Doing training of this nature is no small task, and as we love to work and collaborate with other whisky companies, instead of designing our own course we thought it would be best to find and partner with an industry leader.
This leads us to the exciting news of our partnership with the Edinburgh Whisky Academy (EWA). Established in 2015 in Scotland's capital, the EWA specialises in whisky training for both whisky enthusiasts as well as individuals within the industry (or who aspire to enter the industry).
EWA operate with a network of teaching centres around the world that deliver the certified courses in-person. All are audited regularly to ensure they meet the highest EWA and Scottish Qualification Authority standards, and WhiskyBrother is now an approved course provider with our very own Valentine Maseko an accredited EWA trainer.
Although there are a few course options, we are starting off by offering the EWA's primary and most popular course, The Certificate in Scotch Whisky. The course runs over two days and covers the following 9 modules:
We have four planned courses; three in Joburg and one in Cape Town, in the upcoming months, and based on demand will continue to set regular and frequent courses. (It is also possible to book us for a privately arranged course if you have sufficient interest.)
MONTH | DATES | CITY | LINK |
July | 22nd and 29th | Joburg | Completed |
September | 23rd and 30th | Joburg | Completed |
October | 28th and 29th | Cape Town | Completed |
November | 18th and 25th | Joburg | Completed |
Space is limited to only 10 people per course with refreshments, snacks, notebook and pen, lapel pin and framed certificate (once assessment is passed) included.
Simply buy your ticket online and arrive with your curiosity and your love for whisky!
In what has become our tried and trusted method for equitable distribution of limited releases, we are running a ballot again this year. (If this is your first time encountering our ballot system, please scroll down to the bottom for more information.)
This year the release is Ardbeg Heavy Vapours; the story being that the spirit was distilled without a purifier, which will create a more robust and heavier Ardbeg spirit. The intentional experiment by Dr Bill Lumsden was apparently conducted around 2011, giving us an idea of the age of this new release (at least for a portion of the whisky).
Purifiers, which are only used at a handful of Scotch distilleries, are copper pots positioned on the underside of the lyne arm, between the still and the condenser. It allows a proportion of the heavier vapours that have risen up the still to fall into the purifier pot as they traverse the lyne arm, recondensing them back into liquid and returning them to the still for redistillation. This in essence increases the proportion of reflux on heavier vapours, and in Ardbeg's case allows for a heavily peated spirit that is still lighter in style. Purifiers have been used at Ardbeg as far back as their records go.
Unfortunately, there is again no mention at all of the type of casks used for maturation, so we can safely assume ex-American oak, likely first and second-fill as is predominantly used at the distillery.
Whisky | Ardbeg Heavy Vapours |
ABV and Volume | 46%, 750ml |
Retail Price | R2,700 |
The release also ties-in with Ardbeg's Planet Ardbeg campaign currently underway, a graphic novel conceived by award-winning New York cartoonist Ronald Wimberly in collaboration with fellow artists Emma Ríos and Sanford Greene. Using Ardbeg’s core range as their creative launchpad they have produced "an anthology of otherworldly tales".
OFFICIAL TASTING NOTES
Nose: Smoke with a cloying sweetness. Intense, pungent and aromatic, a distinctive farmyard scent along with creosote. Water brings dark chocolate with smoked artichoke.
Palate: Bittersweetness with ashy coal dust and cardamom, peppermint and coffee grounds. Dark chocolate and mentholic eucalyptus with aniseed, cinnamon balls and antiseptic lozenges.
Finish: The aftertaste lingers long and bold, with an almost numbing sensation.
Please enter your details below in order to stand a chance to be able to purchase a bottle of Ardbeg Heavy Vapours. We will randomly draw as many customers as we have bottles available, with each successful customer receiving an email which will enable the purchase of a single bottle.
The pricing for this year's release is in line with the UK retail price of £120 (in fact, at the current and near record-low exchange rate it is slightly less). Last year's Ardcore release retailed at R2,500, which marked a change for local fans, as prior to this, the annual releases were priced lower in SA compared to the rest of the world.
A ballot system is the new international method of choice for retailers facing the challenge of very limited supply with incredibly high demand.
We are fortunate and thankful that after 10 years of trading we have a sizeable customer base across our beautiful country. Some customers may only buy once a year, while others buy weekly, all with varying budgets. We appreciate them all, and any measure to determine who "deserves" to purchase will be flawed and will leave some customers with a bitter taste in their mouths.
A ballot leaves everything to chance and gives all customers sufficient time to enter: You register your interest, we have an impartial third-party randomly select names, and those individuals then have the opportunity to purchase a bottle. (Please note we do not contact unsuccessful ballot entrants.)
]]>Well, in a rather glamourous whisky gala in London we were absolutely thrilled, and somewhat stunned to say the least, to hear WhiskyBrother being called up on stage to receive the Global Award for Multiple Outlet Retailer for 2023!
This is our second global award at Icons of Whisky; we won Single Outlet Retailer in 2020, but the ceremony was cancelled due to COVID. So it was an immense honour to be called up on stage and receive the award in a room filled with whisky luminaries and icons from across the world.
Since we opened our doors 10 years ago, our motivation and dedication has never waivered away from the products, people and places we love so much. We are incredibly honored to receive this recognition, and it was a truly humbling (and surreal) experience to not only represent our "little" whisky company, but also South Africa and the SA whisky community on the global stage
This huge achievement is of course not possible without wonderful people: our brilliant team who have sacrificed plenty over the years, the amazing suppliers/producers/brands who choose to work with us, and our loyal customers. A sincere thank you to each of you who have believed and supported us along the way, we can't wait to continue our whisky journey alongside you! 🥃
We are incredibly proud of what we have accomplished, thankful for the opportunity to do so, and excited to continue pushing the boundaries and bringing more crazy whisky projects to the glasses of whisky lovers.
(And believe us, you can expect more... we have another project planned for announcement in the coming month 🤩)
]]>Much to our excitement and pleasant surprise, we have found out that we have been awarded the Multiple Outlet Retailer of the Year in the Rest of the World region! This region sees all countries outside of the five specific countries compete with one another, thus making up the largest geographical territory (and includes England, Canada and all of Europe). We are incredibly proud and humbled to even be nominated amongst our peers in these countries, but to take the accolade and represent South Africa on the world stage is a tremendous honour and amazing recognition.
This is only the second year we qualify for the Multiple Outlet Retailer award, since our Bryanston and Bedfordview stores opened their doors in 2021 and 2022 respectively. Prior to having multiple stores we were no stranger to the Single Outlet Retailer, winning the award in our region twice and even going so far as to win the global title across all regions in 2020. (Sadly, it was as COVID lockdowns were already implemented globally and SA had banned alcohol, so there was no ceremony or celebrations, quite the opposite...)
Other notable winners in the region include Kavalan (Taiwan) for Distiller of the Year, and Milk & Honey (Israel) who received no less than four awards for Craft Producer, Brand Innovator, Visitor Attraction (highly commended) and Tal Chotiner Brand Ambassador (highly commended). We have been fans of and have supported both of these producers over the years as they establish their presence on the world stage, including exclusive releases and attendance at our annual whisky festival, so it is terrific to see their achievement and join them on stage.
A full list of the Rest of World winners is available here, including the award winners for the other regions that have been announced so far: Ireland, Scotland and America.
The Icons of Whisky global awards and the World Whiskies Awards winners will be announced and presented on 30th of March at a ceremony in London. We will be in attendance, proudly representing South Africa, so please consider pouring a big dram on the night and crossing a few fingers and toes! 🤞🏽🥃
]]>We have far too few bottles to make these releases openly available, so once again we are relying on a ballot to provide a fair and equitable approach to interested customers. (If you are new to our ballot system and want to understand why we choose this approach, please scroll to the bottom for more info.)
In addition to the ballot, these whiskies are available to order by the dram at WhiskyBrother Bar and we are working on a DramPack in order to allow more people the opportunity to taste the whiskies.
The following three limited releases are available through this ballot:
Please enter your details below in order to stand a chance to be able to purchase a bottle of either limited release whisky. We will randomly draw as many customers as we have bottles available, with each customer being allowed to purchase a single bottle.
You may enter the ballot for as many of the three whiskies as you are interested in; they will be run as separate ballots so your chances will not be increased or decreased, no matter which whiskies you are interested in.
The simple reality is, we have very few bottles available for retail, but we know the demand outstrips availability by 100x (and that's honestly not an exaggeration).
We are fortunate that after 10 years of trading we have a sizeable customer base across our beautiful country. Some customers may only buy once a year, while others buy weekly, and some don't support us at all but would be more than happy to buy one of these releases regardless. We appreciate all our customers, and any measure to determine who "deserves" to purchase will be flawed and will leave many upset.
