When motoring along on the wild ride we refer to as “my whisky journey”, it’s not uncommon to lose track, take a turn and get lost. One moment you’re comfortably familiar with all kinds of casks, finishes and barley strains. The next you’re in foreign territory, wondering what the difference is between sweet and sour mash,or why there’s a fresh emphasis on congeners. It’s here, at the proverbial fork in the road, that you face two options. Either bluster on into this bewildering wilderness or enlist a more seasoned navigator to get you back on track.
Ideally, you’re mature enough to ask for directions, and it’s the latter. If so, you should open the door (and your mind) and allow Alex de Ujfalussy in. He’s a navigator of note. Hell, he even named his online store Navigate World Whisky (NWW) and publishes an annual ode to the singular spirits that he sells. It’s called, yep, The Navigator. So, yeah, I was always going to ride that analogy. It rings true because it is true.
De Ujfalussy offers luxe-liquor lovers a range of opportunities to explore the never-ending world of whisky and many other special spirits. He’s the perfect guy to show you the way because, before he became a whisky entrepreneur, he was just like us: a whisky lover. I catch him as he’s about to leave for Whisky Live Paris, a gathering with very special significance. “It’s my eighth year in a row,” he says. “The first one was an eye-opener. I was an avid collector and I’d tasted a lot of whisky… at least, I thought I had.”
Back in 2017, as he navigated endless stands offering unheard-of drams,he realised how much there still was to explore. Organised by the legendary La Maison du Whisky — importer, distributor and purveyor of otherworldly spirits — the show introduced De Ujfalussy to ranges of obscure single casks and many other niche products. “If you didn’t know of them or have direct access to them, you’d never see them floating around,” he tells me. “You needed to be in the industry, or an exhibitor, to explore properly.”
Bitten by the bug, De Ujfalussy began making plans to bring these curiosities back home. He owned a successful import, logistics and distribution business — with ample warehousing — so he set about filling these with rare gems and making them available to the South African public, often for the first time. NWW is a cornucopia of untold delights, packed with brands and bottles not found on many shelves. It’s ardently underground. You’ll encounter names you’ve never heard of. You could get lost. But this is where De Ujfalussy steps up and shines a light into the corners of this glorious rabbit hole.
His centre of clarity is Nose Palate Finish (NPF) Tasting Room in Melrose Arch. It’s more than just a bar and a shop — it provides the curious with an array of top-flight flights, pre-selected lineups of spirits that mostly foreground unlikely distilleries and independent bottlers. Sit down for a tasting and those abstract squiggles on the labels of the Artist Collective range become more coherent. Or, if you’re unsure of the nuances in the admittedly confusing world of American whiskey, compare the Widow Jane Rye Mash to the Yellowstone Select Straight Bourbon.
NPF’s menu currently consists of 36 tasting flights and 17 pairing flights, where whisky can be enjoyed alongside everything from cigars and beer to chocolate, and Hampden rum is complemented with a creation from Italian chef Giovanni Ricciardella: panettone, itself infused with a different Hampden rum.
These are the kinds of experiences that enthusiasts love and appreciate. You can read all the tasting notes and reviews in the world, but the only way to make a truly informed decision about a bottle that’s competing with your car repayments is to swallow its liquid. That in itself is enough to get you closer to enlightenment, but for De Ujfalussy it’s just the starting point. “NPF is there to educate and unpack,” he says. “I spend an enormous amount of time with my team, training, unpacking and tasting, and that ultimately is what separates us from anyone else.”
De Ujfalussy has nurtured an army of eager guides, equipped with the know-how to lead and teach. But, as a true navigator, he’s there to steer us to greater vantage points, to places of deeper insight. He does this by inviting some of his international contacts to host virtual tastings. I’ve sat in NPF’s intimate space with groups of nerds as, via Zoom, Kilchoman founder Anthony Wills walks us through the incredible story of his distillery’s phenomenal rise, and Daniele Biondi of La Maison & Velier gives every possible angle (and more) on the wonderfully textured world of rum. Whisky savant and Waterford founder Mark Reynier has visited in person, captivating those present with a steady stream of consciousness covering everything from peat experimentation and the follies of popular glassware to his ongoing quest to reach barley nirvana.
Anyone with just the slightest interest in spirits will be nodding knowingly at the mention of those three brands. They’re revered. They’re coveted. And they share the shelves with a host of other delectable drams. You’ll find a range of rare single casks from independent bottlers Signatory Vintage and Rest & Be Thankful, choice selections from cult Japanese distilleries Nagahama and Shinshu Mars, multiple offerings from Michter’s Misterios mezcal, Papalin rum and, of course, numerous La Maison du Whisky releases.
I suggest to De Ujfalussy that he doesn’t do common. “There’s such a big whisky world out there,” he replies. “We’re on a different roadmap, working with what we consider to be benchmark brands. That’s where we go, so we can point you right.” And with that he’s off, exploring new pathways, discovering hidden treasures and navigating unchartered territories — a reconnaissance mission that lights the way so that we all get to enjoy the thrill of this wild, wild ride.
