Amarula Gold

Three Ships Virgin Oak Whisky

On 10/04/2021

It is no secret that I love what comes out of the James Sedgwick distillery. Three Ships single cask and limited editions sell out quickly. The Master’s Collection usually disappears within hours. When Pick n Pay brought out the Three Ships Virgin Oak Cask single malt whisky, I immediately picked up a bottle.

But with alcohol bans and everything going on, I have not captured my tasting notes yet; And it is time.

After many years of asking, in June 2018, the first independent bottled Three Ships was released when Checkers bottled the Private Barrel Co. James Sedgwick Distillery 6 yo whisky. It was the first South African whisky to join the exclusive Private Barrel Co. collection of whiskies.

The James Sedgwick Distillery 6 yo whisky is a lightly peated whisky that spent its first 3 years in older American Oak, followed by 3 years in a seasoned Fino Cask. It was bottled at a very respectable 54.6% ABV, and I rated it Excellent.

Also Read: Santis Malt Alpstein Edition Whisky

That Boutique-y Whisky Company quickly followed with a Three Ships 6 yo whisky. This 6 yo was matured in American oak and finished in PX casks. Only 1 150 bottles were produced. The artwork on the label depicts Master Distiller Andy Watts filling a Three Ships whisky cask with whisky. It was bottled at 53.7% ABV, and I rated it Very Good.

WhiskyBrother and Co have also collaborated with Three Ships, and their latest release was a 9 yo single casks that were bottled in 2020. These independently bottled releases are extremely popular and sell out quickly.

Now Pick n Pay also jumped on the bandwagon and released a Virgin Oak Cask single malt botting. This specific single malt was hand-selected by Andy Watts, Master Distiller.

Three Ships Virgin Oak Whisky Review

It is non-chill-filtered, natural in colour, and matured in virgin American oak. It was exclusively bottled for Pick n Pay and limited to 2 480 bottles.

ABV: 48.6%

COUNTRY: South Africa

COLOUR: Rich amber

NOSE: Sweet oak spices, vanilla, subtle smoke and fresh pine needles. Unusual and inviting with a nearly tropical fruitiness in the background.

PALATE: Toasted oak, smoky black tea with pepper and nutmeg. It is quite oily, and there are hints of toffee. Bits of fruity sweetness with bread pudding and apricot jam. White pepper, subtle smoke and cinnamon apples. A few drops of water brings the pepper spices to the front but dampens the complexity.

FINISH: Medium length and warming with pepper vanilla and a maltiness.

RATING: VERY GOOD

As usual, the whisky coming from the James Sedwick distillery in Cape Town is world-class. The releases are unusual and complex, with bold flavours. For me personally, the Virgin Oak Cask is a bit too spicy. My palate prefers a sweeter dram and gravitates more towards the Bain’s whisky releases.

John enjoyed this release more as his palate is not quite as sweet. I think this release will work wonderfully with a robust, creamy cheese such as an aged cheddar or something similar.

Also Read: A visit to Chamarel Rum Distillery

Three Ships Shiraz Cask Finish 11 yo Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 11/30/2020

In Single Malt whisky

During October 2019, the James Sedgwick Distillery invited a few loyal and enthusiastic Cape supporters to celebrate the Three Ships birthday at the distillery. What they did not know was that this not only was a celebration but a small consumer testing opportunity as well.

Andy Watts, the Master Distiller, wanted some end-user feedback in choosing his next Three Ships Master’s Collection release.

During the event, he gave the fans a few of his ‘work-in-progress’ drams to sample. Unbeknown to them, their feedback during the evening determined the 2020 Master’s Collection release.

A year later, they launched the new Three Ships Master’s Collection Edition. It is a limited edition Three Ships Shiraz Cask Finish 11 year old single malt whisky.

During the launch, 400 bottles were available for purchase and similar to previous years, the bottles flew off the shelves. The 400 bottles sold out within 8 minutes.

The Shiraz Cask finish whisky was first matured for eight years in American oak barrels, before being finished in seasoned Shiraz oak casks for three years. The Shiraz casks were selected from across Distell’s wineries, and no specific winery was given preference.

This is the second red wine finish release from the James Sedgwick Distillery in Wellington. During 2016 they released the Pinotage Cask Finish 15 yo whisky, which was amazing,

Shiraz wine is typically a bold and full-bodied wine with notes of smoke, bacon, blackberry, blueberry and pepper spice.

James Sedgwick Distillery released only 2 994 bottles of the Shiraz Cask. The first 400 are sold, and the remaining bottles are available at leading retailers. The Three Ships Shiraz Cask retails for R 950. The Three Ships Shiraz Cask Finish whisky is non-chill-filtered.

