Category Archives: Profiles
Michel Couvreur Whiskies in SA
No matter who you are or where you live, if you are a semi-knowledgeable whisky enthusiast, you are cognisant of the fact that there is most likely an independent bottler that you have not yet heard of. For me, Michel Couvreur is the most recent addition to my obscure bottlers list, and I’m proud to say his whiskies are now available in South Africa.
The story of Mr Couvreur, a Belgian with almost 30 years in the wine business, and his whiskies dates back to the 1970s when he moved to Burgundy, France. There be built himself a maturation cellar and started aging Scotch whisky. I’m a bit sketchy on the details of his operation, but from what I understand he buys newly matured whisky (around 3 years old) by the cask, ships it back to France, re-racks it into quality Spanish sherry butts that he has personally selected, and then matures and bottles it. All online accounts of his whisky producing behaviour indicate he is meticulous and quality obsessed. He is also quoted as controversially saying that the distillery in which the whisky was distilled doesn’t matter and that 90% of the whisky’s quality is attributed to the casks it was aged in.
What you need to know, and due mainly in part to the nature of Michel’s operation, is that quantities are very limited. From my understanding there is only one 6-bottle case of each expression available, if that, so if you are interested you need to act fast*. Prices are not competitive, but nor are they meant to be; a whisky like this is not produced or aimed at the general whisky drinker, but rather for the curious enthusiast (with means). My recommendation, and I lead by example I assure you, is to rather get a few friends together to share the costs, and the resulting whisky bounty.
The individuals responsible (and kudos to them) for successfully bringing these whiskies into the country is the team behind the online South African whisky retailer www.whisky.co.za. Depending on the response to the stock they’ve secured this is planned to be a long-term endeavour, and I certainly hope their efforts will be met with due support to ensure that indeed becomes the case.
The expressions available are:
Overaged Malt, 12yo blended malt, 45%, 75cl – R499
Overaged Malt Cask Strength, 12yo blended malt, 55%, 75cl - R699
Special Vatting, 12yo blended malt, 45%, 75cl – R999
Blossoming Auld Sherried, 15yo Speyside single malt, 45%, 75cl – R1695 (sold out already!)
The Twenty, 21yo Speyside single malt, 49%, 50cl – R2495
Delectum, 19yo Speyside single malt, 49%, 50cl – R2795
Ever Young Pristine, 35yo Speyside single malt, 47%, 50cl – R4999
For more information you can email info@whisky.co.za or visit their facebook page; I’ve been informed that enquiries will be promptly responded to. Patrick Leclezio, one of the individuals behind the undertaking also has a blog and has written a post with details of his trip to meet Michel. Patrick was kind enough to provide me with two samples, so expect tasting notes soon, but until then you can visit Serge Valentin’s WhiskyFun for the most Michel Couvreur whisky tasting notes I could find online.
*Update: I’ve been informed by Patrick that their are larger volumes of the Overaged Malt and Special Vatting.
Drayman’s Distillery Tour
Drayman’s distillery started off as many of its Scots counterparts did: as a brewery. This craft brewery has been making quality, German-style beers since 1997, but in 2006 the master brewer, owner and manager of Draymans, Moritz Kallmeyer, followed another passion of his by donning a master distillers cap and began plying the South African angels with their due share. Several months ago, after discovering Draymans provides tours to the public, I arranged for the whisky club members and some interested friends to tour the distillery.
A tour of Draymans features more as a-day-in-the-life-of-a-distiller than what you may expect from a traditional distillery tour. For those brave enough to bear the early mornings, we joined Moritz at 5:30am in the morning to begin the day mashing proudly South African grown barley that he mills himself. For those more sensible distillery visitors who joined up with the dreary eyed at 9am, arrived just in time to catch the first droplets of new-make trickling off Moritz’s homemade still.
The brewery-come-distillery at first appears somewhat haphazard. Moritz’s undertaking has clearly outgrown his expectations more than once, with the building visibly having multiple additions bolted on as demand, and ambition, grew. Walking through the premises, which is small by any distilleries measure, has a sort of junkyard feel to it (apart from the fact that every item is spotless). Multiple stainless steel tanks, washbacks, mashtuns, heat exchangers, control valves, and all the interconnecting pipes and tubing lies naked and exposed like Leonardo’s dissected cadavers. Although some may not find the scene pretty, those who find beauty in function and authenticity will appreciate what Moritz has created – and in most instances what he has created with his own hands.
It would be easy to label the distillery’s operation simple, due to its small size. The truth is it’s as complex as any distillery you’ll find in Scotland, perhaps even more so due to the complete lack of automation; every temperature reading, valve, knob and lever acquiring adjusting gets the full attention of Moritz and his small team of two.
Draymans has two whiskies available, both listed in Jim Murray’s 2011 Whisky Bible: a blended Solera whisky which is composed of his single malt, single malt Scotch and blended Scotch vatted together using an authentic solera system; and his recently released Highveld Single Malt. In addition he produces a wide range and variety of beer, schnapps, liqueurs, and even some fiery mampoer/witblitz (the SA equivalent of moonshine).
The tour includes one 75cl bottle of Drayman’s Solera Whisky, as much whisky and beer as you can drink while touring, German sausages for lunch, and a branded nosing glass, all for the meagre price of R230 (the price at the time of my visit). For me, however, and I suspect for most visitors, the real value is not material (although complementary whisky is usually a sure winner) but is rather the fantastic opportunity to see a craft working distillery in action with narration from the man who created it. No question, no matter how complex or intricate, is promptly and precisely answered.
