This year St Agnes Distillery is celebrating its 100th distilling season and to mark this incredible milestone it is releasing Australia’s oldest bottles spirit, the St Agnes XXO 50 Year Old Exceptional Reserve.
The XXO 50 Year Old Exceptional Reserve was launched last Friday, alongside to XO 30 Year Old Centenary Reserve at a St Agnes 100 year anniversary event at the National Wine Centre.
Richard Angove, Co-Managing Director of St Agnes Distillery, said: “This release is the pinnacle of our century-long pursuit of greatness.
“When my grandfather Thomas Angove decided to distil incredibly small parcels of exceptional spirit, he wasn’t thinking about today or tomorrow – he was thinking decades ahead.
“He believed this spirit had the potential to become something truly exceptional, and that’s exactly what happened. We’ve watched and waited, allowing time to do its work, and have been rewarded with an incredible spirit that we can’t wait to share.
“It’s more than just a brandy – it’s a reflection of everything we stand for.
“This release is both a tribute to the last 100 years and a toast to what’s still to come.”
The XXO 50 Year Old Exceptional Reserve is limited to just 500 bottles and is what St Agnes have said is “the most expensive Australian spirit” with a price tag of $4800.
Crafted from parcels of brandy distilled between 1953 and 1972 and aged in the historic Riverland barrel halls, the XXO 50 Year Old Exceptional Reserve honours five generations of distilling excellence at Australia’s oldest family-run distillery.
Last year St Agnes was named Champion Australian Distiller at the Australian Distilled Spirits Awards and won Best Distilled Spirit at the Royal Sydney and Royal Australian Spirit Awards.
It also claimed Best Brandy trophies at every major capital city competition and secured gold medals at the prestigious Hong Kong International Wine & Spirit Competition.
The distillery is hosting many events across Australia to mark its centenary as well as additional celebrations planned throughout 2025 in both Adelaide and Renmark.
