WeeklySA_AdminTRIUMPH: The South African spirit scores the achievement at the 2024 World Drinks Awards…
By Len Maseko
South Africa’s prowess as a globally renowned producer of fine brandies has been cemented by the latest accolade to the Van Ryn’s 15-Year-Old Potstill Brandy, which has scooped the World’s Best Wine Brandy Award – for the second consecutive year, and fourth time in five years.
In achieving the feat, Van Ryn’s 15-Year-Old beat fierce competition from France, Spain, Australia and other South African prominent brandy producers within the 2024 World Brandy Awards category.
The winners of the World Drinks Awards 2024 were decided by the awards judging panel in Norwich, United Kingdom a week ago. Each year, the World Drinks Awards are held to celebrate the best in the global drinks industry.
An eclectic range of products were presented to the panel, who then determined which ones deserved the title of World’s Best. Besides brandy, other categories which are part of the awards included Grappa, liqueur, premix drinks, rum, design and tequila.
This is the fourth time in five years that Van Ryn’s brandy has scooped the prestigious prize, having done so in 2020 via its 12-Year-Old expression, followed by the 20-Year-Old in 2022, and lately the 15-Year-Old, which has doubled up with similar triumphs in 2023 and this year.
The panel of international judges praised Van Ryn’s 15-Year-Old as “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.”
Marlene Bester, Van Ryn’s master blender, said achieving the World’s Best title twice in a row for the spirit was definitely a highlight for the team. “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.”
“We allow our brandies the luxury of maturation for several years, quietly developing their complex layers of flavours during their slumber. Although we lose approximately 3% of volume per year to the Angel’s Share, the result is an incredibly smooth brandy that rewards in character and quality.”
David Smith, chair of judges for the World Drinks Awards commented: “This year’s World Drinks Awards has been particularly exciting and has been a great way to round-out the judging season. We had an incredible response to our pastis competition and it was great to see the new innovation in such an established category.”
The World Beer Awards and World Cider Awards 2024 winners will be announced in August this year.
Other category winners were:
• World’s Best Whisky
Highland Nectar, Highland Nectar
• World’s Best Rum
Plum & Rum
• World’s Best Vodka
Utopia, Tuscan Grain Vodka
• World’s Best Gin
Squeaker Drinks, Gimpel Blood Orange Gin
• World’s Best Cream
Hellyers Road, Whisky Cream Liqueur – Original
• World’s Best Rum
Plum & Rum
• World’s Best Coffee
Bootleg Craft Spirits, Coffee Liqueur
