James Sedgwick Distillery

Cape Whisky since 1886

The story begins back in 1850 with the pioneering spirit of Captain James Sedgwick, who sailed to the Cape with the clipper Undine and founded the company J. Sedgwick & Co. there. As early as 1886, the company established a distillery, which thus became the oldest on the African continent, the James Sedwick Distillery. Since then, it has been setting standards for whisky production in the Cape. In 2015, The James Sedgwick Distillery was named Best International Whisky Distillery of the Year at the New York International Spiritis Competition.

The distillery is located in Wellington, one of South Africa's most picturesque regions, on the Bainskloof Pass, which serves as a link to the interior. The complex, with its buildings and characteristic tower, was chosen by the Wellington Tourist Office in 2000 as the region's most attractive industrial complex. 130 years after its foundation, the distillery is now open to visitors.

James Sedgwick Distillery is a pioneer in whisky. It is indeed unusual for a distillery to produce both malt and grain whisky in the same place. The distillery is able to handle the whole process of whisky production, from grinding the raw materials, to ripening and blending. A total of 150,000 barrels of whisky are ready for ripening at any time.

Master Distiller Andy Watts - all about passion

Master Distiller is Andy Watts, master of his subject and has already won several awards. Since the foundation of Distillery he is only the 6th manager in the THe James Sedgwick Distillery. His passion, knowledge and curiosity continue to set standards for South African whiskys and the whisky industry's innovations.

"We have made an enormous upgrade and expansion of the distillery, but despite all the technology, we have managed to maintain the human touch. We have the best of both worlds!"