KWV has once again been named Brandy Producer of the Year at the 2026 International Spirits Challenge (ISC), earning the title for the eighth time. KWV 20 and KWV XO also received category Trophies at the London awards.
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The result adds to a strong year for the Paarl producer. At the ISC, six KWV brandies earned Double Gold and three received Gold in the first judging stage. KWV 20 later won the Trophy for Potstill Grape Brandy 11 Years Old and Over, while KWV XO took the Trophy for Potstill Grape Brandy aged six to 10 years.
KWV’s wider 2026 honours include 98 points for KWV XO at the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC), the highest score awarded to a brandy, and 97 points for KWV XXO. KWV XO was also named Best Brandy of Show and Best Potstill Brandy at the Investec Trophy Spirits Show. At Veritas, KWV 15 and KWV XO received Double Gold, alongside further Gold and Silver Outstanding medals across the range.
For KWV Master Distiller Pieter de Bod, the award recognises the strength of the whole portfolio. “Producer of the Year is an extraordinary honour because it speaks not to one great brandy, but to the standard of the portfolio as a whole. From our younger expressions through to brandies matured for two decades, the judges have recognised the same commitment to balance, character and quality,” he said.
De Bod said the eighth title was something the team and country could be proud of, adding that KWV’s results alongside leading international spirits affirmed the work taking place in its cellar.
The ISC is a blind-tasting competition judged by more than 70 independent industry experts. Thousands of spirits from more than 70 countries enter, with fewer than two per cent progressing to Trophy level.
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