A ballot system leaves things to chance and gives everyone fair time to enter: You register your interest, we have an impartial third-party randomly select names, and those individuals then have the opportunity to purchase a bottle. Love it or hate it, this has become the defacto approach globally for any professional retailer trying to distribute the limited stock in the fairest manner.
]]>Sometimes, particularly since COVID, it feels like we have a moment of clarity, take stock of where we find ourselves, and wonder how the hell we got here. I blame the lock-downs for this and the total abruption of normal life in an instant. All our plans, hopes and intents, immediately handbraked and indefinitely put on hold. The result, as the pandemic has subsided and we slowly, and twitchingly, crawl from our homes, is to find ourselves staring these deferred plans, hopes and intents in the eye. But life is not the same, and nor are we (not yet anyway); times have changed, and our plans, hopes and intents need to change too.
As a business (soon to be celebrating our 10th anniversary; watch this space), like so many others, the alcohol restrictions kneecapped us and left us for dead. Crawling, we had to relearn to walk, and as the alcohol bans lifted, we had bouts of full-on sprints. Business projects we were planning had to be cancelled, overhauled or replaced by others, sometimes with little more than a single night to determine the "best" course. And in this maelstrom of disruption and replanning, we formed a new concept, something more fun, something more social, something more irreverent. Born of the times. An escape from the same-old, from the franchise, from the uncertainty.
(If you are still with me, thank you for your patience, and I truly hope the melodramatics above resonate with you to a degree, and I haven't actually lost my mind! 🤣 - Marc)
After the final alcohol ban last year, when business had returned with added velocity, we had renewed hope for a future. We were on the hunt for our third (and final Joburg) retail store, when we were shown a space and invited to open another whisky bar. The space was far too big for something similar to our Morningside bar, but it was a great space and its potential got us thinking about something new. I think it can be likened to surviving a near-death experience; your new lease on life demands living to the fullest, getting a little crazy. So we got a little "crazy" and after 12 months of designing, planning, building, stocking, hiring, waiting for another liquor licence and training, we'd like to finally introduce you to our latest project: Curated!
Curated is a cocktail lounge and spirits bar, including a full food offering, cigar room and part art gallery! When you visit, and we sincerely hope you do, you may notice some of the typical WB design elements (including a very familiar circular logo). However, the bar/lounge is more spacious (and audacious) than anything we've done before. Seating 120 people, a much more extensive menu offering, and décor that injects our typical style with more colour, vibrancy and dose of irreverence.
Curated boasts a specially developed cocktail menu (created by our fulltime mixologist), an incredible array of carefully selected spirits, wine and champagne, as well as over 350 whiskies (of course we were going to load it full of great whisky!). There is also a food menu offering sharing boards, individual plates and desserts, craft beer (tap and bottle) and specially roasted coffee. (Oh, and WiFi if you want to have one of the coolest remote workplaces in Joburg.)
Our intention, like everything we do, is to offer an environment, menu and service, that would not be out of place in any major city in the world. We think we've gotten it right, we'd love you to be the judge.
This is by far our largest venue, and we plan to use the space for tastings; both whisky as well as spirits, wine, coffee, you name it, as well as other larger events that our existing spaces cannot accommodate. (Live jazz, whisky and cigars anyone?)
Curated is now open, located in Bedfordview, Joburg and we very much hope you will visit. If our hopes are simply not enough, we offer you some enticement...
As a small thanks for joining and supporting us on our journey, even when a global pandemic drives us a little crazy; for sharing our passion and seeing the value in what we try to do to the best of our abilities, we are offering our WhiskyBrother customers an R800 voucher, that costs R500. This voucher can be redeemed at Curated, towards any bill. (Multiple vouchers are available, strictly for personal use.)
[ THIS OFFER IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE ]
If you are interested and looking for more Curated, you can follow along and find us here:
INSTAGRAM | ADDRESS | WEBSITE | PHONE
For our ardent fans who this doesn't appeal to, not to worry, we won't bother you again with Curated. We did think it was worth sharing the news though, and at least offering an escape from the same-old, from the franchise, from the uncertainty - if you were in need.
Thanks for reading, thanks for the support 🥃
]]>Join us on for our next episode of WB Live, featuring Dr. Nicholas Morgan, a Master of the Quaich and an inductee in the Whisky Magazine Hall Of Fame. "Dr. Nick" as he is fondly referred to, starting his career as a historian and academic, but his future took a turn towards whisky and spirits when he joined United Distillers, the predecessor of spirits giant Diageo, in 1990.
At Diageo, Dr. Nick created what is now the world’s most comprehensive spirits archive, researching and documenting Diageo's numerous brands, before making the unlikely transition to leader of Diageo’s global malt whisky marketing team, before retiring in late-2020.
GUEST | Dr. Nicholas Morgan |
DATE | Thursday, 14 July |
TIME | 7pm SA / 6pm UK |
LINKS | Facebook and YouTube |
We'll be chatting to Dr. Nick about his latest whisky book, Everything You Need to Know About Whisky (But Are Too Afraid to Ask), his 30 year tenure with the world's largest alcoholic drinks producer, and in general, we look forward to picking his brain on the state of Scotch whisky.
We look forward to chatting and sharing whisky with you 🥃
]]>In what has become our tried and trusted method for equitable distribution of limited releases, we are running a ballot again this year. (If this is your first time encountering our ballot system, please scroll down to the bottom for more information.)
This year Ardbeg Day falls on Saturday, 4 June and along with it comes this year's limited release Ardbeg Ardcore. Ardcore draws inspiration from the Islands punk past, with the main port, Port Ellen, allegedly going by the nickname ‘Punk Ellen’ in the 1970s.
Crafted with heavily roasted malt, also known as black malt, which is a first for the distillery. (The same type is used at Ardbeg's sister distillery Glenmorangie for their Signet expression). Unfortunately, no mention at all this year of the type of casks used for maturation, so we can assume ex-American oak, likely first and second-fill.
Whisky | Ardbeg Ardcore |
ABV and Volume | 46%, 750ml |
Retail Price | R2,500 |
What you are likely to notice the most from the above is the new increased retail pricing. For the last few years, the pricing for the Ardbeg Day releases in SA have been less than the equivalent pricing in the UK and USA. This year, that seems to have been equalised, with the recommended retail price of R2,500, which pretty much matches expected retail pricing of £125 in the UK.
OFFICIAL TASTING NOTES
Nose: Showing spicyness, Ardcore celebrates a veritable moshpit in the glass with nuances of marmite, charred toast and black chicory coffee. Like a safety pin in the nose, the typical Ardbeg herbal notes are present, while smoky notes of blazing campfire and molasses buzz in the background.
Palate: A stunningly spicy and fiery taste ignites with more rich and smoky flavours. Cocoa powder, dark chocolate, peanut toffee, smoked lime and hints of soot and campfire embers in unison. Anise and malt biscuits come to the fore and rivet through all taste buds.
Finish: All in all a sweet finish. Long-lasting notes of toffee, soot and smoke provide an anarchic, exquisite aftertaste.
Please enter your details below in order to stand a chance to be able to purchase a bottle of Ardbeg Ardcore. We will randomly draw as many customers as we have bottles available, with each successful customer receiving an email which will enable the purchase of a single bottle.
A ballot system is the new international method of choice for retailers facing the challenge of very limited supply with incredibly high demand.
We are fortunate and thankful that after 9 years of trading we have a sizeable customer base across our beautiful country. Some customers may only buy once a year, while others buy weekly. We appreciate them all, and any measure to determine who "deserves" to purchase will be flawed and will leave some customers with a bitter taste in their mouths.
A ballot leaves everything to chance and gives all customers sufficient time to enter: You register your interest, we have an impartial third-party randomly select names, and those individuals then have the opportunity to purchase a bottle. (Please note we do not contact unsuccessful ballot entrants.)
]]>We've teamed-up with Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch Whisky to offer you the chance to win a home bar valued at R190,000! One lucky buyer of any Glenfiddich single malt whisky, bought from WhiskyBrother in-store or online, will win a custom designed drinks bar for their home, co-created by two of South Africa's top designers.
In collaboration with highly acclaimed South African interior designer Donald Nxumalo, of Donald Nxumalo Interior Design Studio, and Mzukisi Mbane, of Imprint South Africa luxury clothing, Glenfiddich is offering you the chance to win a one-of-a-kind custom home bar.
All you need to do to enter is purchase any bottle of Glenfiddich Scotch single malt whisky from our range, and your name will be entered into the draw. The lucky winner will have a luxury bar, designed, built and installed in their home, to the value of R190,000.
Our DramPacks are intended as an easy way to explore new whiskies or for convenient tasting line-ups with your friends at home - without incurring the cost of full bottles. Each pack contains five x 30ml samples of a selection of whiskies arranged around a theme. The selection will be added to and changed regularly to feature different releases, producers and brands, offering you the chance to try new, different and limited edition whiskies from around the world.
