In October 2015, I saw South African whisky history being made. It was wonderful to watch. Sitting at my PC in Johannesburg, I saw bottle after bottle of Three Ships PX Cask taken off the shelve and signed for by the talented Master Distiller, Andy Watts. It was the long-awaited launch of the Three Ships PX Cask Finish Single Barrel whisky. It did not disappoint!
James Sedwick Distillery released only 800 bottles of this Three Ships PX Cask Finish. They were all bottled by hand and numbered. Distilled in 2005, the Three Ships whisky was initially matured for eight years and ten months in American oak and then spent a further 14 months in a cask in which Pedro Ximenez (PX) sherry had previously been matured.
Andy experimented with various casks for a few years before selecting the PX for the particular effect it has on whiskies with a presence of smoke and peat.
The bottles flew off the shelve, and the stock that was available at Whisky Brother shop disappeared very quickly. So it is only fitting that we start 2016 on a proudly South African note with this special release.
Three Ships redesigned their bottle anddesign during 2015 and the PX Cask was released in the new bottle shape. The attention to detail on both the bottle and the label is beautiful and puts this Three Ships PX cask firmly in the premium whisky category.
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COUNTRY: South Africa
ABV: 46.2%
COLOUR: A dark mahogany hue pointing to the time spent in the sherry casks.
NOSE: On the nose, the sherry notes come through at once. There are notes of rich Christmas cake, ripe figs and candied fruits mingling with tropical fruit. With the addition of water, more wood and spice appear on the nose.
PALATE: Without water, the Three Ships PX Cask is a big, bold dram with a lot of spice and fruity notes. Bursts of plump raisins, glace fruits and Demerara sugar burst through cinnamon and nutmeg notes. Peat, spice and smoky notes put in an appearance. The addition of water softens the boldness and releases more oak and flower notes. Water releases faint hints of pepper and cloves.
FINISH: Medium length and memorable. It ends in honey sweetness. John preferred it without water, and I loved it more with a bit of water to release the softer flowery notes.
RATING: EXCELLENT.
Delicious. My bottle will not last very long. A proudly South African whisky that Andy and his team can be very proud of. Now to try this amazing dram with a few South African cheeses.
During 2016 Three Ships whisky launched their next release in the Master’s Collection – the Three Ships Pinotage Cask Finish. This was followed up during 2018 with a Three Ships 8 yo Oloroso Cask Finish whisky.
The Checkers Private Barrel Co released a James Sedgwick Distillery 6 yo Fino Cask and I compared this PX cask and the Fino Cask over on this blog post.
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Great review of a great whisky! One of the most special bottles in my collection.