Also Read: Bain’s 15 yo Sonically Matured whisky

Three Ships Shiraz Cask Finish 11 yo Whisky Review

I invited some friends to share this release with me on Twitter and have included their comments.

ABV: 51.4%

REGION: World whisky; South Africa

COLOUR: Rose Gold

NOSE: Dry toasted oak, fruity sweetness with a hint of peat. Red fruits, toasted nuts, honey and caramel in the background. Bits of chocolate orange.

So I had hints of caramel and oak. Had to try a couple of times as it was a sophisticated and complex profile. #ShirazCaskFinish @ThreeShipsSA
— IG: LadySnob_V🍷 (@LadyVera06) November 27, 2020

Wow, it really opens it up! I get a slight nuttiness and citrus fruit added on top of the initial slightly peaty caramel? #ShirazCaskFinish
— Boozy Foodie🍷 (@Boozy_Foodie) November 27, 2020

PALATE: Peat and spices. The fruity sweetness from the nose continues on the palate together with the caramel bits. Adding a few drops of water allows the complexity to come through. It enables the spices to become more defined, and now you can taste pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Dark chocolate and liquorice. Despite the higher ABV, there is no alcohol heat, and I managed to finish my first glass without water. The peaty notes are a green Highland kind of peat.

Adding a few drops of water really opened up the #ShirazCaskFinish unlocking a new wave of flavors. https://t.co/0vsEZ5IU6T
— Nymless (@Ninja_Nym) November 27, 2020

I even get a little liquorice coming through but I am finding that more and more with our peat DNA in @ThreeShipsSA #ShirazCaskFinish
— Andy Watts 🇿🇦 (@TheWhiskyMaker) November 27, 2020

FINISH: Complex with notes of drying oak, sweetness and peat.

Beautifully balanced! This is made for sipping slowly while watching our legendary South African sunset! Or ‘heavy with rain and promise’ skies (current view) 🙂 #ShirazCaskFinish
— Boozy Foodie🍷 (@Boozy_Foodie) November 27, 2020

RATING: EXCELLENT

Take time over this dram; it has so many layers to uncover. It is beautifully balanced between the spicy and fruity sweet notes. For me, the shiraz shines through in the drying oak and red fruit notes. The shiraz finish softened the spicy notes.

I agree, the finish on the last 2 or 3 @ThreeShipsSA releases was more spicy with pepper notes. The Shiraz took out some of that heat #ShirazCaskFinish
— WhiskyoftheWeek (@WhiskyoftheWeek) November 27, 2020

You can pair this bold, spicy whisky with bold food choices, and I think the Three Ships Shiraz Cask Finish whisky will work well with a big, juicy BBQ burger or grilled beef. Even a spicy sausage stew will match nicely. The James Sedgwick Distillery has also released a Bain’s Shiraz Cask Finish whisky which is rather delicious.

Also Read: Three Ships 6 yo vs James Sedgwick Distillery 6 yo Whisky

Ledaig 10 year old Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 06/29/2020

In Single Malt whisky

During 2019, at one of the whisky festivals, I tasted a Ledaig whisky for the first time. At the beginning of 2020, I tasted another Ledaig release and again loved it. I thought that both these special bottlings from Ledaig were impressive.

A friend brought me a mini of the Ledaig 10 year old single malt Scotchwhisky from London. So I am very excited to see what this distillery is all about. The Tobermory distillery, a whisky distillery situated on the Hebridean island of Mull, produces Ledaig whisky. It is the only distillery on Mull Island.

The distillery was first known as Ledaig and was founded in 1798 by John Sinclair. It is located at the foot of a steep hill, at the head of the bay. The water for the distillery comes from the Mishnish lochs.

Ledaig distillery had periods of significant expansion followed by periods of closure with various changes in ownership and name changes. Ledaig translates to a safe haven in Celtic and pronounced “lea-chick”.

Burn Stewart Distillers, a subsidiary of the Distell Group Limited currently own the distillery and brand. The main product, Tobermory single malt, is used in the Scottish Leader blended whisky as well as in Black Bottle whisky. The distillery also produces a smaller amount of heavily peated whisky, which is known under the former name, Ledaig.

The Ledaig portfolio consists of just two permanent expressions, the Ledaig 10 year old and an 18 year old. Various single cask releases are also available. I have tasted the Single And Single Ledaig 13 year old and That Boutiquey Whisky Company Ledaig 18 year old.

The Ledaig 10 year old single malt is aged in ex-bourbon casks and has a peat level of 35 ppm. It is non-chill filtered with natural colour.

