KWV has a long-standing history of producing fine brandies in South Africa; the brand continues to develop this legacy, adding two new products to its luxury range. Launched last week at Café Dijon in Cape Town, the team from KWV, including Master distiller Peter de Bod and Marketing Director Paeder Hegarty, took invited guests on a sensory journey through the meticulous creation of these two new additions.

Introducing the first XO Cognac to be produced under a South African brand name – KWV Héritage XO Cognac, as well as KWV Nexus 30 year old brandy, the world’s first commercially available 30 year old brandy containing potstill up to 42 years old.

As with many other specialty liquors, Cognac can only be produced in a specific area to be deemed authentic, in this case – an area in Western France. In order to produce a recognised product, grapes have to be sourced from the region and the product must be bottled and matured in the Cognac region.

Master distiller Peter de Bod travelled to France to oversee the process of creating KWV’s Héritage XO Cognac. He sampled several before making the all-important decision on the correct blend. The selections are then nurtured throughout the maturation process in French Oak barrels, under the attentive eyes of the artisan distillers at Maison Charpentier.

KWV XO is a rich amber colour, with fruity flavours of litchi, cinnamon and fruitcake on the nose, with notes of citrus, mocha and roasted coffee. Two keys on the packaging symbolise two continents and the collaboration that has resulted in this premium product.

The second product to the range is the KWV Nexus 30-year old potstill brand. Handcrafted in small batches at the world-renowned KWV cellars in Paarl, using a blend ranging in age from 30 to 42 years old.

The name Nexus name means the highest point of a connection. “It links our KWV journey to finish great, representing the pinnacle of our brandy journey, which begins with our 3 year old,” says Hegarty.

KWV Nexus brandy is suspended in the orb of an exquisite hand-blown bottle crafted by internationally acclaimed glass artist, David Reade. Each individually crafted bottle is sealed with a handmade Baltic Amber stone, a unique gem with origins that can be traced to tree resins going back some 50 million years. It is set in copper by award-winning jewellery designer Maike Valcarcel.

This artful design and the golden liquid it encases make a show stopping addition to any liquor connoisseur’s cabinet. At R23 000 a bottle it’s an investment of distinction.