“Did you just say you went to a Three Ships Whisky tasting?”

My friend was confused, in South Africa Three Ships is still largely considered locally made, lower shelf tipple. Not quite worthy of standing next to the ubiquitous mid-range blends like Bells, Jameson or J&B. It would seem strange, perhaps perverse to squander an evening nosing and tasting it.

For over a decade our tasting presenter, Andy Watts — manager and master distiller of James Sedgwick Distilleries — has been trying to change poor image of Three Ships by crafting interesting and high quality whiskies.

His hard work and passion have paid off. The James Sedgwick Distillery was awarded Innovator of the Year by Whisky Magazine in 2011. Every released expression we tasted has claimed at least one international gold medal, and have been roundly praised by whisky personality Jim Murray. The unreleased expressions we were lucky enough to taste were very interesting as well.

It is always a treat to have someone who is involved in the creation of the whisky you are tasting talk to you about it. Especially when they bring out some of their unreleased expressions and experiments.

The first of seven drams we tasted was Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky. A multi-award winning grain whisky which is growing in popularity and which I am personally fond of. Lots of sweet vanilla which appeals to the South African palate. Unlike anything I have tasted, and definitely worth exploring if you get the chance.

According to Andy Watts, Bain’s is on average 5 years old (no age statement on the bottle). Our second dram was an unreleased cask strength 12 yr old, a more matured, mellowed version of the Bain’s which I preferred over the younger’s vigour.

With the third dram I was introduced to the Three Ships Bourbon Cask Finish, which spends the last six months of maturation in first fill bourbon casks. I particularly enjoyed its’ light stewed apple finish.

The fourth dram – another unreleased cask strength expression – was an interesting experiment to create a uniquely South African dram; by finishing it in pinotage wine casks. A peated malt, it had notes of burnt twigs and, as a fellow taster pointed out, peanuts. On letting it stand, the pinotage characteristics strengthened and it developed a distinctive Marmite nose. After this – despite being a die hard Marmite fan – I found it the least enjoyable of the selection.

Some months ago I sought out the Three Ships 5 Year Old Premium Select, the surprisingly reasonably priced Best Blend Worldwide 2012. Unfortunately my bottle had an unpleasant burnt rubber note, so it was demoted to irish coffee duty.

I was keen to be reintroduced to prove my first impression wrong and I was not disappointed. Our fifth dram had mild Ardbeggian burnt sugar / vanilla note, strong peat, and none of the rubber from my first bottle. Definitely an interesting dram and good value for money if you are looking for bold peat.

Then came the Three Ships 10 Year Old Single Malt, one of my favorites of the evening. Light citrus fruit flavours that recall a milder Glenmorangie Original, with hints of fresh grass. As a fellow taster put it, peat without the smoke.

Definitely recommend getting hold of this soon, stocks are limited and I understand that there won’t be another release for a few years.

Our final dram of the evening, an unreleased cask strength 10 yr old, along with the earlier Three Ships 5 Year Old Premium Select – are the physical manifestations of the love for Islay peated whiskies Andy Watts developed while working at Bowmore. The 10 year old had a mild bourbon nose, but after several drops of water it blossomed into strong smoke and peat, with a mild wet tar note. This was another favorite of the evening and general consensus among the tasters was that it should not remain unreleased.

The James Sedgwick Distillery was founded in 1886 in Wellington and now – thanks to Mr Watts – is making waves internationally. Something South Africans can be proud of and which will hopefully inspire other local distillers. Mr. Watts seems to be given quite a lot of free reign to experiment which is great. Especially since the South African climate speeds up the maturation process. Keep an eye on this one for great things to come.

Unfortunately a lot of local re-education is required to correct the brand image of Three Ships for the masses who do not follow international wine and spirit awards.

Thanks to Andy Watts for the passionate and informative tasting and Paul laCock of Aficionados’s for organising it.

Three Ships Whisky
Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky
Aficionados – Premium Spirits Online

Featured image from National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London – http://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/atlantic-worlds/?item=157551