(Image Source: St Agnes)

Renmark's St Agnes, famed for its Australian brandy, has released its first single malts - the Camborne Single Malt Whisky.

St Agnes first got into producing single malts in 2015 incorporating what else than their famous brandy pot stills for the inaugural release. St Agnes has been producing brandies in Australia since 1925.

The project was kicked off by fifth generation winemaker Richard Angove with St Agnes head distiller Ben Horley, one of Australia's most experienced distillers and blenders.

Ben Horley, St Agnes' Head Distiller. (Image Source: St Agnes)

‘With over 100 years of distillation experience we have a clear purpose: to create Australian spirits of exceptional world standard with a unique Australian expression,

Our head distiller, Ben Horley, and the team at the distillery have used all their experience in crafting our single batch whiskies, each having unique character underpinned by our house style which is classically South Australian – rich, full, stylish, smooth, and long.’

- Richard Angove

The pair first tested malt distillation at St Agnes and the subsequently filled them into several different types of casks, which were then left to age in St Agnes' Barrel Halls, eventually becoming Camborne whisky. Cask types include brandy, apera, rare fortifieds and wine casks.

(Image Source: St Agnes)

For the inaugural release, four single cask Camborne expressions have been bottled, each diluted to their bottling strength: Tawny Cask (51.8% ABV), Sherry Cask (47.6% ABV), XO Brandy Cask (46.3% ABV), and Shiraz Wine Cask (46.2% ABV). Camborne will look to feature new cask types and at older age statements in the future.

The current release of whiskies are aged for around 7 years and retail for $275 on St Agnes' website.

The name "Camborne" itself is in reference to the history of St Agnes Distillery and commemorates the founder of the distillery, Dr William Thomas Angove, who left his home in Camborne, Cornwall, in 1886. He set off for South Australia and eventually founded Angove Family Winemakers, wherein his son Carl, built the distillery in Renmark in 1911 to produce port and sherry wines.

(Image Source: St Agnes)

Carl nonetheless saw an opportunity to produce high quality brandy and hence travelled to Cognac in 1925 to learn brandymaking and eventually took the practice to Renmark, which led to the creation of St Agnes' Australian-style brandy.

St Agnes remains Australia's oldest family-owned continuously operated distillery.

Kanpai!

88 Bamboo Editorial Team