St Agnes Distillery

St Agnes is one of Australia’s longest-running spirits distilleries, celebrating 100 years in '25. As such, no guide to Australian spirits would be complete without them. Based in Renmark, South Australia, the family-owned business has been producing consistently outstanding aged grape brandy throughout its entire history, surviving depression, war, changing tastes, and global competition along the way. St Agnes makes some of the best value for money spirits available in Australia, either imported or local. The quality of their XO brandies far outweighs the minimal price tag. Their lower-tier products, found at any bottle shop in Australia, are of sound quality for simple mixed drinks or cooking, and their higher-end stuff is nothing short of spectacular. So consistently high-quality are the St Agnes 15-year-plus bottlings that the judges of Australian spirits competitions are now surprised if they don’t win a trophy (but they almost always do). Ask any beverage professional, and they’ll tell you they love brandy for its history, complexity, utility as a cocktail ingredient, and sheer deliciousness. This storied distillery is a case in point, a little-known producer of which Aussies should be incredibly proud. St Agnes is a true benchmark for the quality of Australian spirits. -FRED SIGGINS