Australia’s oldest family-run distillery, St Agnes Distillery, is celebrating its 100-year anniversary with a massive achievement as its St Agnes XXO Exceptional Reserve 50 Year Old has been awarded a perfect 100 points by Nick Ryan, a senior wine writer for The Australian. This exceptional score was declared in Nick’s latest review, where he described the premium brandy as “the greatest liquid to touch my lips this year.”
The XXO 50 Year Old joins a rare group of Australian wine and spirit products that have received the highest accolades from Nick. Released in 2025, the distillery issued 500 bottles of this luxurious brandy to celebrate a century of craft and tradition. This release is all about the meticulous craftsmanship passed through generations.
Richard Angove, the Managing Director of St Agnes and a fifth-generation distiller, shared, “To be part of such an exclusive club as we celebrate 100 years as a distillery is an extraordinary honour. Our head distiller, Ben Horley, and his predecessor, John Norman, as well as the entire team behind St Agnes, have been instrumental in maintaining the patience, care, and craft required nurturing our aged spirits.
“Personally, this spirit holds such a special place. Three generations of my family have nurtured this collection, and to see something my grandfather first envisioned now recognised in this way is truly incredible.”
The XXO 50 Year Old is a collector’s masterpiece, made from select parcels of brandy distilled between 1953 and 1972. These have been matured for decades in historic Riverland barrel halls.
Praise also came from spirits writer Luke McCarthy, who said the XXO 50 Year Old was “one of the greatest achievements in Australian winemaking and distilling” in his book ‘St Agnes – The First One Hundred Years’.
Nick Ryan’s recognition also went beyond the XXO 50 Year Old to other products in the St Agnes range. He awarded the XO 15 Year Old 97 points, commending its exceptional quality relative to its price, and described the 30 Year Old, also a 2025 release, as a “truly world-class brandy”, receiving 98 points.
2025 has been a remarkable year for the distillery, with numerous accolades, including a Gold Medal at the 2025 Hong Kong International Wine & Spirit Competition. St Agnes has also triumphed in global forums, being named Brandy Taste Master at The Spirits Business Brandy Masters held in London.
In Australia, the accolades continued as the St Agnes XO Brandy 15 Year Old won the Champion Spirit award at both the 2025 Sydney Royal Distilled Spirits Show and the Perth Royal Distilled Spirits Awards. It also won the Best Brandy category at every major capital city competition in Australia.
These prestigious recognitions highlight St Agnes Distillery’s exceptional craftsmanship and position as a leader in the global spirits industry, continuing to produce exquisite and highly respected brandies as it steps into its second century of distilling excellence.
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