Discover Premium Brandy Spirits
Explore our extensive collection of premium brandies from the world's finest distilling regions. From French Cognac and Armagnac to Australian aged brandies, Italian and German expressions, South American Pisco, and traditional fruit brandies, our selection showcases the remarkable diversity and sophistication of this noble spirit category.
Understanding Brandy
Brandy is a spirit distilled from fermented fruit juice, most commonly grapes, though also produced from apples (Calvados), plums (Sljivovica), and other fruits. The term derives from the Dutch 'brandewijn' (burnt wine), reflecting the distillation process that concentrates wine into spirit. Premium brandies are aged in oak barrels, developing complex flavours of vanilla, dried fruit, spice, and wood that distinguish them from younger spirits.
Brandy production involves fermentation of fruit into wine or must, distillation using pot stills or column stills to concentrate alcohol and flavours, ageing in oak barrels that impart colour, tannins, and complexity, and blending of different ages and casks to achieve house styles. The finest brandies balance fruit character, oak influence, and time-developed complexity.
French Brandy: Cognac & Armagnac
France produces the world's most prestigious brandies, with Cognac and Armagnac representing the pinnacle of the craft. Cognac, from the Charente region in southwestern France, is produced in a strictly defined area surrounding the town of Cognac. The region's chalky soils, maritime climate influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, and traditional double distillation in copper pot stills create brandies of exceptional finesse and elegance.
Cognac quality designations include VS (Very Special) aged minimum 2 years, VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale) aged minimum 4 years, and XO (Extra Old) aged minimum 10 years. These spirits display floral and fruity aromatics, notes of vanilla, oak, and dried fruit, smooth, refined texture, and remarkable complexity that develops over decades of ageing.
Armagnac, from Gascony in southwestern France, represents France's oldest brandy tradition, predating Cognac by several centuries. Produced in the Bas-Armagnac, Ténarèze, and Haut-Armagnac sub-regions, Armagnac is typically distilled once in traditional column stills, creating spirits with more robust character and pronounced fruit intensity than Cognac. The region's sandy, clay, and limestone soils, continental climate with warm summers, and black oak barrel ageing produce brandies with distinctive personality.
Our collection features exceptional vintage Armagnacs from renowned producers like Delord and Darroze, with vintages spanning from the 1960s to 1990s. These rare spirits offer remarkable complexity, with decades of barrel ageing developing profound notes of prune, fig, walnut, spice, and rancio—the distinctive oxidative character prized in aged Armagnac.
Australian Brandy Excellence
Australia has a distinguished brandy-making heritage, with production centred in South Australia's Barossa Valley. St Agnes, established in 1848, represents Australia's oldest operating distillery, producing brandies that rival European expressions in quality and complexity. Australian brandy benefits from premium wine regions providing exceptional base wines, warm continental climate ideal for grape ripening, and traditional pot still distillation combined with extended oak ageing.
St Agnes brandies range from VS expressions offering approachable fruit character to XO 15 Year Old and extraordinary XO Grand Reserve 40 Year Old, showcasing the remarkable ageing potential of Australian brandy. These spirits display rich dried fruit and toffee notes, smooth, velvety texture, and complex spice and oak integration developed through decades in barrel.
Italian & German Brandy Traditions
Italy's Vecchia Romagna represents Italian brandy excellence, produced in the Emilia-Romagna region using Trebbiano grapes. Italian brandy offers distinctive character with pronounced fruit sweetness, smooth, approachable style, and notes of vanilla, caramel, and dried fruit. Germany's Asbach, produced in the Rhine region since 1892, creates brandies using traditional methods and extended oak ageing, resulting in spirits with refined character and complex aromatics.
Pisco: South American Brandy
Pisco, the national spirit of Peru and Chile, is an unaged brandy distilled from aromatic grape varieties including Quebranta, Italia, and Moscatel. Produced in Peru's coastal valleys where desert conditions and Pacific Ocean influences create ideal grape-growing conditions, Pisco offers distinctive character with intense grape aromatics, floral and fruity notes, and clean, unaged spirit purity. Barsol Puro Quebranta showcases traditional Peruvian Pisco made from 100% Quebranta grapes.
Calvados: Apple Brandy from Normandy
Calvados, from Normandy in northern France, is brandy distilled from fermented apple cider (and sometimes pears). The region's cool maritime climate, abundant apple orchards with heritage varieties, and traditional production methods create distinctive spirits. Calvados Pays d'Auge, the most prestigious appellation, requires double distillation in pot stills and minimum 2 years oak ageing, producing brandies with fresh apple and pear aromatics, notes of baked apple, cinnamon, and oak, and elegant, refined character.
Fruit Brandies: Sljivovica & Plum Spirits
Our collection includes traditional fruit brandies, particularly Sljivovica—plum brandy from Croatia and the Balkans. These spirits are distilled from fermented plums, often using traditional methods passed down through generations. Croatian Sljivovica from producers like Maraska and Badel showcases intense plum fruit character, clean, powerful spirit, and distinctive stone fruit aromatics. These brandies are traditionally enjoyed as digestifs or aperitifs.
Tasting Profile & Serving
Premium brandies display amber to deep mahogany colour depending on age, complex aromatics of dried fruit, vanilla, oak, spice, and floral notes, smooth, warming palate with layered flavours, and long, sophisticated finish. Serve brandy at room temperature (18-20°C) in tulip-shaped snifters that concentrate aromatics, allowing the spirit to breathe and reveal its complexity. Brandy is traditionally enjoyed as a digestif after meals or savoured neat as a contemplative spirit.
Food Pairing
Brandy pairs beautifully with dark chocolate and chocolate desserts, aged cheeses including Comté and aged Cheddar, dried fruits and nuts, cigars (for those who enjoy them), and rich desserts including crème brûlée and tarte tatin.
We offer great value on premium brandies from France's legendary regions, Australia's finest distilleries, and distinguished international producers, delivered across Australia.
