A TRACK RECORD OF
WHO WE ARE
KWV’s story began over a century ago, during the early 1900s, when the South African wine industry was in jeopardy. Excess wine supply far exceeded demand, and a solution was desperately needed, to save this flailing sector.
Luckily a silver lining swooped in through the form of Dr Charles William Henry Kohler, who decided to purchase and resell surplus wine and spirits to the international market. This strategy saved the day, and from this, KWV was born. Who would’ve thought that over 100 years later this brandy is still making waves in the international community, as the world’s most awarded brandy brand today.
From its tumultuous beginnings until now, KWV has led the charge in shaping the strict regulations that keep South African brandy at the forefront of top global standards. And KWV continues to win critical acclaim on international stages, which we believe has everything to do with its unique blend of heritage and innovation, cultivated over the years through the input of pioneering leaders and visionary thinkers.
Double distilled in copper potstills and matured in the finest French oak barrels, KWV Brandy is not only a triumph of brandy flavour. It is also a household name, synonymous with value, accessibility and sophistication, binding generations through the love of perfection.
Today, the KWV House of Brandy is home to the most potstills in the world, and has come to be known as a sanctuary for fine brandy and a haven for brandy aficionados.
OUR
WHERE WE COME FROM
KWV (Ko-operatieve Wijnbouwers Vereniging van Zuid Afrika) is registered as a company & Dr. Kohler elected chairman.
The first KWV brandy is produced at KWV.
The SA Wine and spirit control act is passed, allowing KWV to regulate brandy production in SA, ensuring its ongoing quality is maintained.
KWV 10 Year Old stuns the world and wins the Brandy Trophy for the first time at the International Wine & Spirits Competition.
KWV plays a vital role in the establishment of the Brandy foundation ensuring the longevity of the highest quality South African brandy.
The revamped KWV Brandy Cellar at Worcester is opened to the public as the KWV House of Brandy. It becomes an important tourist attraction.
KWV is crowned Best Brandy & Cognac Producer in the world at the ISC – the first time in the competition’s history that a brandy and not a cognac won.
KWV Brandy holds it's title as the World's Best Brandy and Cognac Producer at the ISC.
KWV Brandy is awarded the prestigious title of "Producer of the year" at the world renowned International Wine and Spirits competition.
KWV Launches the world’s most expensive brandy to ever be sold outside of Cognac – The Centenary.
KWV Brandy reclaims its title as "World's Best Brandy and Cognac producer" at the ISC.
KWV Brandy retains its title as "World's Best Brandy and Cognac producer" at the ISC for a second year running.
KWV earns the first ever 100 point perfect score, on any product, in the 31 year history of the Veritas wine and spirits awards, which is South Africa's most established wine and spirits competition.
KWV’S MASTER DISTILLER
– African Brandy Foundation Board Member
– Chairman of the Brandy Panel at the International Spirits Challenge (ISC)
– Led the team that won Brandy and Cognac Producer of the Year at the International Wine and Spirit Competition, consecutively followed by the ISC Award.
Who better to be the leader of KWV’s distillery team than one of Africa’s top experts in the premium spirits field? Pieter de Bod has spent three decades building his knowledge in the industry, which he now applies to developing and improving KWV’s coveted range of local and international brandies.
Despite his trophy cabinet of personal achievements, Pieter holds a reverence for the process that is greater than the individual: “It’s not about yourself. You create a product that could most likely be consumed by the next generation, which is especially true for the premium products aged 20 years and older”.
Match this passion with his world-class expertise, and KWV has in Pieter a recipe for the ages.
OUR DISTILLERY
Our Worcester Distillery is quite something. Here we can produce 380,000 litres of brandy per day, running up to 30 trucks daily!
The distillery was acquired back in the 1924, and since then has expanded to include 23 maturation cellars as well as 8 tanks, each with a capacity of 2,000,000 litres – the biggest wine tanks in South Africa! We are also proud to be known as the largest copper potstill distillery in the world, with 120 copper potstills of 1,000 litres under one roof. The site also includes a French Cognac Charentals Prulho potsill of 2,500 litres.
But it’s not just the size of the operation that is impressive. All this has come together to making us the world’s most awarded brandy brand, over the last decade.
RANGE
KWV 3
BRANDY AND COLA
KWV 5
KWV VS
KWV 10
KWV 12
KWV 15
KWV XXO
NEXUS
CENTENARY
© 2024 KWV. Please drink responsibly.
Not for sale to persons under the age of 18.
