In 2012, Three Ships Whisky 5-Year-Old Premium Select won World’s Best Blended Whisky at the WWA, and this year it was a finalist once more in the Blends category. Three Ships Whisky 21-Year-Old Millennium represented in the Single Malt category, while another South African whisky from the James Sedgwick Distillery won big – Bain’s Founders Collection 15-Year-Old was judged World’s Best Grain Whisky.
For over 24 years, Whisky Magazine has run the rigorous double-blind judging process to decide the best whiskies on the planet. This year’s competition put more than 1,500 whiskies, from over 40 countries, in front of 200 international, expert judges.
There to collect the award for World’s Best on behalf of Three Ships Whisky on the London stage was Andy Watts, former Master Distiller at the James Sedgwick Distillery. It’s high praise for Andy, who raised the standard of South African whisky over many years, as well as for the entire Three Ships Whisky team back in South Africa.
The news that South African whiskies have been judged World’s Best may come as a surprise to some. After all, the world of whisky doesn’t move quickly, so South Africa’s rise can seem like a rocket launch. But those who’ve enjoyed these sensational whiskies over the last few decades will recognise the recent success is not unlike the aging of a fine whisky itself, thanks to the maturation of the local industry over many patient years.
“Our Master Distillers and Blenders have put in hard work, determination and ingenuity to be able to stand with the best in the world,” said Meryll Stocks Roos, Brown Spirits Marketing Manager at Heineken Beverages South Africa. “For anyone who’s been lucky enough to taste these winning whiskies, they’ll know those qualities have paid off. But it’s certainly rewarding to have the rest of the world sit up and take notice, and it’s a great achievement for South Africa.”
This recent success follows a steady stream of wins in the last few years, including Golds and Double Golds in international competitions, with recognition for South African Master Distillers, too. All of this has helped to raise the profile of South African whisky as a whole. “It’s an enormous honour for South African whiskies to win global recognition, and to be among the best of the best,” said Walters Uys, Centre of Excellence Spirits Lead at Heineken Beverages.
For Three Ships Whisky, these wins are the fruits of years of grit and inventiveness. The climate of Wellington, home to the James Sedgwick Distillery, is a far cry from the misty Scottish Highlands and other ‘traditional’ whisky-making locales. Instead, the distillers who established Three Ships Whisky had to find innovative ways to turn the warm climate to their advantage. Making whisky under the South African sun was no mean feat, but it’s clearly been worth the effort, producing whisky with a bold flavour and smooth finish, and a maturity beyond its years. With these wins, those efforts have now been given the recognition they deserve on the world stage.
