For the first time since the inception of the Trophy Spirits Show, the award for the best brandy went to a South African potstill, the Van Ryn’s 15-Year-Old Postill Brandy.

The 128 entries across nine categories were received from 34 producers from Scotland, Ireland, South Africa, Ireland, United States and France, tasted blind by a cast of international and local judges, chaired by leading wine and spirits authority Michael Fridjohn.

The superior quality of Van Ryn’s led to the 12-Year-Old Potstill Brandy achieving gold, one of only nine gold medals awarded across the nine categories.

Van Ryn’s is a leader in the brandy revolution in South Africa and has been a frontrunner ever since its founder first crafted brandy in 1845.

Master Blender, Marlene Bester, says it’s an honour to add these awards to Van Ryn’s impressive list of accolades.

“Our brandies have always been crafted to be in a class of their own. They are classic and we are experiencing a renewed appreciation for our potstill brandies amongst those who continuously hunt for quality. The production of fine brandy takes time and patience and it’s an enormous privilege to have our brandies achieving continuous recognition for our longstanding commitment to create world-class, proudly South African brandy.”

The range of Van Ryn’s Potstill Brandies are aromatic, double-distilled spirits made from wine and aged in oak barrels for a number of years, to develop a balanced smoothness, complexity, and beautiful amber colour.

The Van Ryn’s 15-Year-Old Potstill Brandy is fragrant with notes of cigar box, orange peel, and balanced oak. Dark chocolate, warm spice, integrated oak, and fruit create a creamy and complex finish.

Masterly crafted, the Van Ryn’s 12-Year-Old Potstill Brandy is superb with aromas of dried fruit, red berries, vanilla, cinnamon, and sweet tobacco on the nose. Hints of coffee spice, and delicate oak leads to a lingering, elegant finish.

The Van Ryn’s distillery offers a collection of other award-winning products ranging from 10-year-old to 20-year-old potstill brandies, with the latter recognised as the World’s Best Wine Brandy at the 2022 World Brandy Awards earlier this year.

Explore the range by vising them at their beautiful, atmospheric Provencal-styled, 5-star distillery in Stellenbosch for brandy tastings perfectly paired with decadent chocolates and sweet treats. For more information on events, tastings and to make a booking, visit Van Ryn’s online.

Add their range of internationally award-winning brandies to your collection, by purchasing directly from their new online store The Brandy Collective.