ANDY WATTS HONOURED BY THE TOWN OF WELLINGTON 

Andy Watts, master distiller and a resident of Wellington, received the town’s highest honour by being named the 2014 Wellingtonian of the Year at a gala dinner last week (23 October). The award, now in its 25^th year, is an initiative of the Wellington Rapportryers who annually recognises individuals who contribute unselfishly to the wellbeing of the community.

Watts was acknowledged for supporting and initiating a number of community projects. He has also been instrumental in turning The James Sedgwicks Distillery at the entrance to Wellington into one of the most awarded large business properties in town for its beauty, cleanliness and splendour.

As master distiller of the foremost whisky distillery in Africa, Andy has pioneered whisky-making in this country and in doing so has promoted the town throughout the world with the many awards and accolades the distillery and the whiskies (Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky and Three Ships) made there have garnered over the years.

Born in Barnsley in England, Watts came to South Africa as a professional cricketer in 1982 and whilst playing cricket for Boland and coaching the Hugenote Primary and High School teams, he met his now wife and decided to make Wellington his home. He not only had to get to know a new country and culture but quickly had to learn to speak Afrikaans. He found a position at the then Stellenbosch Farmers’ Winery in Paarl and in 1991 was transferred to The James Sedgwicks Distillery as manager. An intensive sixth-month training programme at Morrison Bowmore Distillers in Scotland  led to Andy returning to South Africa and becoming the country’s first master distiller.