St Agnes Distillery has been making spirit in Renmark, in South Australia’s Riverland, since the Angove family set it up in 1910. More than a century on, just six master distillers have carried the house style, working the original 1910 copper pot stills to make what is widely regarded as Australia’s most awarded brandy, alongside Camborne Single Malt Whisky and Blind Tiger Organic Gin. A visit takes you through the historic barrel halls for flights and tastings.
Their XO 15 Year Old anchors the French Negroni, slotting aged brandy in where the gin or rum would usually go, with Campari for bite and our Convict Aromatic Bitters to pull it together. The result is smooth, bittersweet, aromatic and sharp, refined without the fuss.
A hundred years of patience meeting a bottle of bitters. We are honoured to share a glass with a maker that takes time this seriously