For launch, we have four packs available:
It's hard to know what demand will be like for these packs, so in the off-chance they sell out really quickly, just give us a few days to produce more and the product will be available online again. Except of course for the Springbank/Glengyle DramPack which we can never repeat based on the incredible scarcity of the whiskies.
Some of the packs will also feature an optional online tasting for everyone who purchased that pack and who is interested in joining us online for a virtual event. These particular DramPacks will be clearly marked to indicate an online tasting is offered along with the pack.
In addition, any single order of ten or more DramPacks automatically qualifies you to receive a complimentary online tasting with one of our team. Once your order has been placed, simply contact us to arrange a date and time, and we will meet you and your group online to run you through the whiskies.
The physical DramPacks are just the start of our plans; these packs now enable us to do a lot of other cool things online, including regular online tastings, virtual versions of The Only Whisky Show, as well as the ability to bring in international guests to join us for online whisky tastings.
We would also love to do custom packs for your whisky clubs, events and even businesses; as long as we have retail stock available of the whiskies and you order at least 20 packs. If you are interested, please get in touch with us (and give us sufficient time/notice to pour over 100 samples!).
Lastly, we are also planning for DramPacks that feature other spirits, once we've had a chance to hear from you and what you'd like to see!
And, yes... whisky advent calendars are next and currently underway! 😁
]]>Our next ballot offers the chance to purchase the latest limited batch of releases from the Springbank and Kilkerran distilleries. We have far too few bottles to make these releases openly available, so once again we are relying on a ballot to provide a fair and equitable approach to interested customers, as well as give everyone sufficient time to enter.
]]>We have far too few bottles to make these releases openly available, so once again we are relying on a ballot to provide a fair and equitable approach to interested customers, as well as give everyone sufficient time to enter.
We have six limited releases available through this ballot:
Please enter your details below in order to stand a chance to be able to purchase a bottle of either limited release whisky. We will randomly draw as many customers as we have bottles available, with each customer being allowed to purchase a single bottle.
You may enter the ballot for as many of the six whiskies as you are interested in; they will be run as separate ballots so your chances will not be increased or decreased, no matter which whiskies you are interested in.
[ BALLOT IS NOW CLOSED FOR ENTRIES ]
Last month we rolled out our inaugural whisky ballot, the new method of choice internationally for retailers facing the challenge of miniscule supply versus massive demand. Well, we are back with our next ballot, this time for the upcoming Ardbeg Day special release: Scorch. Although physical Ardbeg Day celebrations are again sadly cancelled across the globe, this year's limited release, Ardbeg Scorch, is about to be available in South Africa.
]]>Overall, our adoption of the ballot seems to have been understood and appreciated by our customers. First prize would of course be enough great whisky for everyone who wants it (although would it really be a limited edition then, and if it isn't "limited" would everyone still actually want a bottle?! 🤔) but in lieu of that, the ballot system did its job in randomly selecting some lucky customers who then purchased a bottle.
Well, we are back with our next ballot, this time for the upcoming Ardbeg Day special release.
Although physical Ardbeg Day celebrations are again sadly cancelled across the globe, this year's limited release, Ardbeg Scorch, is about to be available in South Africa. Scorch will be released in honour of Ardbeg Day, an annual event held on the final day of Fèis Ìle, Islay’s music and whisky festival. This year it falls on 5 June and will take place online.
Matured in casks which have been “heavily charred”, the whisky’s name is inspired by the folk tales of Islay’s mythical dragon.
Whisky | Ardbeg Scorch |
ABV and Volume | 46%, 750ml |
Type | Islay Single Malt Scotch |
Casks | Heavily-charred ex-bourbon casks |
Retail Price | R1,995 (bundle with a bottle of Ardbeg Wee Beastie) |
Ballot aside, as per Ardbeg Day last year, we are again bundling this year's special release Scorch (R1,400) with another core-range Ardbeg, the Wee Beastie (R595).
The local whisky market has struggled over the last ± 5 years, with SA whisky sales declining to the point where we have fallen off the top 10 whisky market list. (And that was before the crippling blows of three alcohol bans over the last 15 months!) The volume of any limited release is usually allocated to the various markets based on existing sales of standard releases. If SA whisky sales are down, we can only assume that in general Ardbeg is not doing as well either, and therefore as a country we are getting less limited release stock.
The only way to rectify this is to buy and drink more Ardbeg. It's up to all of us, as whisky and Ardbeg lovers, to do what we can to build the brand all year around. Let's not forget the Ardbeg Committee was created to stop the distillery ever having to close again, as it did in the 1990s.
Please enter your details below in order to stand a chance to be able to purchase a bottle of Ardbeg Scorch bundle. We will randomly draw as many customers as we have bottles available, with each customer being allowed to purchase a single bottle.
[ BALLOT IS NOW CLOSED FOR ENTRIES ]
Join us on for our next episode of WB Live, featuring Jack Teeling, founder and managing director of the Teeling Whiskey Company, which established the Teeling Distillery in 2015 - the first new whiskey distillery to open in Dublin in over 125 years.
GUEST | Jack Teeling |
DATE | Thursday, 27 May |
TIME | 6pm SAST / 4pm GMT |
DRAMS | This is not an online tasting, but feel free to sip along with us on the Teeling Irish whiskey core range while we chat. |
LINKS | YouTube and Facebook |
We'll be chatting to Jack about the Teeling family's history in the Irish whiskey industry (dating back to 1782), the establishment and current state of the new distillery and what lies ahead.
We look forward to chatting and sharing whisky with you 🥃
]]>Before the chaos ensued, we had plans in play for three new sizeable projects for 2020: The first is on hold for the foreseeable future, the second is indefinitely scrapped, but it is my pleasure to share the news of the third with you.
We are proud to announce that our second retail store is now open in the Nicolway shopping centre in Bryanston, Johannesburg, located on the top level opposite the Woolworths entrance.
The store offers retail only (not a bar) and, although smaller than our original flagship store in Hyde Park, offers a cosy and comfortable environment with an impressive selection of whisky, as well as select spirits and carefully curated wines.
Along with the store we'd also like to introduce you to one of the newest members of our team, Kudzai Kupeta, assistant manager of Nicolway. "Kudz" is a certified wine sommelier, and for the last six months has been responsible for building up our wine selection, while we train him up on whisky. (Although to be fair, he already had a good base from previous dealings with us as sommelier of DW11-13 restaurant.)
If you are in the area, please pop-in for a visit and say HI to Kudz! You can also reach the new store on (081) 081-8832. There are still some finishing touches and stock to come, but we think the new store has a great feel and we welcome any feedback.
Although the store has just opened, we applied for our liquor licence before any COVID chaos in February 2020! Once the 2nd alcohol ban was lifted we completed the shop fitting, hired Kudz and began to stock the new premises - expecting our licence would follow shortly after. Ha, what fools we are! Sadly, as per its reputation and all of our previous experiences, the Gauteng Liquor Board were nowhere with our licence even after a full year.
Thankfully, with the help of a savvy liquor lawyer and a few dozen other applicants in the same position, we filed a lawsuit with the high court, who then reviewed our application and granted an interdict to allow us to trade. Two days later our doors opened! 🥃
]]>For better or worse, we'd like to welcome you to our very first whisky ballot (and the first for SA); an approach that has been adopted internationally with retailers facing the challenge of miniscule supply versus massive demand. We have too few bottles of a particular whisky that everybody wants, so no matter how we try to determine who the few lucky customers are that can purchase it, it has come to the point where drawing randomly from an interested pool is more equitable.
]]>We have too few bottles of a particular whisky that everybody wants, so no matter how we try to determine who the few lucky customers are that can purchase it, it has come to the point where drawing randomly from an interested pool is more equitable.
Please know that we are well aware no matter how we approach this, there will be unhappy customers who desperately want a bottle but don't get one. We get it, we really do- we are whisky people too. As passionate enthusiasts, we love certain brands/producers/releases more than others, and for a variety of reasons there are just some bottles we must have... but sadly, in a golden age of whisky comes a global market and limited releases are stretched thinner than ever.
The simple reality is, we have less than a handful of bottles available for retail, but we know the demand outstrips availability by 100x (and that's honestly not hyperbole).
We are fortunate that after 8 years of trading we have a sizeable customer base across our beautiful country. Some customers may only buy once a year, while others buy weekly. We appreciate them all, and any measure to determine who "deserves" to purchase will be flawed and will leave a bitter taste in many a mouth.
A ballot system leaves everything to chance and gives everyone fair time to enter: You register your interest, we have an impartial third-party randomly select names, and those individuals then have the opportunity to purchase a bottle.
