As a proud South African, I wanted to capture tasting notes for a South African whisky as my first blog post. I chose the Three Ships 10 year old single malt; an award-winning South African single malt whisky produced at the James Sedgwick Distillery in Wellington. One of my favourite distilleries.
Wellington lies halfway between the bright lights of Cape Town and the beautiful mountains of the Western Cape. The Berg River flows along the western border with two smaller streams, the Spruit and Kromme, and the mighty Hawequas stand guard on the eastern side.
The Bainskloof Pass, built by the famous Scot Andrew Geddes Bain, was (before Du Toitskloof Pass) the only gateway to the north. Wellington is a short 45-minute drive from Cape Town, with a population of about 62,000 people.
The James Sedgwick distillery began operating in 1886. The Three Ships 10 year old single malt scored 91 in the 2012 Jim Murray Whisky Bible and further won Gold and Silver awards in international competitions in 2011 and 2012.
This bottle is labelled ‘Limited Edition’, and Three Ships states they will be launching two more vintage editions in the coming years. Currently, it is the only single malt they have produced. So to the tasting.
Related Article: Aerstone Sea Cask 10 yo Whisky
COUNTRY: South Africa
ABV: 43%
COLOUR: Three Ships 10 yo state that the colour of the whisky is warm copper. When I poured it, I found it was lighter than copper and more amber in colour. The colour is not as rich or deep as other whiskies that I have, but it may be because it has been matured in oak and not finished in another wood.
NOSE: The first thing that I picked up on nosing this Three Ships 10 yo was smoke with peat in the background. Very lovely and not overwhelming at all.
PALATE: On the palate, the oak comes through nicely, and I also picked up hints of vanilla. I think it’s quite a floral whisky and a little sweet.
FINISH: Full and long. Just the way I like it.
RATING: EXCELLENT.
Overall the combination works perfectly. It’s a beautiful, easy-drinking whisky without being too complex. After the first tasting, I had another glass. It’s a whisky that seemed to enjoy breathing a bit, so you may want to let it stand for a moment before diving in.
The James Sedgwick distillery can be proud of producing such a fine whisky, and I can’t wait to taste from single malt releases from them.
Update: During the last couple of years, the James Sedgwick distillery has released quite a few exciting releases as well as more 10 yo single malt drams, such s the Three Ships 10 yo 2005 Edition whisky. I have captured tasting notes for many of these drams.
Also Read: Schoonspruit 2010 Whiskey
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