A day in the life of a Whisky Sommelier…

Many people think my job entails drinking, I mean, tasting all day. Sorry to burst those bubbles, tasting is only a tiny portion of my day. However, every now and then something interesting and delightful comes along, today, one of our talented chefs Lerrico, brought me tasters of some delicious fruit sorbets….Wait, it’s not boring: we plan to lace them with some elegant single malts. Do I have your attention yet?

So look out for the Trio of Sorbets at Bascule during Cape Town’s upcomming hot summer months: Baked AppleSorbet with Glenmorangie Nectar D’ Or, Summer Berries sorbet with The Macallan 12, and wait for it, Banana sorbet with Islay’s magical Bowmore 12. They may be tweaked slightly, but this is what we worked on, and it was a stunning start to my Monday….

Every week I introduce a “Whisky of the Week” to our waiters and barmen; this is implemented to grow their knowledge and passion for the wonderful world of whisky. The whiskies I chose range from Scotch to Japanese to Irish to American. Prices range from the very affordable R35 per tot, to the slightly more exclusive…


And today whisky lovers, it’s a big one: Ardbeg Blasda, R110 a tot at Bascule. But this whisky is ananomaly in the Ardbeg range. Not in a bad way, in a good way; compared to its brothers and sistersfrom Ardbeg, Blasda is only peated to 8ppm compared to their more usual 24ppm. Some of the tasting notes directly from Ardbeg include:
Aroma
Rather gentle aroma kind of like banoffie pie and roast chestnuts. It then moves onto more complex spicy notes with the likes of: cloves, pine cones and fresh mint rise from the glass Eventually that breath of sea air and smokiness , comes through nicely .
Taste
Refreshing, silky and creamy to the palate, the initial sip is sweet with a mixture of sugared almonds, marzipan and hints of dried fruits. Gentle peat oils well up on the palate, remaining soft, clean
Finish
The finish is medium in length and tingly with a refreshing balance of clean lemon zest, creamy vanilla and hints of
cinnamon spiced apple.

So pop in, and spoil yourself if you enjoy a peated dram, otherwise, pop in and enjoy our newsummer special: Monday to Thursday 5-8 pm, Cocktails R25 each and Tapas @ R50 each…Views of the Yacht marina, Table Mountain doubled up with our great weather… welcome Summer!