The IWSC trophy was won by the KWV 12 Year Old while the ISC trophy went to the Van Ryn’s 15 Year Old Fine Cask Reserve.
Reflecting on the most recent show,
respected IWSC judge Dave Hughes said one cannot fail to appreciate the dominance
of South African brandy. “There were
entries from France (other than Cognac and Armagnac), Spain, Italy, Germany,
Australia, USA, Armenia, Mexico, Portugal and India,” he says. Once whittled down by the international panel
of experts however, it turned out the shortlist contained only South African
brands.
“Anyone of them was a worthy trophy
holder,” Hughes says.
“Once again a South African brandy has
won the coveted IWSC and ISC Worldwide Best Brandy trophies - this is proof
that our exceptionally high production standards are consistently producing
brandies that are being recognised internationally by the highest qualified
judges to be the best,” says South
African Brandy Foundation director Christelle Reade-Jahn.
“The win for KWV 12 Year Old and Van
Ryn’s 15 Year Old Fine Cask Reserve is a huge accolade for not only the brands
but the entire country. Once again it
shows that South Africa can play on the global stage and bring home the
gold. Further the fact that nine of our
top brandies won Gold Outstanding in this the Olympics of the wine and spirits
world, cements our reputation as a country that competes with aplomb against
the best the world has to offer.”
Commenting on KWV’s achievements,
master distiller Pieter de Bod said: “To win Worldwide Best Brandy 2014 is the
highest accolade and demonstrates our brandy team’s commitment to innovation
and quality of the highest standard.
“South African brandy standards and
processes are on par, if not better, than the equivalent Cognac standards with
the only difference being the location from where the grapes that provide the
base wine for distillation are sourced.”
Van Ryn’s Master Distiller Marlene Bester highlighted
the distillery’s consistency of excellence, which includes winning the ISC Best
Brandy trophy four times. “This is the most any South African brandy producer
has achieved over the past 10 years,” she said. Winning the 2014 Best Brandy
trophy at the ISC is a true reflection of our meticulous attention to the
quality and detail of our brandies. By bringing both these trophies back to
South Africa shows that South African brandies can stand its own in the
international brandy arena.
The quality of South African brandy
is underpinned by some of the most stringent legislation in the world. Our brandy must be distilled twice in copper
potstills and aged for a minimum of three years in oak casks. Legislation allows for three styles of brandy: potstill, vintage
and blended. All three styles feature regularly at
international competitions.
According to Reade-Jahn, many
consumers are not aware of the different styles of brandy in South Africa.
“Blended brandy has been a favourite for many decades, but people are
increasingly discovering vintage and potstill brandies – the finest expression
of the art of distillation.”
For more information contact Danie Pretorius,
General Manager: SA Brandy Foundation via e-mail danie@sabrandy.co.za or visit www.sabrandy.co.za.
For press assistance contact Lise
Manley of Manley Communications on 0861 MANLEY (626 539), email
lise@publicity.co.za or visit the Press Room of Manley Communications at
www.manleycommunications.co.za