That Boutique-y Whisky Company Three Ships 6 Year

Noticed this on a retailer's site and was intrigued. I don't recall ever sampling a spirit from South Africa, despite spending time there, so I got a sample. While the distillery's own releases were just okay, I believe this brand can elevate a spirit and help it realize its full potential. The first taste tonight won't be poured out. While they can't perform miracles, and they haven't – the current ratings seem a bit surprising – it's certainly an improvement over what I tried earlier. My spouse is from South Africa, and we're planning a trip back mid-year, coronavirus permitting. I enjoy visiting wineries, even though I'm not a big wine drinker these days. My wedding was in a wine region, and I love exploring different areas worldwide. We'll be near Stellenbosch for a while, and this distillery isn't far. I'm undecided about visiting; I tend to visit too many vineyards and use up all my goodwill, so I'm unsure if I'll have any left for this, but it appears to be an attractive distillery. Anyway, the aroma is reminiscent of a cherry bourbon, but the taste offers much more. The alcohol and flavor are reasonably well-balanced. It's not quite my preference due to the cherry notes – it must have spent considerable time in bourbon casks – and it's a little thin, with the base spirit's roughness noticeable, but it's not bad at all. Now, I need to get my vaccinations renewed for the upcoming trip to South Africa tomorrow morning, so this will be my last drink for the night. Cheers!

This is my first tasting of this as part of the World of Whisky Advent Calendar from last Christmas (yes, I'm slowly making my way through the 24 drams!). I had to look it up and was surprised it's from South Africa. It has a lovely honey color. Definitely sweet sherry on the nose. Spicy and sweet on the first sip. Notes of caramel plums, a hint of clove, and good toast. It opens up with a couple of drops of water. A long finish. I hope the distiller app group gets to try this dram!

I received a sample of this from a friend. It's quite good, exhibiting numerous rum-like qualities and notes of raisins, dried fruit, prunes, sultanas, chocolate, toffee, mango, passion fruit, banana, and pepper.

Sherry cask, a pleasant touch of smoke, chai spices