By Genevieve Jacot-Guillarmod
Rating: B
(Credit: Three Ships Whisky)
Produced at the James Sedgwick Distillery in South Africa, Three Ships is one of the country’s best known whisky brands alongside Bain’s. While Bain’s uses a corn-based mash bill, the Three Ships range focuses on blends and single malts.
The Three Ships 10 Year Old was initially released as series of vintage single malts, but it has since become a non-vintage expression in their core range. While one might think that a 10-year age statement seems a little on the young side, it is worth remembering that South Africa’s warmer climate means whisky tends to mature a bit faster than whisky in more traditional regions, like Scotland or Ireland. This makes the 10-year age statement more meaningful than it might otherwise be. In fact, to avoid the risk of over-oaking, this whisky is first matured in older American oak casks and then finished in second-fill American oak.
I only properly encountered Three Ships 10 quite recently. While I’d sampled other expressions from the James Sedgwick distillery before, and even visited the distillery for a tour and tasting, I somehow missed out on this particular bottle. When I first tasted it, I expected something only slightly smoky, but this whisky caught me pleasantly off guard. The peat is more prominent than I anticipated, especially on the palate.
My understanding is that the peated malt Three Ships use in their whiskies is imported from Scotland. While this 10-year-old is far gentler than some famous Islay whiskies, there’s enough smoky character here to create a lasting impression, and more complexity than the price tag might suggest.
It’s a whisky that is readily available in the local South African market, though perhaps not widely available outside South Africa. Bottled at 46.3% ABV, it is also natural color, and non-chill filtered, so this whisky ticks some important boxes for many drinkers.
The Whisky
There is initially some gentle wood smoke on the nose. This is underpinned by subtle vanilla sweetness and hints of crème brûlée, accompanied by a touch of green banana.
On the palate, the smokiness becomes more pronounced, with a rather ashy character. Some vanilla and hints of citrus. There’s a wood polish note which reminds me of the scent of an old piece of furniture belonging to my grandmother. An intriguing note reminiscent of cinnamon candy. Also, a white sugary sweetness occasionally breaks through, which I feel a bit ambivalent about.
The texture is light and the finish drying, with the smoky flavor lingering pleasantly for some time. While the smoky notes are fairly mild when compared to some heavily peated Scotch whiskies, they add enough complexity to keep the dram interesting.
The Price
At around $25 a bottle, Three Ships 10 offers great value as an accessible South African single malt. It’s also a wonderfully affordable option in a market where quality 10-year-old single malts are increasingly hard to find.
