Part 3 of this series takes me all the way across the world. When talking single grain, as a general rule (emphasis on the term ‘general’ here) it’s fair to assume that it takes years, decades even, of maturation in order to get satisfying results. The main reasons being that it’s likely been distilled in column stills, which run continuous and where the primary goal is to produce bulk spirit rather than flavour and depth – traits you tend to achieve when producing whisky made in batches, coming from pot stills, and that said grain spirit will likely been put in less active casks, chances are it’ll be 2nd or even 3d or 4th fill bourbon casks. The reason here being that distilleries will be hanging on to more active (and expensive) casks for other purposes – i.e. to mature or finish single malt whisky. Bear the occasional exception, grain whisky, particularly in Scotland, is about efficiency and quantity first and foremost, as it’s the foundation and backbone for the entire industry. I’ve touched upon the how’s and why’s, now let’s look at things from another angle.
Given that our experience with single grain whiskies is largely built on these ‘industry led’ settings and purposes, it’s nice and refreshing when some producers or distilleries actively seek to challenge these concepts. Those that take this largely neglected concept of single grain and embrace it fully, actively seeking to make it as good as it possibly can be. Loch Lomond, with its single malt grain expressions or single blend releases, springs to mind, but, particularly outside of Scotland, there are obviously others– arguably all bourbons do this as well. There is one distillery in particular, however, that seems to make it their business to put the word out there about single grain and just what it can be, and it’s located in South-Africa.
James Sedgwick Distillery has a heritage that dates back to 1886, outdating quite a few well established Scotch whisky distilleries. To put that into perspective, the focus for most of that first century will have been mostly about wine-based brandy, as well as the famous Amarulla Cream Liqueur, as whisky making didn’t start until around 1990. You ‘ll probably also know that Englishman Andy Watts has been at the heart and centre of things at Sedgwick. The story of retired-cricket-player-turning-celebrated-whisky-maker is well known. Watts, appointed as manager in 1991, learned the trade pretty much hands -on from folk like Jim McEwan, Brian Morrison and, Alistair Ross after visiting Scotland in the late 1980’s, and decided to expand the brandy activity of the James Sedgwick Distillery by introducing whisky. Single malt (Three Ships) AND Single Grain (Bain’s) are produced on site, making it one of few distilleries to combine both styles. Made from 100% South-African maize, distilled in column stills, Bain’s Cape Mountain Single Grain Whisky (as it’s officially named) today very much claims its place as a revered and celebrated whisky well beyond the borders of South Africa. These days, the NAS and/or 5 yo Bain’s are available pretty much the world over, while some of the older age statements – the 15 and 18 yo I’ll be reviewing today, are destined for the Global Travel Retail (GTR) market. A big thanks is due to Gert from The Whisky Lovers Society channel who very kindly sent me these samples. Gert, a South African residing in Belgium, has covered both of these as well, so for a second opinion, I will happily point you in his direction.
Bain’s 15 yo single grain. 52.5 % ABV, NC, UCF, GTR, app. €70-€80 (1 L bottle)
Nose
Honey, something sweet anti-septic, floral and slightly soapy. Sweet breakfast cereals and strawberry sweets. Toffee apples and gentle spice notes counterbalance the sweetness, bringing some nice texture and balance.
Palate
A bit feisty on the arrival, but immediately followed by sweetness and viscosity, with vanilla oil, caramel and treacle. More (sweet) spices and burnt demerara sugar. A drop of water and those oily notes really jump out, bringing along lots of spices.
Finish
Clinging, long, spicy and oily.
83/100 (more about that in ‘the Final thoughts’ bit)
Bain’s 18 yo PX cask. 50.5% ABV, NC, UCF, app. €90-€95 (1L bottle)
Nose
Rich, with lovely dense red fruit notes, and underlying there is clear yet subtle sweetness coming from raisins, treacle and milk chocolate. This comes across well aged and very balanced, well on par with a very good single malt. Absolutely impressive!
Palate
The graininess is more evident now with clear notes of sugary cereals. All those inviting notes which made the nose sing and dance return on the palate: treacle, spice, raisins, chocolate…again, lots of maturity and balance shining through as the mouthfeel is rich, yet dry, driven by wood and spice notes.
Finish
Long and warming with lingering spice notes.
85/100
Final thoughts
I would be more than happy to have either of these in my cabinet – and preferably both! The 15 yo is distinctively a grain whisky, driven by cereal notes and grainy sweetness, but the depth and flavour it has to offer is very pleasant and engaging. Arguably it’s slightly straightforward, but it’s super pleasant, easy sipping and if you have a sweet tooth, chances are you’ll absolutely love this. To pigeonhole this as any other grain whisky would really be unfair on this one.
The 18 yo really surprised me, in the best possible way! It’s got a lot going for it – depth, age, balance and lots of flavour. Particularly impressive is how the richness from the sherry casks is there, but rather than just completely taking over, they help lift this whisky to the next level. The very attractive pricing on both these expressions (we’re talking 100 cl bottles here!) really puts the cherry on the cake. Is it the agreeable climate of Wellington (located near Cape Town and very close to the world famous Stellenbosch wine region – Stellenbosch Farmers Winery is owned by Distell who also own JSD)? Is it the use of 100% South African maize for these grains whiskies? An on point cask policy? Likely it’s a combination of all of these. In any case, these really challenged my preconceptions about grain whisky and frankly raise the bar for others to follow imo. Given that these are GTR expressions, I couldn’t tell you much about availability, but if South Africa wasn’t on your radar in terms of travel destinations, it should be now!
Newt week: more travelling whisky adventures!
Comentários