There’s a whisky wonderland in the heart of Wellington and it’s called the James Sedgwick Distillery. It produces fine blended whiskies with a distinct South African pedigree: the Three Ships whisky range and Bain's Cape Mountain Whisky.

Established in 1886, the distillery has recently undergone refurbishments of titanic proportions. There’s a new fermentation cellar with giant copper stills and all kinds of whisky wizardry.

‘Magic happens inside those casks,’ says master distiller Andy Watts.  I’m inclined to believe him because, inside the maturation cellar, you’ll find stack after creaking stack of whisky barrels. They’re old and weathered and look like they’ve just rolled off a pirate ship. There’s also a salty tang in the air – but I’m chalking that part up to my romantic imagination.

I’m here today to try the recently released Three Ships 10-year-old single-malt whisky and I can’t wait – I’ve been practising my spirit-tasting technique. First, hold the glass up to your nose with slightly parted lips and breathe in and out, which prevents that obliterating nasal burn. Then, splash in a drop of water to loosen the taut aromas.

I learnt these techniques from Pierre Meintjes who is a Keeper of the Quaich. He gave me an interesting analogy explaining why adding water loosens the aromas: ‘Picture the aromatics as a football. Now imagine the ball filled with golf balls. The drop of water breaks the skin.’

The final lesson from kilt-wearing Pierre was to hold the whisky in your mouth for a second for every year it had matured. If it was in the barrel for 10 years, then hold it for 10 seconds, and so on.

So, with this charismatic character’s lessons in mind, I go through the tasting steps with the Three Ships 10-year-old single-malt whisky. The colour is quite beautiful; a rich pinky copper that might be a result of the last two years spent in sherry casks. There’s a smoky, sweetness on the nose that reveals itself as fruit on the palate, and there’s weight from its peaty character. It’s a stellar example that could easily stand up to heavyweights from across the pond. The fact that it’s made locally is an added bonus.

By Malu Lambert

Six lucky Eat Out Readers can each win a bottle of Three Ships 10-year-old single-malt whisky in a limited edition collector’s tin to commemorate the intrepid explorers who set foot on the Cape coast. Only 8 000 bottles have been made.