Tag Archives: South Africa

BMC Trip to South Africa – Three Ships 10 year 46.3%

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Our host had high hopes for this 10 year old single malt whisky from Three Ships. He had been informed that Three Ships from the James Sedgwick Distillery is “the” single malt from South Africa. What did we find?

Three Ships 10 year 46.3%

  • Nose – Fresh, then becomes like sanitizer, chemical, moved into fresh wood, cardboard, cinnamon powder, cardamom, hay
  • Palate – Decidedly funky, quite odd, wax seal, blend of cinnamon and other sweet spices, and wood
  • Finish – Spice yet non-descript

We set it aside, in hopes that after more time in the glass, it would evolve in a more positive direction. Nope! Instead, it took on aromas of rubber bands, iodine, and plaster. Pity.

What did they have to say about this special release?

  • Nose – Complex with delicate sweet notes from the sherry cask which lifts the nose with prunes, dates, figs and fruit cake and combines effortlessly with the elegant smokiness of the malt
  • Palate – The flavours unravel slowly to reveal smoke, pepper, roasted malt and fruit
  • Finish – Lingers impressively long and the sweet notes mingle comfortably with the peaty finish

Oh my! Were we experiencing the same whisky? We certainly did not find many elements described.

That shared, I had a more positive impression of the 12 year expression – sampled earlier in the year at an evening devoted to a range of whiskies from Africa.

Curious what we thought of the others? Read on…

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BMC Trip to South Africa – Drayman’s 5 year Single Malt 43%

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We began our evening exploring whiskies from South Africa with a grain from Boplaas before shifting into a “proper” single malt from Pretoria. Starting as a beer microbrewery, Draymans Brewery & Spirits expanded into wine, liqueurs, and whisky.

 

Drayman’s 5 year Single Malt French Oak Reserve 43%

  • Nose – What fun! Lots of candy sweet, caramel custard, pear drops, a bit of acetone, think “Juicy Fruit” gum, a mix of peach, pear, and a generic “mixed fruit”, cream, gooseberries, cakes, cereal
  • Palate – The opposite of the aromas – a range of spices from black pepper to cayenne powder, sour salty plum, churan with its sweet and sour mix of fruits, herbs and minerals, chaat masala, nuts and coca
  • Finish – Paprika, sugar beet sweet, relatively short

There was a youthful exuberance to this dram. The nose was a honeyed delight, and the palate a surprising contrast, with the finish a mix of both! No surprise – this was the front-runner of the South African trio tasted that fine evening in Mumbai.

Curious what we thought of the others? Read on…

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BMC Trip to South Africa – Boplaas 6 year Grain 43%

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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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