Jefferson Green has been instated as the new distillery manager of the James Sedgwick Distillery in Wellington. He will be replacing the position that Andy Watts has held for 25 years. This comes as no surprise as Green has been employed at James Sedgwick Distillery since 2009, and has worked closely alongside Andy since then.
Watts will now, however, be responsible for the complete whiskey portfolio of Distell as the global head of whisky intrinsic for the Centre of Excellence, a new department created by Distell to purely attend to the process, the quality and the style of the products across its product range of wines, spirits, ciders and other drinks.
In addition, Watts will be offering guidance in terms of the production of the range of Three Ships Whiskies and Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky, made at the James Sedgwick Distillery, be responsible for the company’s Scottish whisky portfolio, including Bunnahabhain, Deanston, Tobermory, Black Bottle and Scottish Leader.
Watts articulates that, “This new chapter in my career is very exciting and is one that I will embrace wholeheartedly. It will be very difficult to not have the lead responsibility anymore for the James Sedgwick Distillery family and the 24/7 operation of the site, but I couldn’t have left the reins in more capable hands than that of Jeff and I will be supporting him throughout this transition as best I can.”
Furthermore, he adds on, “I look forward in taking on the challenges of helping craft the production of our world-class brands along with our world-class teams already in place and focusing on innovation and bringing to life some of my work in progress whiskies at the James Sedgwick Distillery.”
Andy Watts will continue to work closely alongside the South African marketing team as the primary distiller of Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky and Three Ships range of whiskies.
Green, who has worked alongside Watts for the past six years will be taking lead responsibility for mashing, fermentation and distillation, is set to continue the legacy that Watts left behind.
“It is an incredible honour to be appointed as distillery manager, only the 7th in the 130 year history of the distillery. I have the deepest respect and appreciation for what Andy has achieved during his tenure, not only shaping the way whisky is made in South Africa, but also creating a demand for our whiskies abroad with the incredible international awards he managed to garner over the years. It certainly is big shoes to fill, but I’m looking forward to taking on the challenge of catapulting South African whisky to the next level!”
Green has always had great interest in cutting-edge food and beverage trends. He concluded his Master’s Degree in Food Science before starting his career in beer, wine and cider-making. Ironically, it was his love of science that brought him to the making of whisky a few years later in 2009, when he joined the SA whisky team.
“Andy – Wishing you all the best in your new position, you will no doubt be an exceptional success!”
