The launch comes after the company revealed plans for a NZ$25million distillery project in the country’s Central Otago region.

“We have been quietly putting down whisky over the past six years and the team is now finally ready to unveil Scapegrace’s Single Malt,” said Scapegrace co-founder and managing director, Daniel McLaughlin.

“Back in 2014 when we launched Scapegrace, we always knew Single Malt would be a core part of our strategic direction.

“We have the facilities and natural resources to create some of the best whisky in the world and we are so excited to finally be delivering on our promise.”

The first range of releases will feature four bottlings. Rise I and Chorus II, both of which are aged in virgin French oak, Revenant III, made with manuka smoked laureate grains, and Timbre IV which is aged in Bulgarian oak.

“The Single Malt journey has been part of the brand’s strategic direction since early creation, with a real focus on pioneering the movement of New Zealand Single Malt Whisky on the global stage,” said co-founder and marketing director of Scapegrace, Mark Neal.

“With a great ambition to showcase New Zealand Single Malt to the world, we are thrilled to release our first allocation of Scapegrace Limited Release Single Malt.”