International recognition for local brandy

The Oude Molen brandy distillery has been awarded medals for three of its brandies at the 2010 International Wine and Spirits Competition. The recently launched maiden release of the Oude Molen Solera Grand Reserve scooped a gold medal as well as a Best in Class.

According to the tasting notes from the panel of judges, they considered the Oude Molen Solera Grand Reserve a very attractive brandy with a warm, natural colour. The panel consisting of industry experts and wine masters described the Solera as having a “delightful nose with ripe fruit and lots of sherry notes. Full flavours in the mouth give a whole array of characters. Sherry is the main feature with supporting roles from dried apricot, raisin, spicy oak and some sweet floral notes. Smooth and soft, yet with good grip and great balance. Long finish where sherry again features strongly.”

A gold medal is only awarded to a product that scores more than 90 points and the product scoring the highest mark in the gold range achieves the accolade of Best in Class.

The Oude Molen Solera Grand Reserve is aged through a three-tiered Solera system. According to distillery manager Andre Simonis, it has taken six years to fill the complete system.

He explains: “We started with brandy matured for at least three years in the top tier and only bottle from the bottom tier, so we can be sure that the Solera Grand Reserve will show consistency for the next 100 years. Although this has been a long process, a gold medal and Best in Class award at such an influential competition certainly proved it worthwhile.”

The Oude Molen Ren Single Cask and Oude Molen VOV Rare Vintage Selection each received a silver medal.

All Oude Molen brandies are 100% pot-stilled and oak matured according to the centuries old cognac-style first introduced by Rene Santagen, the father of South African brandy, at his Oude Molen Distillery a hundred years ago. These brandies currently retail directly from the distillery in Elgin.