We have two limited releases available through this inaugural ballot:
1. SPRINGBANK LOCAL BARLEY 2021
The Local Barley series is one of the distillery's most highly anticipated and, although initially planned to be a series of five releases, due to its popularity it will now be an annual limited release. Each year, Springbank use different barley varieties, grown by different local farmers. (Terroir perhaps? 🤔)
Producer | Springbank |
Release | 10yo Local Barley 2021 |
ABV and Volume | 55.6%, 750ml |
Type | Scotch Single Malt |
Casks | Oloroso sherry |
Retail Price | R1,750 |
Bottles Produced | 8,500 |
2. COMPASS BOX MAGIC CASK
Although bottled earlier last year, this limited edition Compass Box is now only being released due to the global impact of COVID.
In 2016, the producer re-racked one-year-old malt spirit into first-fill Oloroso sherry-seasoned casks. Three years later, one cask in particular ‘proved so compelling’ that it led to further experimentation. After introducing it to a much
older malt whisky from the now lost Imperial distillery, Compass Box say they "witnessed a moment of magic".
Producer | Compass Box |
Release | Magic Cask 2020 |
ABV and Volume | 46%, 750ml |
Type | Scotch Blended Malt |
Casks | 92% first-fill bourbon, 8% first-fill Oloroso |
Retail Price | R3,350 |
Bottles Produced | 5,538 |
Please enter your details below in order to stand a chance to be able to purchase a bottle of either limited release whisky. We will randomly draw as many customers as we have bottles available, with each customer being allowed to purchase a single bottle.
You may enter the ballot for either of the two whiskies, or both; they will be run as separate ballots so your chances will not be increased or reduced, no matter which whiskies you are interested in.
[ BALLOT IS NOW CLOSED FOR ENTRIES ]
Lesego Semenya, aka LesDaChef, is a highly accomplished South African chef, and fellow whisky fan. In a story similar to ours, Les quit his corporate career to follow his passion and hasn't looked back. Somewhere along our individual journeys we crossed paths and a mutual respect and friendship was born.
In a recurring segment, we provide Les with a bottle of whisky and in return he drinks it, experiments with it and gives us a recipe; any recipe at all, there are no rules.
If you are a fan of LesDaChef, like we are, follow his amazing food adventures on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or visit his website.
In my first article for WhiskyBrother I chuckled at how whisky drinkers are a sentimental bunch who love to wax lyrical about casks and flavours in their favourite amber coloured liquor. I left out that I understand their ways because we chefs are equally as soppy about life and our food, heck, I wrote a whole bestselling book based purely on my childhood and my hometown. We are a nostalgic and overly sentimental lot and it is exactly why I think Marc from WhiskyBrother felt the synergy between what I do for a living, and what he is so passionate about. Which leads me to the occasion of this review. A sentimental bottle of Scotch on a sentimental occasion.
I write this whilst sitting opposite the Vaal River on an early Autumn day under a tree. People are fishing to my left, kids are swimming behind me and in front of us are a few crazy people on boats trying to out-speed each other. It is my girlfriend’s birthday weekend and I decided to make a weekend of it and take the drive down to the border of Gauteng and Free State provinces.
I grabbed the bottle I got from WhiskyBrother for this month’s review, a small batch release of Great King Street Artist’s Blend by Compass Box. Quite a mouthful but all the words on the rather elaborate label are there for a reason. The whisky maker is Compass Box, a company that prides itself on making quality, accessible Scotch blends. Started by an American (don’t roll your eyes yet) who moved to the UK and began Compass Box in his kitchen and two decades later it has established itself as one of the best boutique blenders. I initially noticed the brand because of the really artistic and elaborate labels on their whiskies.
The Great King Street range is named after the actual name of the street Compass Box is located on in London and “Artist’s Blend” is the name of this particular blend; a tribute to the artistry of blenders who’ve come before. (There’s that sentimentality again). To make this bottle even more special, it is one of a small batch specifically selected and bottled for WhiskyBrother. Only 228 bottles were produced. Blended in 2018 but only bottled in 2019 after the whisky was married in an American oak barrel.
Soft amber and hay-like in appearance, I wasn’t expecting a robust taste when I first sipped it… and I was right. That doesn’t mean I was disappointed though. We sipped it immediately after pouring it and my girlfriend said that it was a bit harsh for her (granted, she has only just started drinking whisky). I let it breathe for 15 minutes and we sipped it again and there was a huge contrast. The second sip was sweet, with slight vanilla and peach notes. We added a few blocks of ice to it and it became even sweeter and easier drinking.
With it being her birthday weekend we had quite a few snacks lying around and the whisky worked with various foods. It paired well with unsalted nuts, chutney biltong, droewors and berries. It also went well with desserts, and I’ll even admit it is good for mixing too. The flavour never overwhelms but it also keeps you coming back for more. Blends can have a bad rep with some drinkers, but everything that Compass Box say they’re about is true in this bottle; quality blends are a real thing and can still be accessible without being overly pricey.
If we weren’t in a hotel I would have definitely made a dessert with this and drizzled it into a vanilla custard and added it into a sticky toffee pudding to make a nice tipsy dessert. The subtle notes will marry well with the gentle flavours of a sponge and vanilla. If you’d like to give it a shot, here’s my vanilla custard recipe below.
Ingredients
Instructions
Join us on for our next episode of WB Live, featuring Yossi Schwartz, founder and owner of Single & Single, a South African based independent whisky bottler. Yossi started Single & Single in 2006 and released a trio of some amazing whisky in the years that followed. Then after a several year hiatus he returned with renewed vigor and has consistently been releasing hit after hit whisky in the last few years.
]]>Join us on for our next episode of WB Live, featuring Yossi Schwartz, founder and owner of Single & Single, a South African based independent whisky bottler.
Yossi started Single & Single in 2006 and released a trio of some amazing whisky in the years that followed. Then after a several year hiatus he returned with renewed vigor and has consistently been releasing hit after hit whisky in the last few years.
We'll be chatting to Yossi about the role and world of independent bottlers, the history of Single & Single, take a look at his releases over the years and we'll be tasting the 5 whiskies available in his Single & Single Tasting Set (on promotion now until this event- save R400!).
GUEST | Yossi Schwartz |
DATE | Thursday, 25 March |
TIME | 6pm SAST / 4pm GMT |
WHISKIES | Single & Single Tasting Set (5x30ml) |
LINKS | YouTube and Facebook |
So please join us, drams in hand, for a rare opportunity to chat to the founder of one of SA's few independent bottlers, and a genuinely good human, while we taste his exceptional whiskies.
]]>In celebration of St Patrick's Day, and in collaboration with Teeling Irish Whiskey, we are offering you a rare opportunity to join a private online tasting of only 20 people with special guest Alex Chasko, the Head Distiller of Teeling whiskey.
Based in Dublin, Teeling Whiskey is part of a new generation of Irish distillers, redefining and reigniting the industry with innovation. With humble but firm roots in whiskey distilling, spanning over 240 years, the Irish producer approaches craft whiskey with respect for generations passed, but with the confidence to experiment.
In 2015 when founders, Jack and Stephen Teeling, and Head Distiller, Alex Chasko opened the distillery it was the first distillery to open in Dublin in over 125 years. 6 years later, their whiskies have nabbed up to 130 awards and have been recognised as category-leaders worldwide. In 2019, Teeling’s 24yo Single Malt was named the World’s Best Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards which was the first Irish Whiskey to receive this accolade. With these accolades behind them, Teeling Whisky expressions have gained popularity across the world, and helped reignite enthusiasm for Irish Whiskey.
In celebration of St Patrick’s Day, Teeling invites South African whisky enthusiasts to explore the Teeling Trinity expressions by joining an exclusive online tasting co-hosted by WhiskyBrother and Teeling’s Head Distiller, Alex Chasko. Together we will host guests to enjoy the heart and spirit of Teeling Irish Whiskey.
To stand a chance to win a seat at the ‘virtual tasting table’ on 16th March, follow the link below to register. Teeling will then randomly select 20 guests only, who will then receive a bespoke tasting kit delivered to their home in order to fully explore the unique spirits. Entries close on the 11th of March at 12pm.
[ ENTRIES ARE NOW CLOSED ]
If the luck of the Irish isn't with you and you aren't one of the selected participants, you can still order a bottle of Teeling in time to celebrate St. Patrick's Day: Teeling Small Batch (R490), Teeling Single Grain (R630) and Teeling Single Malt (R790).
]]>Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the results couldn’t be presented in person this year. Instead, the Icons of Whisky team hosted virtual presentations to announce the regional winners.
The Rest of World region was announced last Thursday, and we are incredibly excited and honoured to have been recognized in two categories: Single Outlet Retailer (winner) and Online Retailer (highly commended).
