Boplaas 6 year | Whisky Lady

Grains are tricky! They are less expensive to produce than single malts and form the backbone of blends. However, often grains – especially younger ones – struggle to stand on their own.

Boplaas is a family-owned wine and spirit producer, located in Calitzdorp in the Klein Karoo region of South Africa. The Net family began their operations in 1989 with brandy, before moving into wines and now grain whisky. Their grain of choice is yellow maize, matured in ex-bourbon casks before finishing in their own tawny port casks.

Believe it or not, this was not my first introduction to Boplaas grain from South Africa! Earlier in the year, Hawelti introduced me to their 5 year old expression. I was curious to see what one more year could do and the reaction of our Bombay Malt & Cigar gents during our September 2025 tasting of South African drams!

Boplaas 6 year Grain 43%

Nose – No mistaking this is a grain! It was sweet, a bit funky, had some pencil shavings, some cloves, a hint of fruits
Palate – Light, easy-going and innocuous, clean and super sweet, a touch sharp, mild oak
Finish – Also very sweet

Let’s be honest, we weren’t expecting anything complex. However, I’ve had far worse young grains! Whilst not something I would run out to buy more of, it was worth sampling.

What do the folks at Boplaas have to say?

Our history of distilling fine pot still brandy dates back to 1880, with the first order of casks was sent to Cape Town harbour by ox-wagon for delivery to London. After the repeal of distilling licenses in the early 1920’s, Boplaas’ copper pot still lay dormant for almost 70 years until it was fired up again in 1989. Five years later, in 1994, Boplaas released the very first estate brandy: the Boplaas 5 Year Old Pot Still Estate Brandy. Due to dry warm summers, cold winters and general low humidity, the environment is ideal for the maturation of brandy and whisky, resulting in a far more concentrated spirit.

Nose: This is a whisky for savouring. The multi-layered nose shows a fruitcake nose tinged with winter spices, most notably cloves and cardamom, and highlights of cocoa bean, desiccated figs, rich apricots and raisins.
Tasting Notes: Tawny character blooms on the palate – it’s bold, rounded and viscous, with a pleasant balance of yellow-fruit sweetness and oak spice that lingers.

Not sure we found all the elements they describe, however, it was overall quite a pleasant start to our evening exploring whiskies from South Africa.

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