At the 19th hole, Uganda Open golfers get a lesson in whisky – Sqoop

The Johnnie Walker Uganda Open may have been decided on the golf course, but for some players, the lessons continued long after they had left the fairways.

As golfers and guests gathered over the weekend to wind down the month-long tournament, the evening offered a different kind of experience — an introduction to the finer points of whisky appreciation.

Uganda Breweries Limited Reserve Brand Ambassadors Melanie Kaita and Steven Baguma took golfers through a guided tasting, focusing not just on drinking whisky but on understanding how to appreciate it.

Moving from table to table, the pair demonstrated how to hold a copita glass, swirl the whisky, bring it to the nose and assess its character before taking a sip.

The exercise encouraged guests to slow down and pay attention to the differences between the various expressions, even when they came from the same whisky house.

Gold Label Reserve, for example, offered a softer profile, with honeyed sweetness, creamy textures and notes of vanilla and spice.

Double Black presented a sharper contrast, with a deeper smoky character and a fuller, more intense profile.

The tasting also included Green Label, a 15-year-old blended malt made entirely from single malts, with smoky, woody and herbal notes.

Blue Label represented the more premium end of the tasting, featuring rare whiskies with a smooth character, rich fruit and honeyed sweetness balanced by smoke.

For Kaita and Baguma, the exercise was less about telling guests what they should taste and more about helping them understand how to taste.

Through nosing, swirling and slow sipping, golfers were introduced to the influence of blending, maturation, age and individual whisky character.

The setting was perhaps fitting. Golf, much like whisky appreciation, rewards patience, attention to detail and an appreciation of craft.

There was also an interesting coincidence at the end of the tournament.

Ronald Rugumayo became the first Ugandan in 12 years to win the Uganda Open title — a milestone that coincided with the 12-year age statement associated with Johnnie Walker Black Label.

After more than a decade without a Ugandan winner, Rugumayo’s victory provided the weekend’s biggest moment.

While he was making history on the course, golfers and guests were being encouraged to slow down and appreciate another form of craft at the 19th hole — one dram at a time.