South Africa’s Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky, owned by Distell International, has unveiled a new limited-edition, travel retail-exclusive expression – Bain’s 21-Year-Old Pinotage Special Reserve.
Just 275 bottles have been produced. The whisky is available at Big Five Duty Free stores in South Africa.
The highly distinctive Pinotage (a cross between Cinsaut and Pinot Noir) is South Africa’s signature winemaking varietal.
The 21 Year-Old Pinotage Finish is the rarest whisky released to date by the James Sedgwick Distillery in Wellington, with only one cask selected.
Touches of typical Pinotage red berry fruit linger with a slight earthiness, interlaced with the signature caramel and spicy notes of Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky.
In a continuation of his quest to craft unique whiskies that reflect South Africa, Founder Distiller Andy Watts aged Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky for a further ten years in older American oak before maturing the whisky in a seasoned Pinotage cask for two years.
To embrace the grain whisky’s exceptional absorption of flavour from seasoned casks, the whisky was re-vatted back to older American oak for three years before spending a final year resting in rinsed Pinotage casks. This rounded off the whisky over its ultimate 21 years of aging.
Bain’s 21-Year-Old Pinotage Special Reserve, available in a 1L bottle, is non-chill filtered and bottled at 50.8% ABV. The limited-edition release joins the travel retail-exclusive 21 Year-Old Double Cask Finish and 10 Year-Old Shiraz Cask Finish that were launched in 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky Founder Distiller Andy Watts said: “This limited edition really doubles down on its South African roots, pairing the nation’s most iconic whisky with Pinotage – the idiosyncratic grape which has been so central to the country’s wine culture.
“For visiting whisky lovers keen to take home something uniquely South African, or proud South Africans looking to celebrate our wines and spirits, this is a true one-off which we’re delighted to offer through our partners at Big Five Duty Free.”
Distell International Head of Europe & Travel Retail Luke Maga commented: “This incredible whisky, a testament to Andy’s innovative spirit, truly captures the essence of South Africa. Thanks to its accessible style and taste, Bain’s has a pivotal role to play in the world of international whiskies and this new expression is sure to appeal to travel retail consumers who are increasingly seeking innovation, exclusivity and new flavours.”
Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky is crafted at the James Sedgwick Distillery situated close to the foothills of the Bainskloof Pass, which carves through the Cape Mountains.
Focus on sustanability
Sustainability is an integral part of the distiller’s approach. As the only commercial whisky distillery in Africa and one of only a few in the world where both grain and malt whisky are distilled, protecting natural resources is central to every decision, Distell said.
Several sustainability initiatives have been implemented at the distillery over recent years, including recycling spent grains, which are high in protein, for animal feed and collecting the CO² created during fermentation for use in carbonated drinks.
Waste water is also treated on-site. The first part of the water treatment process recovers methane gas which is reused in the whisky making process to reduce coal usage. The second treatment results in approximately 35% of the water being reused for cooling and in boilers.