This is the second year in a row we have won Single Outlet Retailer, and the first time we have received recognition in the Online Retailer category.
The online award is especially gratifying at the moment as the global pandemic has pushed many to buy online, and we've experienced that trend firsthand. We take great pride in our website and always strive to make it an extension of the physical store where customers can easily find what they need and receive clear information in a specialty shopping environment. As importantly, we focus on efficient processing and reliable logistics to ensure customers consistently receive their order safely and timeously.
These awards come at the end of a very disruptive and challenging year. Not only globally but also specifically in SA with multiple alcohol bans completely closing our business for weeks/months on end. But with the support of our amazing customers and dedication of our team, we’ve still managed to garner recognition for our work.
It will come as little surprise that master distiller Andy Watts was again recognised this year for his contribution to South African whisky. This time though, it was no “mere” award he received but rather an induction into Whisky Magazine’s Whisky Hall of Fame! The honour of Whisky Hall of Fame has been bestowed on just a handful of iconic people since its inception in 2004, as a permanent tribute to their lasting contribution to the whisky industry. Andy is only the 70th inductee.
We gave Andy a call to ask how he feels about his induction and he had the following to say:
How did it feel when you were watching along and realised after a few moments that they were describing you as the latest inductee?
It was very surreal... the business had apparently known for two weeks but they managed to keep the news away from me. My first reactions as it became obvious were that I wished my Dad was still with us, and that I wanted to hug and share the moment with anyone... neither being possible due to COVID! As the news sank in and the messages started coming in, a kind of warm numbness came over me. The next few hours were just a blur!
You aren’t a stranger to international recognition but what does entering the Hall of Fame mean to you?
With the Hall of Fame it is not a competition so there are no expectations; it is your peers in your industry who deem that your work and contribution to the world of whisky, in my case 37 years, is worthy of such a nomination and induction. To actually hear that I have helped shape the world of whisky in such a way is mind blowing and incredibly humbling at the same time.
Andy- I am sure it is safe to say that on behalf of ALL fans of South African whisky (whether local or globally), we send you our sincerest congratulations and thank you for your dedication, decades of service and creation of so many delicious whiskies. We are so proud of you and know your recognition at the highest level is deserved and an appropriate testament to your craftmanship.
There are also four more reasons to be proudly South African, with the following companies/individuals receiving awards in the region: (A big congratulations to them all!)
A full list of the Rest of World winners is here, and award winners for the following regions can be found here: America, Australia, Ireland and Scotland.
Andy's induction, the Icons of Whisky Global Awards and the World Whiskies Awards winners will be announced on 25 March during an online ceremony.
]]>Join us on for our next episode of WB Live, featuring a whisky icon that needs no introduction: Andy Watts, master distiller at South Africa's famed James Sedgwick Distillery (producer of Three Ships and Bain's).
It's been a big year for Andy, the team and the distillery, with new releases and new awards a plenty, in what is undoubtedly one of the most challenging years globally in decades.
We'll be having a friendly catch-up with Andy to find out how he is, his thoughts on the past year as well as talking about and tasting the latest releases from James Sedgwick, including our second Three Ships single cask release (now sold out).
GUEST | Andy Watts |
DATE | Thursday, 17 December |
TIME | 6pm SAST / 4pm GMT |
WHISKIES | Bain's, Three Ships 10yo 2007, 11yo Shiraz Finish and WB Single Cask |
LINKS | YouTube and Facebook |
So please join us, drams in hand, while we chat whisky with one of the global icons of the industry.
]]>Lesego Semenya, aka LesDaChef, is a highly accomplished South African chef, and fellow whisky fan. In a story similar to ours, Les quit his corporate career to follow his passion and hasn't looked back since. Somewhere along our individual journeys we crossed paths and a mutual respect and friendship was born.
In a new recurring segment, we provide Les with a bottle of whisky and in return he drinks it, experiments with it and gives us a recipe; any recipe at all, there are no rules.
If you are a fan of LesDaChef, like we are, follow his amazing food adventures on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and his website. He is currently working up incredible recipes for Woolworths' food magazine Taste.
I’ve come to enjoy my monthly visits to the WhiskyBrother shop, not because of how I always want to buy everything (and can’t afford to) but because of the knowledge Marc always shares with me on each visit. Similar to how I approach food from a laid back but knowledge-based point of view, Marc (the founder of WhiskyBrother) has a similar attitude when it comes to whisky; always full of titbits and facts about things the average drinker takes for granted.
When I entered the store to collect a few more bottles for me to review and write about, I honestly wasn’t expecting to walk out with an American whiskey (yeah, the Americans and Irish spell whisky funny like that). I had mentioned to Marc that I can’t stomach American alcohol and that it just wasn’t up my alley. I was basing this purely on my experience with the mass-market American bourbon’s that I’d recklessly downed in my student days lovingly laced with sparkling grape juice and other sugary drinks.
So, obviously, Marc decided he’d try change my mind and view… and thus I stepped out of Hyde Park with a rye whiskey called Templeton “The Good Stuff”. A bit pretentious in name but then again, we’re dealing with Trump’s country here.
The Good Stuff is made by a distillery known as Templeton Rye and yes, you’ve guessed it, their whiskey is rye based (one day when we do our Youtube tutorial on whisky making and drinking we’ll explain the nitty gritty of ingredients and their significance). Templeton Rye is based in Iowa, in the middle of American Midwest farmland country and they’re proud of this. The label even proudly states that it began during American prohibition days. The name “The Good Stuff” was the code name given to the whiskey the townsfolk would make using the farmed rye in the area. The bottle is simple and unpretentious, which is typically hipster and current, and there is nothing fancy about the look of it at all.
I know whisky people love stories about their favourite amber beverage but I’m going to cut the history lesson short and get to the actual taste of the whiskey: Sweet, smooth and easy-drinking, The Good Stuff is a mid-entry whiskey that is easy on the pocket but also easy on the tongue. No need to overthink its flavour notes, it is full of honey and treacle from the first sip. With an alcohol volume of 45.75% (the Americans double this figure to get their “proof” level, so it is 91.5 proof in American lingo…if you’re wondering). I tried it neat, on the rocks and chilled. It tasted best on ice with some of the ice being allowed to melt for a few seconds before the first sip but it also worked with just a dash of water as well. The whiskey isn’t aged for too long, this bottle was just a 6yr old, but to the average whiskey drinker you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference as the flavour is everything.
So what did I do with the whiskey besides sip it? I used it to make a biltong and mushroom sauce for my rump steak. The sweet notes pair up well with tomato-based foods as well as well-aged beef. Here’s how I did it…
Ingredients
Instructions
Heat a pan on the highest heat without any oil. Once really hot, add the butter and oil. Once sizzling, add the onions and fry for 2 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add the tomato puree and stir until the paste has become a dark brown colour. Now add the mushrooms and whiskey. Cook until the mushrooms have absorbed all the whiskey. Add the stock, mustard and biltong dust. Simmer the sauce for 3-4 minutes or until the right consistency. If it is too thick loosen it up with more stock or water. Taste and season.
Serve with your steak immediately.
]]>All world-class businesses evolve over time. Many would say that's what gives them their longevity and success. Here at WB, we aspire to be a world-class business and brand, and we like to think we are building something for the future that transcends the current team involved; something that will outlive us and continue to bring the wonder of the world of whisky (and spirits) to South Africans, and hopefully to others, in the decades to come.
Like a whisky distillery filling casks for the future, every year we have tried to invest in WB's future by growing, refining and improving our offering and services, as our resources have allowed. Sometimes this growth is obvious (our Morningside Bar or The Only Whisky Show) but many times it isn't (one more exclusive single cask release than the prior year or improved pricing). I'm proud to say that our handful of owners, myself included, have never taken a dividend, nor have we ever needed to raise more investment to grow. This business has always been about passion and people, not profits, and ironically, I believe it's how we've come so far in a notoriously competitive and challenging industry.
It is with our drive to be world class and show the world what a small and proudly South African business can do, that we introduce the next step in our evolution: WhiskyBrother&Co. Although we do not see this as a giant leap by any means, it may be more obvious to you, our customers and fans, so it is important to share the rationale for the change and what it does and doesn't mean.
The original name and accompanying logo was designed in 2009 for the WhiskyBrother blog, three years before we went "legit" and opened our Hyde Park store. A month before the store was due to open, I needed a name and a logo, and with no better ideas in mind, and with a pre-existing (albeit tiny) brand from a whisky blog, decided to continue on with WB. I was WhiskyBrother after all. (That feels arrogant to say, but seriously, that was the name of my Twitter account and blog...)
That original logo (done for free by a friend, as is so often the case with a start-up), lasted until 2016 when we moved to the logo that you most likely know and recognise now. At the time it was a simple refresh on the design and didn't signify any real change, other than maybe subconsciously that we weren't going anywhere, and contrary to the naysayers, had a viable business.
