New Three Ships whisky flaunts its age
AS THE antiageism mantra goes, age is nothing but a number. Right? The response to this statement will naturally vary – with some agreeing and others disagreeing with its sentiment.
But, in the world of drinks, age does matter, and can be a deal breaker for some connoisseurs when it comes to choosing a drink.
The age statement on a bottle is an important indicator of class, finesse and degree of refinement of a tipple, especially for a brandy or Cognac, whiskey and wine.
In the case of whiskey and South African fine brandy, age also signifies the youngest component of the spirit in that bottle.
But the opposite applies in wine, as the age statement on the bottle is ordinarily a reference to the year in which the grapes were harvested and the wine made, however young or old.
Tipplers invariably attach more value to long-matured drinks since the longer the whiskey, wine, brandy or Cognac spends in the casks, the more refined and complex the tipple in the end.
As they say, good things come to those who wait – and that mastery, patience and time are testaments to quality and class.
Notably, Three Ships 10 Year Old Single Malt (limited edition) which launched in Cape Town and Johannesburg last week, flaunts its age and consistency of quality as its unique selling proposition.
This includes its 2005 vintage statement which declares its lineage of four preceding single malts dating back to 2003, its release year.
Master distiller Andy Watts believes the whiskey is the most powerful single malt he has produced to date, and adds that it will stand up to any other international whiskies in its class, even those with older age statements.
“We distilled the spirit in 2005 in copper pot stills and rested it for 10 years in a selection of older American oak to compliment the delicate flavours of the spirit. It’s a beautiful whiskey and a very proud moment for me,” Watts said at the whiskey’s launch at Coobs Restaurant in Parkhurst. His buoyancy over the new single malt is not unjustified, as its ultra-smoothness belies its relatively young age – as does its savoury richness, complexity, creamy palate and dark coffee flavours. Jettison any thought of mixing it with ice or water, if to allow it to release more its sweet and spicy aromas and flavours, for its exquisite balance and mouth-feel ought not be diluted. Thankfully, the whiskey’s 44.6% alcoholics hardly pokes its spiky head with its effect delicately infused into an exceptionally smooth finish, which is long, fruity and lightly peaty.
Produced at The James Sedgwick Distillery in the Western Cape, the malt retails at R524.95.
Its flavour profile puts it in the camp closer to Scottish’s Speyside and Island whiskies such as Glenfiddich and Talisker, which tend to be richly aromatic and full of flavour.