Local brand, St Agnes, continues its success, particularly with their Bartender’s Cut Brandy

Despite the On Premise restrictions, the entire range of St Agnes brandies have performed particularly well over the past year with the St Agnes VS range line ball with last year and our Luxury St Agnes brandies – Bartenders Cut, VSOP and XO’s up 24% in value MAT.

The launch of Bartenders Cut, a brandy created in collaboration with a selection of Australia’s leading bartenders specifically for on premise in Mid 2019 as an 8 year old spirit with an ABV of 46%, really did help grow sales in the on premise area of the business when the pandemic hit and sales ground to a halt, as restrictions ease sales are once again heading in an upward trajectory. In the independent channel customers are getting behind locally made, premium VSOP brandy realising they can make better margin and give their customer a better tasting experience than with imported, lower grade spirit.

The St Agnes Bartenders cut blend has an average age of 8 years and is built on a light fruity 5 year old base sprit blended with a mixture of Tawny and Sherry cask finished brandy spirit with a good lick of very old XO brandy spirit for richness, depth and length. The result is brandy crafted for one purpose – Mixing in cocktails.

A rich, robust spirit, full of opulent Christmas cake fruit framed with chocolate dipped oranges and apricots. The St Agnes Bartenders Cut is rich, deep and concentrated, a brandy made for mixing, but also drinking.

The blending session can be seen here.

Richard Angove from the St Agnes distillery commented: ‘It was just amazing to collaborate with 10 amazing bartenders on the project. We landed on a flavour profile which is intense and deep, rich, robust and perfect for mixing in cocktails. The support for the project from the trade has been amazing. In particular Seb Costello from Bad Frankie was an inspiration in leading the team in developing the flavour but also in advising on the final packaging – a true legend and champion of the Australian spirit Industry and great supporter of St Agnes. Our team really are looking forward to reigniting the early success we were having.’

Richard Angove from the St Agnes distillery commented: ‘It was just amazing to collaborate with 10 amazing bartenders on the project. We landed on a flavour profile which is intense and deep, rich, robust and perfect for mixing in cocktails. The support for the project from the trade has been amazing. In particular Seb Costello from Bad Frankie was an inspiration in leading the team in developing the flavour but also in advising on the final packaging – a true legend and champion of the Australian spirit Industry and great supporter of St Agnes. Our team really are looking forward to reigniting the early success we were having.’

The St Agnes XO range  has  also seen significant growth with 15 YO St Agnes XO up 24% $MAT, the St Agnes XO Imperial 20YO up 43% $MAT and the super premium Sy Agnes XO Grand Reserve 40 YO up a staggering 103% $MAT. St Agnes is Australia’s most highly awarded and most popular brandy and the St Agnes distillery is South Australia’s oldest continually run craft distillery. With barrels dating back 50 years or more it is also in an enviable and unique position in being able to offer such rare and distinguished spirits to the world.

St Agnes Distillery is located on the quiet banks of the River Murray in Renmark, South Australia. Originally established in 1910, it was Carl Angove in 1925 who first decided to create a new style of Australian brandy, lighter and more delicate than anything previously produced. Every year since 1925, the St Agnes Distillery has been carefully handcrafting and ageing brandy in the historic St Agnes Barrel Halls, creating spirits that are a testament to the rewards of time, age, ambition and craft.

www.stagnesdistillery.com.au