Whether you’ve toured other distilleries or not, if you’re in the Johannesburg-Pretoria vicinity, as a resident or traveller, and vaguely interested in whisky, do the right thing and support a man who’s realising his dreams.
You can find Draymans Distillery and Brewery on their comprehensive website, Twitter, or by contacting Moritz Kallymeyer directly on +27 (12) 804-8800.
Maxim Lounge (Residence of the Local SMWS Branch)
Following on from this earlier post when I first discovered that the South African branch of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) had partnered with a local bar, Maxim Lounge, in Sandton, Johannesburg, here are my thoughts from my eventual visit.
First off, the bar is small. How small exactly? Eight (8!) tables small. And no, not tables of eight seats, only four seats (or less) per table. There are six additional seats at the bar, but it’s hard to imagine anyone sitting there and ordering a drink, especially since the place is shaped like a half donut and to get to the one end of the donut you have to walk past the bar, and its not exactly spacious. With that said, however, the place doesn’t feel cramped the night I visited, and considering it is located in a posh hotel, it clearly caters to exclusivity and (self-titled) elitists, so I wouldn’t expect it to get overly full.
In general the décor is very warm and comfortable with lots of wood and romantic, dimmed lighting to match. Staff were friendly and full of smiles. There is a large walk-in humidor that the website purports has over 3000 cigars on offer, which must be a typo because although the humidor is impressive there definitely weren’t that many available.
That’s enough about the bar, because lets face it I know you don’t really care. “What about the whisky, brother?!” I hear you ask. Well, the bar is pretty… poorly stocked. There are several single malts Scotches, some Jamesons and Bushmills to represent Ireland, and two bottles of fancy Jack Daniels to rep the Yanks, but if you are a whisky drinker in any sense of the term you’ve probably tasted, if not owned, most of the selection on offer. But lets forget about the original bottlings for a moment and concentrate on independent bottles, specifically the fine products bottled by the SMWS themselves, who afterall have partnered with this bar and surely must have millions of their bottlings on offer. Unfortunately, another NO. There are only nine (9!) SMWS bottles available! It’s shameful.
To my fellow whisky drinkers who hear about the SMWS partnership with Maxim: Don’t get the impression it’s a whisky bar. It’s not. It’s just a smart, upmarket bar with an excellent selection of cigars and wines, an average selection of whisky, and a handful of SMWS independent bottlings. How this made news in the SMWS’s Unfiltered magazine I have no idea. The bar staff knew nothing of the whiskies available, including the SMWS bottlings which I had to point to in order to get them to understand what I was asking for, and I had to rely on my smartphone to Google the distillery codes on the bottles to make my selection.
I still had a really nice evening though; with my poor knowledge of cigars I selected a simple but enjoyable Partagas Coronas junior, and I tried three SMWS whiskies, all very well-priced around R40 (≈ £3.60) and, as per most SMWS whiskies I’ve tried, very impressive:
- 53.136 Utterly amazing, 17yo, 55%, 256 bottles. (Caol Ila)
- 76.67 Black bun and red Burgundy, 10yo, 59.7%, 243 bottles. (Mortlach)
- 26.64 Drinking with Lara Croft!, 9yo, 61.2%, 224 bottles. (Clynelish)
I will return, simply because South Africa is sadly in short supply of good whisky drinking establishments, and there isn’t any other bar in Joburg that I know of that sells independent bottlings.
SMWS in SA
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) is an international whisky community started in Edinburgh in 1983, that independently bottle their own single cask, single malt whiskies from over 120 distilleries. In additional to bottling they also arrange tastings and various whisky events, and in some countries have dedicated SMWS whisky bars. They are a admittedly a curious bunch, but there is no denying the quality of their whiskies.
I have been aware of the South African SMWS chapter for sometime now, but didn’t know how active they were and thus was hesitant to pay memberships fees and join. Several months ago when seeking information I visited the website and found it outdated and neglected, and when I called the contact number someone promised me information that I never received. Today, however, I have just discovered they have revamped their local website AND have found a home within with the Maxim Lounge in the Davinci Hotel! Both excellent pieces of news as it surely must mean the society is growing in number and activity.
If I wasn’t out of the country I would pay the bar a visit tonight, but alas that will have to wait for now. When I do finally get there I’ll let you know how it is, in the meantime you can find more information on the local branch of the SMWS here and on Maxim’s Lounge here. (Curious how the SMWS website doesn’t mention the bar…) If any readers do go, give us a quick comment on your experience.
Personally, I think it’s time to join.
Follow-up: See here for my visit to the bar.
Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed
Lagos is the most populous city in Africa and is also host to many international companies. Because of this I thought there would be a chance that the airport would be fairly well constructed and organised, with a decent duty-free store or two. Well… it isn’t. The airport is a hole, and if you’re flying to Lagos prepare yourself for a crowded, un-air conditioned, stifling experience.
There are duty-free stores when flying out of Lagos, but they match their greater environment; poorly stocked, poorly serviced, poorly maintained. Prices of goods are quoted in both naira and US dollars, and are usually cheaper in dollars, so try and have some if you plan on buying anything.
There were a handful of whiskies on offer, most of which showed evidence of being on the same shelf for years: Knockando 12y0 1993 ($45), Glenfiddich 12yo with old packaging ($40), Glenkinchie 10yo which is no longer produced ($40), Glen Elgin 12yo with all the boxes water damaged ($30), and a bottle of two of Aberlour one of which was the 16yo double cask.
And that my friends is it. Moral of the story, if you are flying into Lagos and hope to pick-up a bottle of whisky on your trip, best to do it in the airport of original departure.
