Only 800 bottles of the Three Ships 10 Year Old Single Malt Single Cask PX Finish whisky, bottled by hand and numbered, have been released by master distiller Andy Watts. Distilled in 2005, the whisky was initially matured for eight years and ten months in American oak where after a small quantity was selected to spend a further 14 months in a cask in which Pedro Ximenez (PX) sherry had previously been matured.
The whisky forms part of the Masters Collection and a limited edition will be launched each year, over the next years, under the Three Ships brand.
Presented in its purist form, the whisky is un-chillfiltered, natural in colour and bottled at 46.2% alcohol by volume to enhance the complexity and flavours of this elegant malt.
Watts said: "Local whisky lovers have long been asking me to produce something extra-special and while cask finishes have been produced for many years around the globe, it was time for Three Ships to make history for the South African whisky industry. Although the challenges presented by different cask finishes have occupied us for a number of years, we didn't want to release a new whisky just to satisfy the demand. The product had to be right in every aspect and I believe what we have here was certainly worth the wait."
Watts experimented with various casks for a few years before selecting the PX for the particular effect it has on whiskies with a presence of smoke and peat. "Pedro Ximenez is a white Spanish wine grape varietal used for the production of a sweet-style sherry. The raisiny richness it imparts to the cask was the perfect finishing touch I wanted to complement the smokiness of our single malt with some sweet, nutty flavours."
Watts selected only a small percentage of the limited edition Three Ships single malt he had been working on at the time (due for release in 2016) to spend a finishing period in a single PX cask.
"The end result has not disappointed and the decision to produce only one cask has turned this whisky into a very rare collector's item."
The Three Ships 10 Year Old Single Malt Single Cask PX Finish is complex with delicate sweet notes from the sherry cask which lifts the nose with prunes, dates, figs and fruitcake and combines effortlessly with the elegant smokiness of the malt. The whisky is powerful and lingering in its taste and finish.
Available online from 27 October at www.threeshipswhisky.co.za, Norman Goodfellows, Whisky Brother and www.vinoteque.co.za. The limited edition will retail for approximately R850.
For more information, go to www.themasterscollection.co.za and #PXFinish.
