The longer whisky is left to distil in barrels, the more it loses volume due to the part that evaporates, which is known as the “angel’s share”. But local climate gives South African whisky an edge, as the result of quicker maturation.
The James Sedgwick Distillery in Wellington, where the porous oak casks give off a sweet and fragrant aroma, is one example of a local producer that does well. Brand manager Leandri Bosch says South Africa’s warm climate gives a higher “angel’s share” away than, say, Scotland’s cool air. About 4%-5% evaporates here, compared with 2%-3% in the UK.
And the South African whiskies gain an added advantage: with temperatures averaging about 18°C higher locally than in the Scottish Highlands, whiskies in South Africa also mature faster. A South African five-year-old whisky has an equivalent maturity and complexity to a seven-to-10-year-old Scotch. Warm-climate whiskies are cheaper and can compete on a world stage with historic brands.
This was demonstrated at the 2025 World Whiskies Awards in London. The Three Ships Bourbon Cask whisky won the prize for the world’s best blended whisky. It’s a blend of five-year-old malt whisky and three-year-old yellow maize grain whisky, matured in American oak previously filled with bourbon. The competition involved one round of tasting according to region and two of blind tastings of regional winners, some of which were 12-year-olds.
That the brand had been named the world’s best blend is a distinction of which local bottle stores seem unaware. At a retail price of R280 or less, Three Ships Bourbon Cask is good value. There are popular whiskies that sell for as much as R1,200 a bottle.
Three Ships Bourbon Cask master blender Wallies Uys credits his predecessor, Andy Watts, who he calls “the founder of South African whisky”, with the brand’s excellence.
Watts, who worked for 25 years at the James Sedgwick Distillery in a career spanning about 40 years, was inducted into the World Whisky Hall of Fame in 2021. One of his favourite tipples is a whisky he created to remind him of his time at the Bowmore distillery, known for heavily peated single malts, on the Scottish island of Islay where he learnt the trade.
Watts conceived the Three Ships five-year-old with just enough smokiness and warm spices to give it a gentle, peaty finish. “I close my eyes and it takes me back to the shores of Loch Indaal,” he says.
I close my eyes and it takes me back to the shores of Loch Indaal
— Andy Watts
The challenge Watts has faced in trying to promote South African whiskies is the perception that Scottish whiskies are better. This, in a world where Germany has more malt distilleries than Scotland and a Taiwanese malt whisky has been judged to be one of the best in the world. People should “take the blinkers off” and taste the world-class whiskies produced on our doorstep, Watts says.
A new craft distillery near Barrydale in the Little Karoo is Metanoia, named after the ancient Greek word for a change of mind, heart or way of thinking. Owned by Kenny Scheepers, the distillery produces gin and other spirits. Scheepers is waiting patiently for a return on his investment in whisky, which has to be aged in a barrel for at least three years.
Watts played a part in creating the aromas of this new whisky. He’s been using rye and South African barley, changing the mash fill (ingredient list) with various combinations of grains. The mixture is placed in casks that infuse it with flavours from the barrels’ previous contents: port, red wine, bourbon or a mixture of two of those. The first Metanoia whisky, of just 233 numbered bottles, will be released at the Whisky Live Festival in Sandton from November 13 to 16.
The Whisky Library in Durbanville stocks 1,200 whiskies from around the world. In July its premises were rezoned from commercial to residential, but its online store remains active.
A place to sip rare whiskies is The Whisky Vault in Joburg. It’s an invitation-only club, with monthly tastings. Watts, its brand ambassador, says he thought he’d tried everything but was “blown away” by what was put before him at The Whisky Vault.
The James Sedgwick Distillery’s Cape Winelands venue is the home of Bain’s and Harrier as well as Three Ships. It offers tastings of six different whiskies, accompanied by light snacks.
Visitor Michela Collett, tasting the winning bourbon cask blend with a dash of water — and not only a koeksister but also a morsel of blue cheese meant to be paired with the peaty Three Ships five-year-old — decided Three Ships Bourbon Cask was her new favourite. Her palate recognised what the judges found in this whisky — something world class.
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