It was around that same time, that I personally started having reservations about the name WhiskyBrother. The business had become so much more than just me and a long-forgotten blog, and the name didn't accurately capture the essence of our culture. WB was a growing team, each as passionate as the next, and wouldn't exist if not for the community.
This brings us to our latest iteration, the small but meaningful addition of an '&Co'. Although just three letters, they are important to us as a business and a symbol for what we stand for... the company. The company we keep; from the producers who make our cherished drinks, to the company we drink them in; the company of those that share our passion, as well as the company whisky keeps in the greater world of spirits.
In short, it represents inclusivity, for all people and for all premium spirits. To be clear, we always welcomed everyone, but I don't feel the name sufficiently reflected that. We haven't always welcomed all premium spirits, however, and that's the only real change going forward.
Between the two SA alcohol bans, we extending our product offering to include a very small and limited number of other spirits. This was born out of requests from customers as well as a necessity to recover from the significant impact of the first ban. We offered it as a convenience and because our positioning and service easily allowed us to.
Although we were uneasy about it initially due to concern that the singularly-focused whisky fans would be upset. The issue of survival was the push we needed. Since then, and the upliftment of the second alcohol ban, we've had a somewhat obvious revelation, that we can do what we do with whisky while also doing cool stuff with other spirits. Doing both doesn't compromise our love or dedication for either. Instead (and again, obvious in retrospect), the larger portfolio actually gives significant benefits to both our whisky and spirits capabilities.
This is not a pivot (I personally loathe that word), this is an extension; doing what we have always done but extending our product offering to include a carefully selected and limited number of other premium spirits. Our passion, knowledge and dedication hasn't changed, rather it has grown to encompass some truly wonderful spirits who also deserve love and attention. Many of them hailing from fellow South African producers, creating world class products but often not getting the recognition they deserve locally.
The truth is, unsurprisingly, most whisky drinkers also enjoy other spirits. The ratio may vary, it may even favour whisky, but there is a discerning palate that appreciates the wonderful and varied flavours that whisky and its company of other spirits offer.
This year did not go according to plan. Not for us, and not for the world at large. We had five major projects planned that have either been delayed without progress or totally scrapped. Only one has managed to see the light of day and that one is grossly delayed (more news coming in early December), but we are planning and working hard for 2021 with several very exciting projects.
As for the slight "renaming", evolution of our logo and further extension of our product offering, we will be rolling that out over the coming few weeks. (Our website URL will not change.)
On behalf of WhiskyBrother&Co, we hope you'll not only understand the direction, but welcome and embrace it. If you only want whisky, apart from the logo revision nothing should change; we'll continue to offer you the widest range, exciting exclusives and the best service. But, if you also enjoy the company of other spirits, then stay tuned, we're about to work our magic!
]]>Join us on for our next episode of WB Live, featuring two special guests from the Ardnamurchan distillery! The new distillery, located on the remote Ardnamurchan peninsula in the western Highlands, Scotland began production in 2014. We'll be chatting to Alex (MD) and Connal (Sales Director) about the inaugural release, state of the distillery and future plans, as well as tasting the official Ardnamurchan tasting pack. The tasting pack contains the inaugural single malt and three unreleased cask samples.
]]>Join us on for our next episode of WB Live, featuring two special guests from the Ardnamurchan distillery!
The new Ardnamurchan distillery, located on the remote Ardnamurchan peninsula in the western Highlands, Scotland began production in 2014. Built and owned by Adelphi independent bottler, over the last few years they have released work-in-progress spirit to showcase the impressive development. After 6.5 years, the wait is over, and their inaugural single malt is now available.
GUEST | Alex Bruce and Connal Mackenzie |
DATE | Thursday, 19 November |
TIME | 6pm SAST / 4pm GMT |
WHISKIES | Ardnamurchan Tasting Pack |
LINKS | YouTube and Facebook |
We'll be chatting to Alex (MD) and Connal (Sales Director) about the inaugural release, state of the distillery and future plans, as well as tasting the official Ardnamurchan tasting pack. The tasting pack contains the inaugural single malt and three unreleased cask samples.
The show will be livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook, which will allow the audience to chat and ask questions.
So please join us, dram(s) in hand, while we chat whisky with one of the newest distilleries in Scotland.
]]>During the initial South African COVID-19 lockdown earlier this year, we brought you the Whisky Makes Me Happy Hour, which aimed to continue sharing the whisky love even though we were all confined to our homes. After 10 episodes in 10 weeks, that seemed to be very well-received, and with lockdown easing and our store reopening, we took a break but promised to be back...
Well, after a longer period than planned (apologies), we are excited to bring you the next iteration of our online events/tastings, which we are simply dubbing WB Live!
WB Live will follow a similar, but more focused format, with each episode focusing on either a guest or a specific whisky topic. Occasionally we may have a general show so we can say hi, share WB news and do Q&As. We will aim to keep the shows to an hour - but we make no promises based on our inability to do that the first time around; once we get started talking about whisky it's hard to stop us.
Join us next week Thursday for our inaugural show, featuring a very special and esteemed whisky icon, Alan Winchester. Alan's whisky resume spans 45 years in the industry. Most recently he has been the master distiller for the last 10 years at, not only The Glenlivet, but all 13 of the Chivas Brothers distilleries in Scotland (think Aberlour, Strathisla, Longmorn, Scapa, etc.). Master of the Quaich, lifetime achievement awards, you name it, Alan is a recipient and rightfully so.
GUEST | Alan Winchester |
DATE | Thursday, 12 November |
TIME | 6pm SAST / 8pm GMT |
WHISKIES | Glenlivet Spectra |
LINKS | YouTube and Facebook |
We plan to spend half the time chatting to Alan about his career, the state of the numerous distilleries he oversees and some production questions; and the following half talking and tasting Spectra, the latest limited release from Glenlivet.
The show will be livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook, which will allow the audience to chat and ask questions.
So please join us, dram(s) in hand, while we chat whisky with one of the best in the industry - before the rumours of a retirement are true, and he can only be found in the hills of Speyside in search of illicit stills, as he is known to do.
]]>Lesego Semenya, aka LesDaChef, is a highly accomplished South African chef, and fellow whisky fan. In a story similar to ours, Les quit his corporate career to follow his passion and hasn't looked back since. Somewhere along our individual journeys we crossed paths and a mutual respect and friendship was born.
In a new recurring segment, we provide Les with a bottle of whisky and in return he drinks it, experiments with it and gives us a recipe; any recipe at all, there are no rules!
If you become a fan of LesDaChef, like we already are, you can follow his amazing food adventures on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and his website. He is currently working up incredible recipes for Woolworths' food magazine Taste. (That's right, Woolworths and WhiskyBrother use the same chef! 😂)
If you’ve followed my career over the years (I’ve been known to do a few things on TV, books, magazines and sometimes even the newspapers) you’ll know that I try my hardest never to sugarcoat my opinions about something. I’ve always felt that we South African chefs are often way too guarded and polite when it comes to talking about food and the lives we live. Hence my business slogan being “Taking the Snobbery Out of Food”. So when Marc, Mr WhiskyBrother himself, asked me if I’d be interested in writing about whisky my first response was, “as long as I can be myself”, he didn’t bat an eye. So here’s the offering: Every month I’ll try a whisky from the shop and give my honest opinion and what I did with it (I’m still a chef after all) but I’ll be doing it from a layman’s point of view. Taking the snobbery out of whisky.
So, first things first, I must admit that I am already a whisky lover, I have a proper qualification in wine although I’m not a sommelier. So I can’t pretend to not have a bit of an educated palate already when it comes to alcohol but what I will say though, is that I approach the concept of food pairings with alcohol from the customer's point of view. We people in the food and beverage world are magicians and masters at making simple things sound fancy. It's one of the barriers to us welcoming new people into our world. When I first started drinking whisky properly (I say properly coz varsity days of Jack Daniel’s and Appletiser don’t count) I found myself overwhelmed by all the maps and stories of rivers and lakes and burnt drums that add certain things to the whisky. I always thought wine drinkers were snooty but I was unprepared for how soppy and nostalgic whisky people get! I decided to buy whisky whenever I could and just play with it on my own. Sip it neat, sip it ice cold, sip it with water, sip it with soda water, mix it into various things (yes, even Coke I’ll admit) and see what it tastes like etc. I found this approach worked better for me than listening to salespeople trying to sell me bottles based on their own opinions or what the packaging on the box said. Every person experiences food and drinks differently and so I’ll be doing the same with the various whisky I’ll be trying over the next few months.
