Whisky Live 2025: A Toast to South Africa’s Whisky Legend, Andy Watts

Loading player...
GUEST: Andy Watts – Owner, The Watts Whisky Company

At this year’s Whisky Live Festival, whisky lovers gathered to celebrate craftsmanship, innovation, and legacy, and few embody all three quite like Andy Watts, one of South Africa’s most decorated whisky masters.

Known globally for his work with Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky and Three Ships Whisky, Andy joined us fresh from the Whisky Live floor to reflect on his remarkable journey from a Yorkshire-born cricketer to becoming South Africa’s own Whisky Hall of Fame inductee and a driving force behind the James Sedgwick Distillery in Wellington.

In this conversation, Andy shares what makes South African whisky distinct, how local distillers are pushing the boundaries of flavour and sustainability, and why the world’s eyes are turning to Africa for the next great wave of whisky innovation.
13 Nov 2025 3PM English South Africa Business News · Investing

Other recent episodes

SAFDA’s plan to rescue Tongaat-Hulett and protect farmers’ livelihoods

South Africa’s sugar industry faces a critical moment as Tongaat-Hulett, one of the country’s oldest and most prominent sugar producers, confronts provisional liquidation despite ongoing efforts to stabilise the business. South African Farmers’ Development Association (SAFDA), led by Chairperson Dr Siyabonga Madlala, has stepped in to assure farmers and employees…
19 Feb 2PM 17 min

South African professionals are facing a new era of stress

South African professionals are facing a new era of stress, one that is no longer confined to busy periods or isolated pressures but embedded in the fabric of everyday life. The 2025 Profmed Stress Index released on Thursday reveals a workforce grappling with financial strain, toxic workplace cultures, systemic instability…
19 Feb 2PM 11 min

Budget 2026: Tax Policy Choices and revenue strategy under fiscal pressure

As South Africa prepares for the 2026 National Budget Speech on 25 February, revenue collection and tax policy are expected to take centre stage. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana faces the difficult task of sustaining fiscal consolidation while supporting economic stability in an environment of modest growth and rising expenditure pressures…
19 Feb 2PM 12 min

Navigating personal finance challenges

As South Africans face a growing cost-of-living squeeze, more households are turning to credit not for luxury, but simply to cover everyday essentials. Rising prices for groceries, transport, school fees, rent, and electricity mean many families are borrowing just to survive, and debt is increasingly becoming a lifeline, with dangerous…
19 Feb 2PM 12 min

PG glass, Glasfit accused of price fixing in automotive glass market

South Africa’s automotive glass industry is under the spotlight after the Competition Commission found that two major players, PG Glass and Glasfit, allegedly operated as a cartel, working together to fix prices. The Commission has now referred the matter to the Competition Tribunal for prosecution, arguing that the companies entered…
19 Feb 2PM 11 min