KWV Brandy Is Searching For South Africa`s Most Creative Mixologist

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This year, KWV celebrates 100 years of excellence. To mark this milestone, the brand has launched a nationwide competition called KWV Brandy Reimagined to showcase the drink’s versatility.

In recognition of its proudest supporters, KWV Brandy has identified top mixologists to “shake, stir and swirl” KWV Brandy in a mixology competition to win a limited-release bottle of KWV Nexus – valued at R24,000.

The judges in the KWV Brandy Reimagined competition will search for mixologists who can carve out the path that KWV Brandy will follow for the next 100 years: More than mixologists, these bartenders are futurologists.

The judges for this competition are KWV master distiller Pieter de Bod; Dominic Walsh, owner of Mootee Cocktail Bar in Johannesburg; DrinksFeed CBO Jan Laubscher; respected drinks writer Leah van Deventer; charismatic Sowetan SMag editor Thembalethu Zulu; influential trendsetter Seth Shezi; and actress and singer Bianca Le Grange.

Regional competitions will be held in Cape Town (May 8) and Johannesburg (May 22). Contenders from the Western Cape, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal will battle for the ultimate title, and the winner will be announced at a grand finale and awards ceremony at the home of KWV Brandy, the House of Fire, in Paarl on June 12.

About the competition

“This is the first KWV Brandy competition of its kind in South Africa, and I’m excited to taste what SA’s bartenders create,” says Schlechter, who has run various bar schools and cocktail competitions across the globe.

Walsh, who himself competed in numerous international mixology competitions before opening Mootee, says the competition is an excellent opportunity to celebrate local quality – something he is passionate about. “In 2018 I hope to see more bartenders using home-grown ingredients to create unique cocktails.”

In one of the most competitive brandy markets in the world, KWV Brandy continues to set the benchmark in trusted quality and always puts consumers and their delight first. KWV Brandy Reimagined is just another way this brand is placing innovation at the forefront of SA’s evolving bar scene.