St Agnes has launched into the luxury market with the release of two ultra-premium XOs – the XO Imperial 20 Year Old and XO Grand Reserve 40 Year Old.

 

The two XOs will be officially released 8 August, a date which marks the brand’s 90^th anniversary.

 

The XOs join the already widely available XO 15 Year Old.

 

Richard Angove of St Agnes Brandy, says the company is excited to raise and reposition Australian brandy not only in the Australian market, but also globally.

 

“My family has been crafting brandy for over 90 years and we’re excited to now be moving into a new territory of rare, luxury and unique goods. We have a clear purpose, and that is to do one thing brilliantly, to show the world another face of Australian produce excellence by crafting an iconic Australian spirit of world-class standard.

 

“The team at St Agnes Distillery is exceptionally proud of these new releases. They represent a uniquely Australian take on the timeless luxury and prestige of XO, and we can’t wait to show them off to Australia and the rest of the world,” Angove continues.

 

An original Australian brandy, the St Agnes Distillery is located on the banks of the River Murray in Renmark, South Australia.

 

The quality of the new release XOs have already received acclaim, with the St Agnes XO Grand Reserve 40 Year Old and the St Agnes XO Imperial 20 Year Old both awarded Double Gold at the 2015 Melbourne International Spirits Competition. Existing member of the range, St Agnes XO 15 Year Old, was also awarded the only Gold medal at the same show.

 

St Agnes XO Imperial 20 Year Old features a deep orange colour, a sweet caramel nose and spiced almond undertones. The palate is long with earthy characters of truffle, walnut, chocolate and pear.

 

St Agnes XO Grand Reserve 40 Year Old in contrast features a dark, dense amber colour, with a nose of figs, hazelnut, orange and prunes. The aromatics continue with cocoa, vanilla and smokey oak formed from the four decades in small oak. The palate is complex, with rich flavours such as chocolate truffles, hazelnut, prune, almond and tobacco.

 

The St Agnes XO range will be available online, at select Dan Murphy’s stores and leading independent retailers nationally.

 

St Agnes XO Imperial 20 Year Old has an RRP $200, while St Agnes XO Grand Reserve 40 Year Old has an RRP $785.

 

St Agnes is distributed by Angove Family Wine Makers.