We tasted a large number of our back catalog of casks to bring you Fairlight. Combinations of Port cask, American oak and Virgin cask, triple distilled: the sampling process took over a day of Alans time. We were listening to some great 80's tunes and the discussion turned to music as it often does. It was then the idea of sampling and whisky arose.

Marks a bit of a synth geek, often travelling with his beloved Teenage engineering OP1, and so the name Fairlight came up . Its pretty much the

Southern Hemispheres machine that changed music for ever [ for better or for worse depending on your point of view! ] and a nice way to draw attention to this incredible piece of music history.

The CMIs name derives from a hydrofoil called ‘Fairlight’ spotted by Ryrie and Vogel from the seaside garage in Sydney, where they conceived the instrument.

As so many of the names of our whisky there is more than one meaning. It's a gentle, light dram with a clear complexion and easy disposition.

FAIR LIGHT.

Birth of the Sampler

We are huge music geeks and grew up listening to 70-80's tunes. The transition into synth pop / hip hop of the 80s' from synthesiser driven rock in the late 70's [ Newmans Tubeway Army a firm favourite ] spawned a huge diversification of music all accessing sample libraries. The term sample was coined buy Kim Ryrie and Peter Vogel, two Australian synth engineers who created the Fairlight CMI in the late 70's, that had the ability to recored and replay with control over the pitch and envelope.

HOW THE FAIRLIGHT CMI CHANGED THE COURSE OF MUSIC

If you are interested in learning more about the Fairlight CMI and how it changed the course of music, watch this fantastic doco from The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

TASTING NOTES

Delicate floral notes mingle with a gentle waft of peat smoke, reminiscent of a distant bonfire on a winter evening. There are hints of heather honey and vanilla, followed by subtle spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.

The entry is smooth and slightly creamy, with a surprising depth of flavour. Sweet malt and caramelised sugar dance on the tongue, complemented by a touch of orchard fruits—ripe apples and pears.

The peat influence emerges gently, adding layers of earthy smoke that intertwine seamlessly with notes of oak and a hint of coastal brininess.

Medium-long and satisfying, with the hint of peat smoke lingering alongside a final flourish of dried fruit and a whisper of dark chocolate