And that’s exactly what I did with the whisky for this month: Old Pulteney 12yo. A distillery founded in 1826 in the Northern Highlands of Scotland (see what I mean about nostalgia and whisky people) it produces 1,6 million litres of alcohol a year. With over 1,000 visitors each month it seems to be quite the popular place and brand. I grabbed the bottle from Marc and went on my merry way.
A few weeks later I went back to the store and bought it again as well as Old Pulteney’s Flotilla 2008 Vintage. I wanted to try the 12yr old against its more highly priced and more celebrated brother (who apparently is bottled right at the sea, hence the name of the bottle). The reason I bought it again was because I was about to go on a road trip to Cape Town and I wanted a 2nd opinion on it. What I had found when I drank it was it being quite sweet on the tongue and it got even sweeter with a little water. I tried it at room temp without water and personally found it a bit too harsh for me, so I chilled it in the freezer for an hour and tried it again and it was a lot better. I pictured it being added to cold summer cocktails as well, it isn’t an overly complicated tasting whisky nor is it easy drinking. It went well with sweet things when I tested it against various foods. Moist biltong, pork, sticky bbq wings, berries, ribs and honey went well with it. Well, that’s what I found with my first try with it. So I grabbed the 2 new bottles and off to Cape Town we went.
I introduced the whisky to my friends on a cool night in Hout Bay and for some reason the whisky tasted a bit different. I think the sea air and the braai smoke must have had something to do with that. We tried it neat, once again it was a bit too harsh for all of us. We went to the rocks next and let the ice melt in our glasses and tried it again. It was better drinking with the ice and cold water melted from the ice. It also needed a bit of air to breath a bit before it started opening up and tasting better. Then I brought out the Flotilla and poured that out for everyone and boy were they sold from the first sip. It was a completely different crowd and reaction. Neat or on ice it just worked. It also has a slight tinge of sweetness like the 12yr old but it tasted a lot more put together and focused. One of my friends even went so far as to say it’s the best whisky he has ever tried (he is prone to a bit of exaggerating though). So in the battle of the Old Pulteney’s, the Flotilla won hands down… and justified why it costs so much more than the 12yr old.
So what did I do with the whisky besides sip it? Well I played around with it as well, in the kitchen. I played on my first sip opinion of it (the taste of berries and a sweetness) and went and created a sorbet with it using raspberries, blueberries and strawberries. I had decided to drive back home via the Karoo and spent 2 days in the gorgeous Karoo National Park on my own and under the beautiful desert sun I enjoyed this sorbet I had created. Yes, I had travelled to Cape Town with the bottle and then to the Karoo as well, the story of the travelling whisky. Here is the recipe I came up with… perfect for the current heat wave we’re experiencing in South Africa.
Ingredients
Instructions
Blend the berries, whisky, water, golden syrup and juice together until smooth. Put the mixture in the freezer and every 30 minutes whisk it vigorously with a whisk. Return it to the freezer after each whisk. You’ll have to do this every 30 minutes over a 3hr period or if you have an ice cream machine, you can just pop the mixture into the machine and churn it until it becomes a semi frozen consistency. Whisk the egg whites until medium stiffness and add the sugar slowly whilst whisking. Sort of like making a meringue. Using a spatula gently fold your meringue mixture into the freezing berry mix. If using an ice cream machine continue churning it until done. If using your hands and a whisk, place it in the freezer and whisk it a few more times every 30 mins until frozen.
Serve it the next day once fully set and frozen. To scoop it out more easily, let it sit at room temp for a few minutes before scooping it.
Oh, I also played around with the Flotilla but I didn’t add it to the food, it went alongside my lunch one afternoon in Cape Town. It worked perfectly with samosas and salmon terrine. It likes oily and rich foods.
Next month we try a new whisky. Looking forward to seeing what WhiskyBrother will surprise me with next.
]]>The only thing better than whisky, is free whisky! And with that in mind, we're giving you a chance to win plenty of free whisky, including a main prize worth over R10,000, for your drinking pleasure. To stand a chance to win is fairly simple; review us, review a whisky or share the competition love. The more you review and share the better your chances. Each action will enter you into the ballot and increase your chances of winning.
]]>The only thing better than whisky, is free whisky! And with that in mind, we're giving you a chance to win plenty of free whisky, including a main prize worth over R10,000, for your drinking pleasure.
To stand a chance to win is fairly simple; review us, review a whisky or share the competition love. The more you review and share the better your chances. Each action will enter you into the ballot and increase your chances of winning. At the end of the competition period (23:59 12 November 2020), we will randomly draw names from all the entries and distribute prizes!
1. Review WhiskyBrother
Review us on any of the below platforms and for each review you will receive 5 entries to the ballot. (I.e. Post your review on 1 and receive 5 entries, or post your review on all 5 and receive 25 entries.)
2. Review Whiskies
Review any in-stock product on our website to gain an entry (i.e. review 10 different whiskies, and gain 10 entries). The reviews can be short and sweet, no need to write up long tasting notes or anything fancy like that! They are there to help your fellow whisky-lovers make a more informed decision with differing views, so keep that in mind when writing your reviews.
In addition, if you review any of the below brands, you will receive ballot entries as well as stand a chance to win a bottle of whisky:
3. Share The Love
Share our competition posts online to gain additional entries:
One lucky recipient will win the main prize of a whisky hamper to the value of over R10,000, which includes the following 11 whiskies:
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If you have any questions, or you think we left something out, please contact us here. Now go forth and review my Whisky Brothers and Sisters!
We've added up all the entries, done our calculations, solicited impartial, third-party teetotalers to vet the results, and selected winners at random. The following prizes have been won by the respective individuals:
Congratulations to all the winners; we will be contacting you this week!
Thank you so much to everyone who entered and took the time to share our competition posts and/or posted reviews. We had a terrific response, and although you had incentive, it was still wonderful to receive all the positive reviews and get so many new product reviews onto our website. Until our next competition, slainte.
]]>Since the new Milk & Honey Classic arrived on our shelves nearly two months ago, it has been very well received with positive feedback all round. Local whisky drinkers have embraced the opportunity to try another new world whisky producer, and most importantly, the whisky is delicious and the price is right. In fact, it was our 5th best selling whisky last month, which says a lot considering the top two spots were occupied by WB exclusive single casks.
As a sign of the (COVID) times, and in collaboration with the local importer and distributor, Universal Beverages, we have organised an online tasting with Milk & Honey!
Next Thursday, 17 September at 7pm (SAST), we will be dialing in to the Milk & Honey distillery for an exclusive online tasting. Tomer Goren, head distiller, and Tal Chotiner, head of international sales, will be joining us live from Tel Aviv to take us on a brief tour of the distillery, give us a short presentation on the whisky and history, as well as run us through a virtual tasting.
The tasting will cover four drams: Pomegranate wine cask sample, M&H Elements Sherry, M&H Elements Peated and the M&H Classic. Although only the Classic is available to purchase in SA (for now), the rest have been made available in a tasting pack to some lucky media and whisky industry folk. Regardless of whether you have a tasting pack, a bottle of M&H Classic or neither, we really hope you will still join us for the distillery tour and to learn more about the whiskies and the people behind this exciting producer.
Register here to attend the tasting. Once registered you will receive a reminder email before the tasting starts.
We don't have enough tasting packs to go around, or even to make available online for sale, but we do have a few extra that we will be giving away to some lucky whisky-lovers. To stand a chance to win one of nine tasting packs, simply do one of the following:
For each of the three options, we will randomly choose three lucky recipients and send them a tasting pack. Entries close on Sunday 13th at midnight, so that we have enough time to get the winners their samples before Thursday's event. To be eligible you must reside in South Africa and be 18 years or older.
We look forward to you joining us and seeing you online!
EDITOR's NOTE: Wee Beastie is now available here.
Earlier this year in late-March, when regular life as we knew it was fast-changing due to COVID-19 and South Africans were facing their new reality of lockdown restrictions and an alcohol ban, came exciting news from Ardbeg about a new release: Ardbeg Wee Beastie 5 Year Old.
You'd be forgiven for missing the announcement considering the circumstances at the time. Surprisingly enough, and pleasantly so, Ardbeg went ahead with the release as planned, and even more surprising is that the release is destined for South Africa and will be available within a month (give or take a few weeks).
The expression joins the Ardbeg core range as a permanent release - meaning there will be enough available for everyone to buy, so there is no need to panic and worry that you may miss out!
Wee Beastie is matured in a combination of bourbon barrels and Oloroso sherry butts, is non-chillfiltered and bottled at 47.4%. What stands out most for this shiny new release, is the fact that it bears an age-statement, and a rather younger one than we are accustomed to seeing these days.
