It is well-known that many Australian spirits can stand-up to, compete with and better other spirits and brands from around the world.
Whether it is Four Pillars Gin claiming multiple International Gin Producer of the Year awards with IWSC, Starward claiming back-to-back Most Awarded Distillery awards at the San Francisco Spirits Competition or Archie Rose Rye Malt Whisky being a two-time winner of the World’s Best Rye Whisky at the World Whisky Awards – and those don’t even scratch the surface of award-winning Aussie producers – there is no doubt that Australia stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the world’s best spirit producing countries.
One category that has arguably flown under the radar is Australian Brandy, but this is a local category that we should all be backing and letting the world know they can enjoy world-class Brandy that is made right here.
Brandy and Cognac have enjoyed growth in Australia in recent years thanks to premiumisation trend and consumers look at drinking less, but drinking better. More recent times have seen new challenges for consumers, retailers and producers, but the desire to celebrate high-quality local ingredients should never be underestimated.
Recently the team at Vanguard Luxury Brands brought together a selection of influential bartenders and ambassadors to showcase some of the flavours they believed would be driving drinking trends this summer. While pineapple and coconut (ED: AKA The Devil’s Dandruff), were mentioned a lot one consistent trend throughout all drinks was: ‘drink fresh, drink local and drink quality’.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Australian Brandy.
One leading producer of Australian Brandy is St Agnes which has a wonderful range of Brandy on offer from the Bartender’s Cut, which was developed in association with bartenders for use in cocktails, to XO Grand Reserve, which recently collected a number of Best Brandy awards.
The XO won the Champion Best Distilled Spirit of Show Trophy at the inaugural Sydney Royal Distilled Spirits Show, the JJ McWilliam Perpetual Trophy for Best Brandy at the same awards, plus at the Tasting Australia Spirit Awards and the Melbourne Royal Australian Distilled Spirits Awards, St Agnes was named Champion Australian Distiller.
After presenting the Champion’s Trophy, Sydney Royal Chair of Judges, Stu Gregor said: “The XO scored 98 out of 100, and when I looked and saw it was the highest scoring spirit of the entire show, I went to the judges and said, ‘you mean bastards!’ That should be 99 or 100.
“But seriously, how good is this? It easily won the show, so congratulations.”
Speaking about the wins, Richard Angove said: “In 1925 when my great grandfather laid down the first St Agnes Brandy, he wanted to create a spirit that was unlike anything that was currently made in Australia – a lighter, fresher style in line with the great Cognacs from France.
“It is a style and method that remains unchanged to this day, and I think the proof that he started something world class is evidenced by the accolades all brandies in the St Agnes range are receiving, from the humble VS all the way through to the current ultimate expression XO 40-Year-Old Grand Reserve.”
And there are many other distilleries that are helping to put Australian Brandy on the map both locally and internationally, Bass & Flinders, Sullivans Cove and Saint Felix to name but three.
Bass & Flinders Founder Holly Klintworth is a passionate distiller who loves making Brandy, so much so she created the distillery.
“I’ve really started to shift our focus towards Brandy because it was really the inspiration behind us founding the distillery in the first place,” Klintworth said. “We have made gin over the years and gin has been quite popular, but Brandy is the heart of what we do, so I am trying to keep the focus on that.”
And as for whether the Australian consumer is ready to re-engage with Brandy, Holly says: “My hope is yes.”
She added: “My plan is to make that a reality. Hopefully through our Brandy masterclasses, and one of the reasons we are doing that is to start beating the drum of Brandy and start to educate people on that. I think that’s a good place to start and help people to understand that Brandy is not just something that your grandmother drinks.”
Bass & Flinders also recently launched the Distiller’s Selection Single Cask Brandy, which Klintworth described as a true embodiment of Australian Brandy.
It’s made using the traditional Charente distillation methods using a pot still and gas flame, solely with bold Chardonnay grapes.
“Chardonnay is a quintessentially Australian grape variety that we feel captures the essence of what our Brandy sets out to achieve, reflecting the characteristics and aromas unique to its Victorian terroir,” Klintworth said.
“We really felt this Brandy was a beautiful representation of how spectacular Australian Brandy can be. Our Distiller’s Selection Single Cask Brandy is Brandy in its purest form; we brought the spirit down to 48 per cent ABV slowly over time, and it is non-chill filtered to maintain incredible depth of character.”
Saint Felix Distiller Xavier Nalty said he understands the perception many Australians have towards Brandy, but he is up for the challenge of changing minds.
“Australians’ perception [of Brandy] is they think it’s just something you’re cooking with, it’s something you put in pudding or it’s what grandma used to drink.”
So, how to win over Aussie consumers who might be sceptical about Brandy?
“Education is massive, and I think slowly, we’ll get there,” says Nalty. “But I speak to friends and say, you know Cognac is Brandy as well, I’m sure you’ve had Hennessy, and the reaction is usually ‘oh really?’
“Markets and tastes change, and there’s a few more Australian distilleries doing some Brandies: Sullivan’s Cove, Bass & Flinders. I think people are eating better and so people are starting to drink better as well. Australian whisky is smashing it right now, no doubt but I think some people want to try something different in a dark spirit. And hopefully, that’s where we can start changing the minds of people and getting them to drink some tasty Brandy.
“The more people that start manufacturing some tasty Brandy and the more good products there are on the market, is what will start changing people’s perception of what Brandy is.”
It’s a great point that Nalty makes, good product is what will win people over. In a recent interview with The Shout, Lark CEO Sash Sharma said about Australian whisky: “If you try to out-Scotch Scotch, you’ll fail”. It’s a mindset, or an ethos that Australia’s Brandy producers can adopt: “If you try to out-Cognac, Cognac you’ll fail”, but if you continue to produce world-class Australian Brandy you’ll win.
And as more high-quality Australian Brandy is crafted, the more we all, media, retailers and venues should be supporting this category and celebrating wonderful Australian Brandy.