Also Read: Glenfarclas 12 year old Whisky

Ledaig 10 year old Whisky Review

REGION: Scottish Islands

ABV: 46.3%

COLOUR: Bright gold

NOSE: Gentle peat with soft fruity sweetness. Hints of barley and malt with briny moss. Quite light and well-balanced.

PALATE: Light peat, ash and wet green moss. Earthy notes with spices. Something in the background that reminds me of cough lozenges. Without water, the pepper and chilli overwhelm the peat a bit. Some alcohol heat. The sweetness promised by the nose only comes out when you add a few drops of water. Medium-bodied. Water softened the ash and promoted the peat.

FINISH: Medium length with sweet peat and pepper.

RATING: VERY GOOD

I loved the other releases that I tasted from this island distillery. This release is the start of the core range and gives a fascinating insight into the distillery style. The peat is soft and mild with more island brine notes and less Islay medicinal notes.

A great dram to introduce someone to peat. The Ledaig 10 year old whisky is not the most complex of drams but with a few drops of water it is easy drinking. Sadly I don’t think this release is currently available in South Africa. I see that at Master of Malt it retails for around R700.

Also Read: King Car Conductor Whisky

Bunnahabhain Eirigh Na Greine Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 04/27/2020

In Whisky of the Week

I tasted the Bunnahabhain Eirigh Na Greine Islay single malt Scotch whisky for the first time a couple of years ago at a function when Pierre Meintjies poured me a tot. It was delicious, and I asked John to buy me a bottle.

Originally it was only available in travel retail, and he brought me a bottle on one of his trips via Heathrow. I decided to try this again as I need something to cheer me up after nearly 30 days of Covid lockdown.

Bunnahabhain distillery was founded in 1883 near Port Askaig on Islay. The name Bunnahabhain is Gaelic for Mouth of the River. It is different than the traditional Islay malt whiskies. Milder and softer with a lightly peated taste compared to the other well-known heavier peated whiskies.

Since 2014, the distillery has been part of the Distell portfolio and is one of nine active distilleries on the island.

Eirigh Na Greine translates to ‘morning sky’ in Gaelic. It is a reference to the colour of the morning sky on Islay. Bunnahabhain mature this single malt is exclusively in French ex-red wine casks. It is now available more widely than just travel retail.

The Bunnahabhain core range includes the 12 year old single malt whisky, the 18 year old and the 25 year old Scotch whisky. There are various independent bottlings as well as special editions and Distillery releases.

I see that Wild About Whisky has a few bottles left. The Eirigh Na Greine whisky is not too expensive either; it retails for just over R 1050 in South Africa.

Bunnahabhain single malt whisky is produced not chill-filtered, with natural colour.

Also Read: Lagavulin 16 yo Whisky

Bunnahabhain Eirigh Na Greine Whisky Review

REGION: Islay

ABV: 46.3%

COLOUR: Warm, amber-gold

NOSE: Red fruits, some sweetness, oak with hints of Merlot red wine, raisins and nut and vanilla. Is that the smell of salty sea air in the background? Rich and delicious.

PALATE: Big, bold and delicious. Pears cooked in red wine, with sultanas and stone fruit. Hints of paprika, sea salt, black pepper, oak and red berry sweetness. Well balanced with a medium body. Bit of alcohol heat that is tempered by a few drops of water.

FINISH: Quite long, sweet and drying with bits of spice.

RATING: EXCELLENT

This dram is just as fantastic as I remember. When you taste whisky at a special event, there is always the risk of event bias. Because everything around you is beautiful, your mind can interpret the food and whisky you are having as delicious. When you taste it later in a normal environment, you wonder what you were thinking.

This Bunnahabhain whisky did not disappoint. It is rich and elegant and simply delicious. Just what I need after four weeks of being confined to our house. It warms my heart and makes me smile. I am pouring a second glass.

But after that, I am stopping. I need to ration myself as alcohol sales are still prohibited in SA, and I don’t know when I can stock up again.

Hopefully, it will not be too expensive one day when things return to some sort of normal; this whisky is worth getting. The Eirigh Na Greine is a beautiful tribute to the golden-red Islay mornings. My heart is happy.

Also Read: Macallan 15 vs Glenfiddich 15 yo Whisky

Three Ships 6 yo vs James Sedgwick Distillery 6 yo Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 01/27/2020

In Whisky Comparison

Today I look at a fun side by side comparison; the Three Ships 6 yo vs James Sedgwick Distillery 6 yo whisky. During this past year or two, there were two 6 year old whiskies released by the James Sedgwick Distillery in Wellington.

