| The Klein Karoo might be a semi-desert, but it has long been a muse for artists, poets and distillers alike. A 350km-long sliver of a valley sandwiched between the imposing Swartberg Mountains in the north, and the continuous Langeberge and Outeniqua Mountains in the south, this valley of sunburnt rock and romantically offbeat villages feels suspended in time. It’s here, where water is scarce and sunshine’s abundant, that brandies are made with fruit purity, preserving the grape’s integrity through double-distilling. Robust, yet beautifully soft, these brandies are born from the intensity of desert heat.
Climb over the R62 with Montagu behind you and the unexpected lushness of Barrydale will surprise you. Named after Joseph Barry, an English entrepreneur who established trade routes along the Breede River, it was he who began the area’s fledgling brandy industry back in 1846. Today, the name Joseph Barry is synonymous with some of South Africa’s finest Cape Brandies. Each bottle reimagines the rugged Klein Karoo terroir into something exceptional. Take the Joseph Barry VS Potstill Brandy: lively notes of apple, pear, orange peel and lemon are layered with oak, raisins and a hint of coconut, leaving a lingering impression of fruit and spice.
This is desert-born elegance. |
SALM TEAM 
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Diana Kinyanjui 
Lwazi Nongauza 
