The Brandy Masters 2025
Around the globe, producers are putting their own riffs on the brandy category – and their efforts are paying off.
“Brandy should look to open itself up to more consumers and different occasions,” Simon Wright, founder of English brandy maker Burnt Faith Distillery, told The Spirits Business at the end of 2024. “A lot of the narrative around brandy was completely dominated by the big four Cognac houses. Now you’re seeing consumers looking at options outside the traditional brands, with new brands like us and Seven Tails, as well as other brands from Europe, starting to grow.”
So, are brandies delivering the quality options consumers deserve? Two panels of experienced independent judges sampled a plethora of entries to see how the category is faring. Forming the first panel were: Richard Legg, owner of Distilled Knowledge, Matt Chambers, co-founder of Whisky For Everyone, and Bryan Rodriguez-Curtis, spirits consultant and judge, who chaired the group.
The second set of judges comprised Antony Moss, independent sustainability consultant, James Bunting, founder of New Make Communications, and Melita Kiely, editor-in-chief of The Spirits Business, and chair of The Global Spirits Masters Competitions.
Coveted awards
First on the agenda was a flight of Other French Brandies, which delivered a solid set of three Gold medals – all of which were awarded to Seven Tails. The brand collected the coveted awards for its Seven Tails XO, Seven Tails Cask Collection Bourbon Finish, and Seven Tails Cask Collection Rum Finish. The XO was found to have a “decent balance between sweet and spice”, while the Bourbon Finish was “rich and rounded”, with “fruitiness, fudge, dates and tannins towards the finish”. The Gold-winning Rum Finish was “well balanced” at a higher 47.9% ABV, with “textbook aromas and flavours”.
Five Silvers completed the flight.
“These showed the spectrum of flavours,” noted Moss. “There were some brandies that were pushing the boundaries of flavours. Really quite interesting.”
The tasting then jumped to Australian brandies, which delivered the sole Master medal of the day: St Agnes XO. “Rich and rounded, good body, and depth of flavour,” said Kiely. “Classic brandy notes: fruity, raisins, warm spice, oak and dryness – impressed.” Bunting was also pleased: “It was sweet without being overly sweet; almost like a very, very good dessert wine.”
Five brandies picked up Silver medals in the flight, including two more from St Agnes Distillery, along with a trio from Bickford’s Australia – including Black Bottle XO Brandy.
In the Germany heat, Artwerk Bio Brandy Master Edition took home a Silver medal.
Moving to Armenia, and a Gold medal was uncovered in Tuff. Rodriguez-Curtis described the medallist as “rich and generous” on the nose. Tasting notes provided by his panel included “ripe and dried fruit, dried florals, spice, and a good thickness and oiliness” on the palate.
Ukrainian brandy Aznauri enjoyed a strong flight in the Ukraine heat, where it collected one Gold medal and one Silver. Gold medallist Aznauri Black Barrel received the award for being “quite a jammy brandy”. Flavours included “stewed fruits, and pastries, with a nice grip on the finish and some lingering freshness”.
In the South Africa – Potstill – Aged 10-12 Years round, a Silver medal was presented to “classic with light spice” Van Ryn’s Potstill 12 Years Old.
Two of the brandy’s stablemates collected Gold medals in the following flight, South Africa – Potstill – Aged Over 13 Years. Gold medallist Van Ryn’s Single Potstill Brandy 15 Years Old, enjoyed for being “VS Cognac-like” on the nose. The palate delivered “good flavour and texture” with notes of “juicy grape, peach and a hint of milk chocolate towards the end”. Van Ryn’s Single Potstill Brandy 20 Years Old, the second Gold winner in this flight, was praised for having an “elegant and tropical” aroma that led to “a lovely luscious palate with some cream soda, ripe papaya and a hint of peppery spice” towards the finish.
The penultimate category delivered a strong flight of Brandy de Jerez, which resulted in six Gold medals and a trio of Silvers.
Grupo Osborne took home two of the Golds for Brandy Carlos I and Brandy 1866. Brandy Carlos I was praised for being “juicy, rounded, with brown sugar and raisins”. Meanwhile, Brandy 1866 was described as having a “rich and luxurious” aroma, with “hints of peach and raisins” on the palate.
González Byass picked up the remaining Gold medals for Soberano 12, Soberano Solera, Lepanto OV Solera Gran Reserva, and Lepanto PX Solera Gran Reserva.