The first one was the Checkers Private Barrel Co James Sedgwick Distillery 6 year old and the second was That Boutique-y Whisky Company Three Ships 6 year old whisky. Both special releases created by Andy Watts, South Africa’s Master Distiller extraordinaire.

And what can be more fun than to have a blind side by side tasting of these two proudly South African releases. The Three Ships 6 yo vs James Sedgwick Distillery 6 yo whisky. Or perhaps TBWC vs Private Barrel Co. A Fino Cask versus a PX Cask. Regardless of how you want to look at it, I did it over the weekend and boy was it interesting.

Private Barrel Co. James Sedgwick Distillery 6 yo Whisky

This is the first South African whisky to join the exclusive Private Barrel Co. collection of whiskies from Checkers. It is a single malt whisky from the award-winning James Sedgwick Distillery in Wellington.

The James Sedgwick Distillery 6 yo whisky is lightly peated and spent its first 3 years in older American Oak, followed by 3 years in a seasoned Fino Cask. Only 677 bottles of the Private Barrel Co. James Sedgwick Distillery 6 year old Fino Cask was released.

All the bottles carry the signature of master distiller Andy Watts. It is the highest ABV to ever come out of the James Sedgwick Distillery. I have bottle 112/677.

That Boutique-y Whisky Company Three Ships 6 yo Whisky

The first independent Three Ships bottling ever released. The Checkers bottling referred to the James Sedgwick Distillery. This TBWC bottling mentions both the James Sedgwick Distillery and Three Ships.

That Boutique-y Whisky Company (TBWC) is an independent whisky bottler that bottle a considerable variety of distilleries as limited-edition releases. They bottle single edition malts, grains and bourbons from all over the world.

This release is batch ,one and it was matured in American oak and finished in PX. Only 1 150 bottles were produced. The artwork on the label depicts Master Distiller, Andy Watts, filling a Three Ships whisky cask with whisky.

The barrel in question is marked with PX. In one hand, he carries the filling nozzle, and in the other, he’s hammering the bung into the cask with a Derbyshire Club cricket bat.

Three Ships 6 yo vs James Sedgwick Distillery 6 yo Whisky

	James Sedgwick Distillery 6 yo	Three Ships 6 yo
ABV	54.6%	53.7%
Region	South African Whisky	South African Whisky
Colour	Deep mahogany	Dark gold
Cask Type	Fino Sherry Cask	PX Sherry Casks
Nose	A basket of fresh fruit. Hints of nuts and fruits of the forest. Spices floating in the background. Hints of creme brûlée with the faintest hint of cinnamon.	Christmas cake sweetness with berry jam, red plums, raisins and oak. Hints of cinnamon, vanilla and cloves. Bits of old leather and polished wood mixed with sweetness and malt.
Palate	The palate is spicier than the nose suggests. Fruity sweetness with oak, pepper, cinnamon and bit of vanilla. A suggestion of lightly toasted macadamia nuts. Water releases more of the soft sherry sweetness.	Black pepper and alcohol-soaked cherries, fruity sweetness and fresh wood shavings. Then more pepper and lemon with some alcohol heat. The red plumbs and fruity notes are mixed with hints of earthy moss and wet forests.
Finish	Notes of light pepper and fruity berries with a nutty taste.	Dry wood and pepper with bits of fruity sweetness.
My Rating	Excellent	Very Good
Comments	Only 677 bottles released It’s chewy and bold.	Only 1150 bottles released. It needs to breathe a bit and a few drops of water to bring the complexity forward.

WOW! How different these two releases are. According to Andy, the base malt for both these releases was put into casks at close to the same time. But it is only when you compare them side by side that you see the impact of the different sherry casks on these releases.

Both of these James Sedgwick distillery bottlings are big and bold and spicy. They are both heavy drinking and certainly not for the novice whisky drinker. Both can do with a few minutes of standing to let them open up and need a few drops of water to release the complexity.

The Private Barrel Company James Sedgwick Fino Cask release is slightly sweeter and fruitier with hints of nuts. The finish is somewhat longer, and the water cuts through the spiciness and alcohol heat. The sherry comes through more on the Fino Cask compared to the PX Cask.

The TBWC Three Ships 6 year old PX Cask whisky has more peppery spices, and oak and John described it as licking the top of a pepper grinder. The Christmas pudding and alcohol-soaked fruit from the nose do not carry through onto the palate. Water brings out more sweet notes, but the sherry sweetness stands behind the spiciness of the oak and the lemon pepper.

We did the tasting blind, and both our favourite from these two was the Private Barrel Co Fino Cask. The sweetness vs spices balance was better, and we enjoyed it more.

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