I'M starting to like brandy, the bottom shelf stuff is cheaper for the same abv as the local cheap whiskey and vodka and has more flavors, if you mix it with cola or orange juice its so good.
What an interesting video Well paced and very informative thank you As a South-African bramdy lover; I would like to name a few local brands to those who might ve interested 1 KWV: especially the 10 or 15 yo 2 Klipdrift especially premium: believe it won a few awards also 3 Richelieu; I believe it is also a South African brandy award winner from Western Cape 4 Buffelsfontein; quite new on the market; not as "refined and smooth" as the other brands, but I enjoy it though Feel free to leave me any recommendations and I'll try to get my hands on them Thanks
This video is hitting a lot of SA people. SA Brandy is really new to me…in fact after the first person commented I’d never really seen or heard of SA Brandy. My 3 online suppliers just don’t have any. (And they’re the big UK ones) and all my career l, I’ve never seen them listed anywhere. So deffo need to check them out. Multiple comments have said the KWV and Klipdrift.
Do yourself a favour if you like brandy taste South African brandy. A few brands worth mentioning, Van Ryns 10 year old or older, Klipdrift Gold, KWV 20 year old. They will rival the finest Cognac. South Africans are serious about brandy.
Like Pirates are to Rum, like Eastern Europeans are to Vodka. Is Like South Africans are to Brandy..you HAVE to treat yourself to some South African Brandy. you wont regret it for one second :D. Cheers!
So much information this was a great video for the layman. I have my bottle of AppleJack and I also have a bottle of Christian Brothers which is a cheaper brandy.
Brandy is my least favorite category, something about the taste just puts me off, but I enjoyed watching your enthusiasm for it. Have you tried Asbach Uralt? It's a German brandy, and the best I've tried so far.
Yeah, have had Asbach. But again over the last few years it’s become non existent over here really. I remember it listed by most wholesalers back in the 00s. But now, nope, speciality import.
Hi Steve, just love your videos and the way you present them. I’ve been looking for ages for “Tipplesworth” Espresso Martini, as I’ve found out recently this is no longer produced, which is a real shame as I’ve been using this for some time. However you have shown me how to make my own Espresso Coffee, and I’ll certainly try this as I don’t have a Espresso machine. Looking forward to seeing your other videos. Thank you Steve. Regards Peter
Never really tried any premixed Espresso Martini so I can’t comment as to how “good” they are. But, I can pretty much safely say, any freshly made Espresso Martini you make with an Espresso that you love...it’s going to taste better! (Ps...guessing you got that from a different video, not this Brandy Video 🧐🤷♂️)
I like your channel. I am from Serbia, where we produce a high-quality fruit-based spirit, rakija. In the US for instance, most likely because of poor PR, it is marketed as brandy, but it's not quite that. But anyway, what I want to say is that I believe that I have naturally developed a solid standard. When I moved abroad, I began to explore whiskey. After a year and a half, I realized it wasn't for me. Its taste is not quite "bad" (like vodka) but it's also nothing special, and drinking it doesn't "take me" anywhere. But then I tried a cheap cognac at my gf's father's house in France, and it blew me away. I realized that cognac, that is, brandy, is my spirit. Then, after a few months of research, and not quite finding a bottle that would replicate my strong impressions after that bottom-shelf cognac in France, a few nights ago a friend of mine suggested to me that the spirit I actually might be looking for is rum. And I think he might be right. I am familiar with rum, and I find it amazing, for the reasons that are for me of course not so easy to explain. But yesterday my first bottle of Spanish brandy arrived, Cardenal Mendoza, and it absolutely blew me away. I'm back on brandies lol. But that's because, in my understanding, this Spaniard has more complexity than most of the brandies I tried in the last few months (Armenian, German, Serbian, and of course French stuff), which is something I am looking for (in addition to balance), something I get from rum as well. The point of this long introspection is that exploring drinks really is a journey. PS - the reason why that cheap cognac blew me away in France so hard, is probably because flavor enhancers. A friend of mine who is an expert in winemaking (awards in London, etc.) and who cooperates with the French, explained to me that the French are not averse to the "chemical approach" in production. There are also videos on RU-vid explaining the same or similar thing about well-known cognac brands.
Cos it’s terrible!! 😉😂 Nah, genuinely, in all my years, I’d never heard of it until the first few comments came in about SA Brandy. I then searched my 4 big UK wholesalers and none are listed. I have since KWV and Van Ryns elsewhere. But it’s really hard to get…and expensive. So still yet to try.
@@StevetheBarmanUK I think if you planning on getting some come to cape town and try a few of the Brandies this side, a must is Van Ryns in stellenbosch
honestly for me its on the rocks or with a touch of soda, a good brandy alone has so many notes you spoiling it, do vodka gin cocktails. But keep away from E and J, I dont class that as brandy , but then again they dont claim vsop
Admittedly I’ve just woken up... but “E & J” what am I missing? What’s that. Probably obvious and will hit in 5 minutes after typing this, but at the mo... 🤷♂️🤷♂️😂
@@StevetheBarmanUK E & J is short for Ernest & Julio Gallo, a brand in the U.S., located in California. They are mostly known for large volume, low cost, bad taste in wine. Their E & J brand of brandy is more likely to be found featured in corner stores in "not the nicest" neighborhoods.
Hey Steve. The better known brands include Van Ryn's, KWV, Oude Molen, Viceroy and Klipdrift. The are made similar to Cognac, but Chenin Blanc and Colombard are mostly used. SA Brandy is made to stricter regulations than Cognac (e.g. SA Brandy has to be aged for a minimum of 3 years in an oak barrel). This webpage gives a good brief intro to SA Brandy: www.forbes.com/sites/joemicallef/2019/07/18/exploring-the-world-of-south-african-brandy/?sh=2ac365f03633 I suggest a visit to the Cape as soon as this Covid thing is behind us. With your pounds the brandies (and everything else) will be ridiculously cheap.
Thank you. Someone else has just told me all about these. Honestly, they’re just really not on the UK radar, but I’m now so intrigued. 25+ years in the industry, I’ve never even heard SA Brandy being mentioned anywhere. Admittedly as I say in my Video, I’m no Guru. I have the basic/medium knowledge. But I can’t understand why SA Brandy isn’t really a thing in the UK. Just checked my main supplier. These brands are listed. BUT...all either Out of stock, or most of them “discontinued”. 🧐🧐🤷♂️🤷♂️
Awwww. Are you one of those people? Do you just need a friend?! Don’t be lonely, slide in to my DMs, I’m here for you if you’re going through tough times… 😘