Soberano 12 was found to have “lots of dried fruit on the palate”, while Soberano Solera impressed with “hints of coconut”, which complemented “some oak spice, raisins and a slightly drying finish”. Lepanto OV Solera Gran Reserva was “fruity and almost Jammy Dodger-esque” in its profile, which helped to secure its Gold medal. Lepanto PX Solera Gran Reserva, to conclude the Gold awards, was “full-bodied with a good balance of sweetness and light spice/wood influence”.
The judges sampled a Flavoured Brandy Spirit, Aznauri Espresso, which ended the day on a high with a Gold award. It was found to have “burnt coffee grounds on the nose” leading to “sweetness, vanilla and light fruitiness” on the palate.
As the standout brandy on the day, Master-winning St Agnes XO was also crowned the Brandy Taste Master 2025.
“There was quite a lot of diversity in the category from different regions that have been making grape spirits for a long time,” Moss noted. “Ukraine and Jerez have developed their own distinct styles. Others are on a journey, and many were also beautifully made.”
Also reflecting on the day’s results, Bunting added: “The thing that jumped out was the balance of innate flavours of raw materials versus sugar. The ones that let the flavours shine through, and where sugar had an auxiliary role, were the standouts of the day.”
With such variety coming from around the globe, the future of brandy looks extremely exciting.
| Other French Brandies | ||
| Company | Product | Medal |
| Seven Tails | Seven Tails XO | Gold |
| Seven Tails | Seven Tails Cask Collection Bourbon Finish | Gold |
| Seven Tails | Seven Tails Cask Collection Rum Finish | Gold |
| Bardinet | Beehive Brandy 170th Anniversary Edition | Silver |
| Bardinet | Beehive Brandy XO | Silver |
| Bardinet | Beehive Honey Extra Smooth | Silver |
| Famille Cabanne | VSOP French Brandy – De Moncy | Silver |
| Rooster & Wolf | Rooster & Wolf Brandy | Silver |
| Other Region – Australia | ||
| Company | Product | Medal |
| St Agnes Distillery | St Agnes XO Master & Taste | Master |
| St Agnes Distillery | St Agnes VSOP | Silver |
| St Agnes Distillery | St Agnes Bartenders Cut | Silver |
| Bickford’s Australia | Black Bottle Classic Brandy | Silver |
| Bickford’s Australia | Black Bottle XO Brandy | Silver |
| Bickford’s Australia | Black Bottle Very Special Australian Brandy | Silver |
| Other Region – Germany | ||
| Company | Product | Medal |
| Artwerk | Artwerk Bio Brandy Master Edition | Silver |
| Other Region – Armenia | ||
| Company | Product | Medal |
| NA | Tuff | Gold |
| Other Region – Ukraine | ||
| Company | Product | Medal |
| GBT | Aznauri Black Barrel | Gold |
| GBT | Aznauri Gold Reserve | Silver |
| South Africa – Potstill – Aged 10-12 Years | ||
| Company | Product | Medal |
| Heineken Beverages | Van Ryn’s Single Potstill Brandy 20 Years Old | Gold |
| Heineken Beverages | Van Ryn’s Single Potstill Brandy 15 Years Old | Gold |
| South Africa – Potstill – Aged Over 13 Years | ||
| Company | Product | Medal |
| Heineken Beverages | Van Ryn’s Single Potstill Brandy 20 Years Old | Gold |
| Heineken Beverages | Van Ryn’s Single Potstill Brandy 15 Years Old | Gold |
| Brandy de Jerez | ||
| Company | Product | Medal |
| Grupo Osborne | Brandy Carlos | | Gold |
| Grupo Osborne | Brandy 1866 | Gold |
| González Byass | Soberano 12 | Gold |
| González Byass | Soberano Solera | Gold |
| González Byass | Lepanto OV Solera Gran Reserva | Gold |
| González Byass | Lepanto PX Solera Gran Reserva | Gold |
| González Byass | Lepanto Solera Gran Reserva | Silver |
| González Byass | Soberano 5 | Silver |
| Grupo Osborne | Brandy Conde de Osborne | Silver |
| Flavoured Brandy Spirit | ||
| Company | Product | Medal |
| GBT | Aznauri Espresso | Gold |
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