South African brandies struck gold virtually simultaneously when the locally crafted spirit was placed centre stage at two of the industry’s most prominent awards ceremonies that took place in London and in Cape Town in recent days.
Among a haul of medals at the International Spirits Challenge (ISC), it was a South African that received the trophy as Producer of the Year as best performer overall. Then, back home on Saturday, the brandy category at the Veritas Awards saw a resurgence with the most medals awarded in recent years.
“South African brandy continues to show that it belongs among the best in the world. The strong showing at both the Veritas Awards and the International Spirits Challenge reflects the skill, patience and passion of our producers, who are working with real consistency across every style,” says Christelle Reade-Jahn, director of the SA Brandy Foundation.
“That this consistency has been sustained while the market continues to evolve is a testament to their resilience and commitment to quality.”
Champions at Veritas
The Veritas Awards for wine and brandy is regarded as one of the most prestigious of its kind and are presented by the SA National Wine Show Association. An annual industry highlight, the names of this year’s winners were announced on Saturday evening during a gala dinner at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
The event saw 29 brandies claim medals this year – the most in recent years. It also drew the most Golds and Silver Outstandings. In fact, every winner received Silver Outstanding or better. Potstill brandies again dominated in the medal stakes while four of the six potstill Double Golds this year were awarded to brandies 15 years or older.
Among producer trends in recent years, KWV has remained the dominant producer when it comes to brandy, winning nine medals this year – 31% of the year’s total. KWV and Van Ryn’s together took some 48% of all medals.
Observers would have noted too that that this year also saw a steep rise in newcomers and remarkable shifts among medal recipients.
In Veritas’s category for Potstill Brandy, Double Gold was awarded to Boplaas 20, KWV 15, KWV XO, Sydney Back 15, Van Ryn’s Single Potstill Brandy Aged 12 Years and Van Ryn’s Single Potstill Brandy Aged 20 Years.
Gold went to Bontstaan Brandewyn, Boschendal Potstill Brandy XXO Aged 21 Years, KWV 10, KWV 12, KWV 20, KWV VSOP Signature Release, Nuy, Old Road Distillery Co. 15, Simonac Cape Brandy Aged 15 Years, Sydney Back 25 and Van Ryn’s Single Potstill Brandy Aged 15 Years.
In the category of Standard Brandy, Double Gold was awarded to Nuy 3 Year Barrel Select and Gold to KWV 5 and Namaqua Brandy 5.
The stars at the ISC
The achievements at Veritas were the cherry on a cake whose making had begun days earlier, on October 6 in London. The International Spirits Challenge is the longest-running dedicated spirits competition in the world, with 2026 marking the 31st edition of the event.
Here, South Africa has continued to shine over the years, with local brands not just standing shoulder to shoulder with international products but consistently rising above.
This year, South Africa held a 37% share of entries to the medal rankings, with three producers winning 13 of the 27 Gold-or-better results (48%) in the Brandy category.
KWV took all three trophies in the category and four of the five Double Golds. Furthermore, every one of its nine products reached Gold or higher and its awards covered a spread of its range considerably better than any other.
All four of Van Ryn’s expressions were awarded in the ranking of Golds. Significantly, the strength of its maturation regime came to the fore with three of the four in the 11+ years potstill subcategory.
South Africa’s top achievers were led by KWV, which received trophies for its KWV XO and 20 Year expressions, as well as the crowning trophy as Brandy Producer of the Year. It also received Double Gold for KWV 3, KWV 5, KWV 12 and KWV VSOP.
Gold medals went to KWV 10, KWV 15, KWV VS, Van Ryn’s Single Potstill Brandy 10, Van Ryn’s Single Potstill Brandy 12Y, Van Ryn’s Single Potstill Brandy 15 and Van Ryn’s Single Potstill Brandy 20.