As a fun birthday surprise, I booked an incredible whisky experience with the internationally hailed James Sedgewick Distillery, based in Wellington, Western Cape, for my partner, who loves good whisky.
For just R350 per person (at the time of writing), he got to enjoy an intimate, exciting tour of the distillery, the only commercial whisky one of its kind on the African continent.
Upon arrival at the distillery, he was greeted with an interesting whisky cocktail, before it was time for the fun tour to begin.
Following his tour, he enjoyed a five whisky and pâté pairing, featuring smoked snoek-, pulled beef- and blue cheese-pâtés, along with a decadent chocolate mousse.
The whiskies he sampled included:
- Harrier Whisky
- Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky
- Three Ships Bourbon Cask
- Three Ships 5YO Premium Select
- and lastly, Three Ships 10YO Single Malt
My partner thoroughly enjoyed the in-depth tour; was privileged enough to meet the legendary, award-winning Andy Watts; and loved the Bain’s whisky and fish pâté pairing the most.
All in all, he found it to be an amazing experience and the perfect indoor activity.
A Fun Tour and Tasting at James Sedgwick Distillery in Tranquil Wellington
The tours, which run at 10:00 am and 14:00 pm on selected Fridays and Saturdays respectively, last about two hours and require pre-booking, as they only allow a maximum of 20 guests per tour.
During the tour, guests learn all about the full whisky-making operation. The tour covers everything from raw materials all the way to showcasing the impressive maturation cellars.
The experience concludes with the whisky tasting and the chance to purchase some take-home whiskies of your choice.
(When they found out that his outing was for a special birthday celebration, the distillery team thoughtfully gave my partner a small, complimentary bottle of the Bain’s whisky to enjoy at home.)
I booked via Web Tickets, so my partner simply took the e-ticket with on his phone.
Also, as I had to stay home with our baby, I pre-booked Ubers from our home to and from the distillery for added, responsible driving safety.
(Note: This isn’t a child-friendly outing so rather keep the little ones at home.)
Important Things to Note
Just some things to note regarding the tour:
- Guests must enter via the main security gate for vehicle/guest screening and verification.
- For the visit, it is advisable to wear closed-in, comfy shoes.
- Cashless payments are encouraged at the distillery gift shop.
- If you have to cancel your Whisky Experience booking for any reason, you will only receive a 50% refund as the rest of the fees go towards the food, which is exclusively ordered in.
Below, my partner shares his thoughts on the Whisky Food Experience, which involved a tour and whisky and food tasting.
1) Tell me about the whisky tour – and what your thoughts on it were?
We were greeted in a very well-decorated room; had some time to browse the gift shop and learn about some of the history.
We were also greeted with a complimentary drink.
You had the chance to talk to others from the group or just chill and wait until the tour began.
For me, the tour was very informative, their whole process, from delivery to fermentation, was explained in proper detail.
There was a time on the tour itself were things did get a bit loud – but otherwise I really enjoyed it; they have some amazing facilities!
Most interesting or cool thing you learnt at James Sedgwick Distillery and/or during the tour?
They show us were the fermentation was happening, it has lots of pipes and it just looks really cool.
Also, the room has a very nice aroma to it.
Which was your favourite whisky from the tasting and why?
The one in our cupboard, ha, ha. 🙂 That whisky (Bain’s) was the easiest drinking out of all them.
I think the other ones were nice but they were very strong.
Also, the Bain’s one went well with a lot of the pairings.
(Of the pairings, the fish was my favourite. Oh, and, of course, the chocolate mousse was really good too!)
Fun fact: The Bain’s whisky, made locally in South Africa, has been awarded World’s Best Grain Whisky twice in the last decade, both in 2013 and 2018.
Who would you recommend visit the distillery and why?
I would recommend the visit to anyone who is curious about or has a love of good whisky.
It’s not too long (the tour and tasting) – and it really was an awesome surprise for me.
And, if you like whisky, you get to see how it’s made and might appreciate the craft more.
Plus, you get to taste some top-shelf whisky!
Final Notes and Contact Info
In addition to the Whisky Food Experience option (in-depth tour and sampling of five whiskies paired with nibbles) that my partner enjoyed – the distillery also offers a Classic Whisky Experience (in-depth tour and sampling of four classic SA whiskies). Or the Master’s Collection Whisky Experience (in-depth tour and sampling of five limited edition whiskies).
You can book these experiences via Dine Plan or Web Tickets.
For more on the history of the distillery, which was established in 1886 and is known as the home of South African whisky, you can read here.
For more information or to book a tour, please see here: www.jamessedgwickdistillery.co.za.
Alternatively, contact the James Sedgwick Whisky Distillery directly on +27 (021) 873 1460 or via their Contact Us page.
The James Sedgwick Whisky Distillery is found at 79 Stokery Rd, Wellington, Western Cape. It is open on Fridays and Saturdays from 10:00 am – 17:00 pm. (Though tours occur at 10:00 am and 14:00 pm.)
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