The 2024 World Drinks Awards have once again honoured a South African brand with the title of World’s Best Wine Brandy.
Van Ryn’s 15-year-old Potsill Brandy has once again won the title of World’s Best Wine Brandy, defeating stiff opposition from Australia, France, and Spain, according to Goodthingsguy.
KWV VS brandy won gold in the aged 4-5 years cohort, and other South African companies, such as Richelieu and Klipdrift, also entered their best beverages and placed in the silver and bronze categories.
The World Drinks Awards is an annual event that honors the best in the world of beverages. The World Brandy Awards category honors the best brandies from across the globe. Each entry is blind tasted, and the brandies are rated based on nose, palate and finish, balance, character, complexity, and overall quality.
With this victory, Van Ryn has won this title four times in the last five years. They were the winners of the same title in 2020 with their 12-year-old potstill brandy, in 2022 with their 20-year-old potstill brandy, and in 2023 and 2024 with their 15-year-old potstill brandy.
Wine Brandy is made from distilled wine and matured in French Oak Barrels. The Van Ryn’s Potstill Brandy line is produced using the same specialized techniques as Cognac.
However, the Cognac designation is only applicable to brandies produced in the southwest of France.
The panel of international judges commended Van Ryn’s 15-year-old Potsill Brandy stating “A graceful liquid with notes of liquorice and toffee and the thick creaminess of clotted cream. Stone fruit on the palate, as well as a drizzle of golden syrup and some residual tannic fruit.”
Meanwhile, Master Blender, Marlene Bester states that winning the World’s Best title twice in a row is unquestionably a significant milestone.
Bester said, “Year-on-year our brandies receive the World’s Best accolades, showcasing our commitment to innovation, quality, and the art of crafting exceptional brandy, building on our reputation as one of the world’s leading fine brandy houses.”