The whisky is a 5 year old, and proudly displays its age on the label. In this regard, I say respect! to Ardbeg for being transparent about the younger nature of this whisky and being confident enough to know that although a portion of whisky lovers (mistakenly) covet nothing but age, most Ardbeg fans will not care; peat fans know that the younger the whisky the more punchy the smoke, and informed whisky drinkers (should) know by now, that age is only one factor amongst many when it comes to producing quality whisky.
Sidebar: The valid criticism of no-age-statement (NAS) whiskies over the last several years was not that they became more prolific but that their prices were not aligned to the youthfulness of the whisky. As long as the price is in line with the age, younger whiskies, including NAS, have a place on our shelves and in our glasses. Regarding the price, Wee Beastie passes the test with an expected retail price tag around R600, making it the introductory expression in the range price-wise.
Wee Beastie follows relatively soon after An Oa, which hit SA shelves in 2018. Thereafter Ardbeg Traigh Bhan 19yo was announced in 2019 (nowhere in sight yet for South Africans). Keeping in mind that the last expression before An Oa, was Corryvreckan way back in 2009, the team at Ardbeg HQ have been busy over the last three years! With the release of Wee Beastie, the brand has doubled its core range, from three to six expressions, over a relatively short period of time. The fact that this coincides with the distillery's recent completion of its expansion, which doubles the production capacity to 2.4M litres (of pure alcohol) per year, is not by chance.
Globally the brand has gone from strength-to-strength since the distillery's reopening 20 years ago, assisted by quality marketing, including the annual Ardbeg Day celebrations accompanied by the playful releases and Ardbeg Embassies. Lastly, but most importantly, the quality of the liquid inside the bottle is excellent - assuming you enjoy peated whiskies.
You are likely to start seeing Wee Beastie available in the country as of this week, as a small number of "pre-launch" cases have been made available to retailers. This really is just a small teaser for the lucky few with fast fingers and time-to-spare, as the number of cases will not make even the smallest dent in demand. We've been told that by the end of September, there will be adequate volume available, at which time we will have Wee Beastie to purchase in-store and online. We will keep you updated through our usual channels (newsletter, website, social media) as soon as this happens.
Apparently the stock has been divided equally among several retailers (so much for being an Ardbeg Embassy...) but the bulk of the stock is expected to be available by the end of September.
Personally, I can't understand under current circumstances, and with so many fans still awash with disappointment from not getting an Ardbeg Blaaack release, why the local distributor would opt to release the little bit of stock now, instead of waiting just a matter of weeks. Surely, in the meantime, the limited stock could have been used for marketing events (online tastings anyone?) and for bars who desperately need support after 5 months of closure?
Since we only have a dozen or so bottles, making them available for sale will only leave more customers with a bitter taste in their mouth. So instead we are opting to rather use the bottles we have in our bar and for some online activities, starting with this: Simply confess your love for Ardbeg in the comments below, and one lucky commentator will win a bottle of Wee Beastie! (Only SA residents, 18 and older, eligible to win. Entries close on 31 August at midnight.)
Until then, we leave you with some tasting notes and the latest cool marketing video...
Nose: The first sniff alerts you to a nearby presence… heightened senses are filled with very bright, fresh herbal notes, with creeping hints of vanilla and pear. Rich Turkish coffee mingles with sappy pine resin, with honey-glazed ham lurking in the background. With water, more herbal top notes like vetiver and fennel captivate and pull you in, while beguiling scents of aniseed, green apple and leather cause you to drop your guard. Out of nowhere, a sharp tang of smoke and a crack of fresh black pepper fire warning shots across the senses.
Palate: Suddenly, a rich, explosive mouthfeel bursts forth with chocolate, creosote and tar. A powerful blast of eucalyptus thrashes about with antiseptic lozenges and aniseed. The raw, smoky intensity gathers pace, before smoked bacon and savoury meats sink into the palate.
Finish: The long, salty mouthcoating finish retreats, with hints of cocoa and fudge slinking slowly away.
]]>And we're back... again! We are incredibly relieved and excited to be back to work. The past months have significantly set back our business and our viability was never guaranteed - like any business without an income.
Thank you so much for the outpouring of support and online orders, even though you knew you wouldn't be able to take delivery until after the alcohol ban was lifted. We are proud and humbled to be a part of the wonderful SA whisky community and we can't wait to bring you more amazing whiskies, special offers, events and all round whisky goodness! ❤️🥃
With the lifting of the alcohol ban and the move to lockdown level 2, we are adjusting our operations as detailed below. We hope to see soon; whether in the bar, shop, online or just in spirit as we deliver whisky to you across South Africa.
Online orders can only be delivered Monday to Thursday, 9am to 5pm, as per current government restrictions. The good (and impressive) news is we have already processed all orders from lockdown, with the vast majority already delivered to their new homes! This means if you order online for delivery, you will be getting your whisky promptly.
Online orders for collections, can be picked-up from either the shop or bar, during their respective hours, but no later than 5pm.
Our Hyde Park store returns to operating Monday to Thursday, 9am to 5pm. We have strict measures in place to ensure the environment is safe, and you are required to wear a mask while in the store. Although we are limiting the number of customers at any one time, we haven't had any queues so there is no need to be worried about having to wait outside before being able to enter.
Our bar will reopen this Friday at 3pm, 21 August. This is the first time the bar will be open since initial lockdown measures were enforced over 5 months ago! In order to offer a safe environment, please note the following temporary changes:
We appreciate the above may seem overly cautious to some, but for the general safety of our patrons and staff, we appreciate your understanding and adherence to the above. We will actively review these changes on a weekly basis and adjust as/when needed.
]]>Whisky production has exploded globally over the last 10 years, with new distilleries coming online on an almost monthly basis. For more recent ones, it will still be many years until drinkers have access to actual whisky, but for Milk & Honey, Israel's first (but not only) whisky producer, their whisky is finally here... and by here, we don't mean metaphorically, we mean on our shelves, corks at the ready!
The plans for Milk & Honey (M&H) began in 2012, after a group of Israeli entrepreneurs and whisky enthusiasts, decided to establish Israel's first whisky distillery. (Since then a second, Golani Distillery, has been setup and begun production but is yet to release a whisky.) Located in the south of Tel Aviv, operations started 2014 with the first cask filled in 2015 and permanent production in place since early 2016. Throughout this time, work-in-progress whisky and some early limited releases have filtered through to various lucky individuals and events, but now, their first permanent expression is available.
Since its initial establishment, the founders employed the services of world renowned whisky consultant, Dr Jim Swan, a legend in the whisky industry with over 40 years experience who was instrumental in assisting numerous new whisky distilleries, both in Scotland (Kilchoman, Annandale, Lindores Abbey, Ncn'ean, etc.) and globally (Kavalan, Penderyn, Amrut, Cotswold). Dr Swan was involved with Milk & Honey from the very start, assisting in the distillery's setup and pot still design, cask selection and even yeast strains. Sadly, his involvement ended with his sudden passing in 2017.
The distillery is equipped with a one ton stainless steel mashtun, four stainless steal washbacks and two copper pot stills; a 9,000 litre wash still and a 3,500 litre spirit still. Although the distillery has capacity to produce up to 800,000 litres of pure alcohol per year, current production is only around 200,000 litres, enough to fill approximately 950 casks each year (significantly less compared to an average Scottish distillery).
Due to the fact that commercial Israeli barley is not suitable for whisky distillation, the distillery sources its barely from Britain. The standard malt being produced is unpeated, however every six months Tomer Goren, Head Distiller, does a two-week run of peated barley. The yeast comes from a company in Belgium, with fermentation times between 60 and 70 hours; a fairly typical duration for most malt production.
Like many "new world" whisky producers, climate is a significant factor. Tel Aviv's Mediterranean heat and humidity, with on average over 300 days of sunshine per year, helps with fast maturation. The downside, between 8 to 10% angel's share per year, resulting in significant evaporation through the wood while the whisky matures. Tomer has noted that with the climate: “Whiskies over three-to-four years old, which we already have, are well-matured. We will not reach more than five or six years of maturation.”
Although many single malt whiskies are considered kosher, depending on the types of casks used during maturation, Milk & Honey Classic is certified kosher on the label.
The first commercial single malt release from M&H is titled Classic and is unpeated and matured in ex-bourbon and ex-red-wine STR casks (which stands for shaved, toasted, recharred)- a firm favourite and legacy of Dr Jim Swan. The whisky is non-chillfiltered and naturally coloured to preserve its flavour, and is bottled at 46%. The M&H Classic is R795. (Bottle size 750ml)
OFFICIAL TASTING NOTES
Nose: Gentle vanilla sweetness, followed by light oak and floral notes.
Palate: Light body, vanilla, caramel and honey sweetness, balanced by woody notes and light black pepper spiciness.
Finish: Short but delicate. The oak notes linger on the palate for a while with a nice light spiciness.
For more information on Milk & Honey visit their website, and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
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