Distillery profile

St. Agnes

Explore the distillery's history, craft, production, and the distinctive character of its whiskies.

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St Agnes Distillery

About the distillery

St Agnes Distillery is located in Renmark in South Australia, and is one of Australia’s most traditional spirit producers. Here, brandy is still made with the original copper pot stills from 1910, and in recent years the house has also become home to Camborne Single Malt Whisky. The combination of a long family tradition, long maturation, and a small, clearly craft-focused range makes the place particularly interesting for whisky lovers.

History

The story begins in 1910, when Carl Angove traveled to Renmark to establish the area’s first winery and distillery. His idea was to use Riverlands table grapes to create a pure spirit for the hot wines of the time, and this concept became the very foundation of St Agnes. In 1925, Harry Ronald Haselgrove returned home after training in Montpellier, as well as experience from Bordeaux and Cognac, and Carl Angove invited him into the house. Together, they laid the groundwork for St Agnes Brandy and for the elegant Australian style that has since shaped the distillery.

Over more than 100 years, only six Master Distillers have continued the house’s style, and continuity is felt in both method and expression. The original H. Jennings copper pot stills, installed in 1910, are still in use. In 2014, the distillery launched Blind Tiger Organic Gin, and in 2016 the first whisky was laid down into casks; it developed into Camborne Single Malt Whisky. In 2025, the house marked 100 Years of Distillation with both a 50-year-old XXO and a 30-year-old XO Centenary Reserve, as well as several special releases.

Raw materials and production

St Agnes works with a clear pot still tradition, and the brandy is described as double distilled. The original H. Jennings copper stills from 1910 are still in operation and are an important part of the house’s signature. For the brandy, selected base wines are used. In VS, the spirit is matured in small oak casks for at least three years, while VSOP is matured in at least five years. This gives a clear picture of a house that builds its style on patience, long maturation periods, and repeated use of the same fundamental distillation practice.

The whisky, Camborne Single Malt Whisky, was laid down in 2016 and matures in tawny, sherry, brandy, and premium red wine casks. This gives the distillery a single, but distinct whisky language—where the casks are the most important craftsmanship marker. Here it is not a large industrial production, but a small spirit house where time in wood is part of the identity itself.

Maturation and cask types

Maturation is clearly driven by time and by very classic cask types. The brandy rests in small oak casks, and the older versions gather decades of concentration in long maturation periods. Camborne Single Malt Whisky is matured in tawny, sherry, brandy, and premium red wine casks, giving the house a broad palette of wood influences to work with. It is a maturation language where aging is not used as decoration, but as the very tool for building character and depth.

Whiskies

The core range is dominated by St Agnes Brandy, ranging from VS and VSOP to XO 15, 20, 30, 40, and 50 Year Old, as well as rare single cask and cask strength releases. Alongside it stands Camborne Single Malt Whisky as the house’s younger whisky branch, while Blind Tiger Organic Gin shows that the distillery works more broadly than just brandy. Overall, the portfolio is small enough to feel manageable, but ambitious enough to include both everyday expressions and very old prestige releases.

Whisky Type / series Age Cask and style Tasting profile Status
Camborne Single Malt Whisky Single Malt Whisky Tawny casks, Sherry casks, Brandy casks and Premium red wine casks The distillery’s single malt whisky, laid on tawny, sherry, brandy, and premium red wine casks.; Nose: null; Taste: null; Finish: null Current; Core range
St Agnes VS Brandy; St Agnes Brandy minimum 3 years Small oak casks Classic aged Australian brandy, double distilled in pot stills and matured in small oak casks for at least three years.; Finish: Smooth and elegant Current; Core range
St Agnes VSOP Brandy; St Agnes Brandy minimum 5 years Small oak casks Double distilled, pot still brandy matured in small oak casks for at least five years.; Taste: Richness, elegance and depth of flavour Current; Core range
St Agnes XO 15 Year Old Brandy; St Agnes Brandy 15 years Award-winning Australian luxury brandy. Current; Core range
St Agnes XO Imperial 20 Year Old Brandy; St Agnes Brandy 20 years Rare luxury Australian brandy with a minimum spirit age of 20 years; the oldest component is distilled in 1970.; Taste: Complex and pure Current; Core range
St Agnes XO Centenary Reserve 30 Year Old Brandy; St Agnes Brandy 30 years Centenary release with 30 years of age and a link to a rare single cask 1993 brandy release. Current; Core range
St Agnes XO Grand Reserve 40 Year Old Brandy; St Agnes Brandy 40 years Ultra-aged Australian prestige brandy with a minimum spirit age of 40 years.; Taste: Historic concentration and character Current; Core range
St Agnes XXO Exceptional Reserve 50 Year Old Brandy; St Agnes Brandy 50 years Rare Australian spirit with a minimum age of 50 years and one of the house’s most distinctive releases. Current; Core range

The style and flavor profile of the whiskies

St Agnes’ style moves between elegant and deeply concentrated. VS is described as smooth and elegant, VSOP as rich, elegant, and with depth of flavor, while XO Imperial is highlighted as complex and pure. The oldest versions add a sense of historical concentration and character, and the overall picture is a house focused on purity, maturity, and long cask influence rather than pronounced smoke or modern effects.

Visit the distillery

The Renmark distillery is open daily for tastings and sales. Monday to Friday it is open from 10:00 to 17:00, and on Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays from 11:00 to 16:00. Guests can enter the historic barrel halls, experience more than 100 years of distillery history, and choose between guided tastings, brandy flights, whisky tastings, gin experiences, and behind-the-scenes tours. Therefore, it is a place you can visit both as a beginner and as a collector.

The stated opening hours are Monday–Friday 10:00–17:00; Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays 11:00–16:00.

Philosophy and craftsmanship

The house’s philosophy is simple and consistent: time matters. The distillery highlights authenticity, provenance, and uniqueness, and over more than 100 years, only six Master Distillers have continued the house style. This points to a production where patience, continuity, and respect for the original equipment are just as important as the spirit itself.

Prices and awards

  • Gold (2014, Gold, Blind Tiger Organic Gin)

  • Three world’s best brandy titles (Won, St Agnes Brandy)